Twenty-Five Yards: Set Small Goals – For Shooting and Life

By Vera Koo, Women’s Outdoor News, Published March 20, 2017

Twenty-five yards isn’t far to travel – unless, of course, your leg is broken.

That’s the situation I found myself in during an April day in 2013 at the gun range near Columbia, Mo. I was training for the upcoming Bianchi Cup, the biggest annual event on my calendar. I spent the afternoon practicing alone on the range on a cold, damp day. I only needed to clean up, and I could return to my vehicle and head back to my hotel.

The Big Accident

As I stepped over a rope en route to a garbage can, part of my boot got caught, and I fell. I felt searing pain in my right leg. After inspecting of my injury, I knew I had broken my leg.

There was no one on the range to help me. The nearest road was 75 yards away. And, on that dreary day, it was unlikely there would be much traffic on that gravel road, so there was no point in yelling for help. Spending the night on the wet ground and waiting for help to arrive the next day wasn’t appealing, especially because I did not know the severity of my injury and what further damage I could cause by not getting immediate medical attention.

My last resort was my cell phone, which was locked in my SUV, twenty-five yards away.

I am a goal-oriented person. Goals keep me motivated and help my mind and my commitment to not waver from a task. I set goals regularly throughout my shooting career and for personal projects, as well.

I have found, though, that it is much easier to achieve your overall goal if you set smaller and more easily attainable goals along the way. Call them checkpoints to your final destination.

Lying on the ground, that April day almost 4 years ago, I took stock of my situation and came up with my goal: I needed to travel the 25 yards to my vehicle so I could call for help. It seemed like a daunting task, given my state, with my broken leg hanging worthlessly at my side. Any amount of movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my leg.

So, I broke the task into smaller goals. I noticed 3 rocks between where I was and my vehicle. Those would be my checkpoints.

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