T Fischer

Hey Frank, looks like deja vous from last year's rain event. I Just saw the forcast....showers until Friday morning then very nice Fall like temps for the weekend. It'll be cool to start so people will need a light jacket. Jim Thompson was right when he said Milan and rain go together. I knew the cowboy props might be a problem, that's why I objected to them building the things. They were determined to do it, though. Not much you could do about it. I might try to come out Friday morning for a visit. My knee is pretty bad so I'm not walking all that well. We'll see if I can make it. Anyway, sounds like you've done a great job in organizing this sectional. I hope everything goes well. Terry Fischer Retired IPSC Chairman, Milan Rifle Club

Sorry about that, dcarter. Frank and I sat in on the meeting to set the club calendar for 2009 and had to work around a very busy schedule. As an active High Power rifle club, Milan gets booked for 200, 300, and 600 yard rifle matches through out the Summer. Many of the dates are set by other organizations. We try to do our best but realize no weekend works for everyone. I hope you can make one of our shoots in the future. BTW, I have been somewhat enthused by the fact that a new casino/hotel complex will open in December within about 2 miles of the range. We hope to get with the operators and see what can be done about special room rates for those that would like to stay there or give the spouse something to do while you are at the range for the match. More on that later. Terry Fischer Milan IPSC Chairman (retired) & Frank's assistant

I didn't want to make a big deal out of it so I didn't send out a general e-mail about the results of the angiogram. The good news is there's no damage to my heart and no blockages to any of the arteries. I guess it was just the stress of the surgery along with the all the drugs they pumped into me plus the threat they would have to cath me if I couldn't go, lead me to vapor lock for a time. All is well and I'm now doing the knee PT. I hope to go duck hunting for the opener next Saturday and get back to livin'.

Terry, I don't know anything about the Nationals schedule for next year, that's always a bone of contention for many of us who need to plan work stuff out way ahead of time. Anyway, I really enjoyed shooting at Milan last weekend and will be back to any major matches you guys host that I can possibly attend. Speaking of Second Chance, I know somewhere around here I have a photo taken on the line during one of the Second Chance shoot-offs with several shooters, including a guy with a "Fischer" name tag on the back of his hat.....I'll see if I can dig it out.... I e-mailed Val at USPSA a while back asking if they had any idea when the Nationals would be. She pretty much said it'll be around the first of the year. We'll just have to throw a dart at the calendar and see if we get lucky. I had heard they might have it a little earlier this next year but who really knows. I never did all that well on the shoot-offs at Second Chance except for the first year I was a MB. They teamed me up against Ayoob and Brian. Can you imagine me looking to my right and seeing Brian Enos then to my left and seeing Massad? Nerves???? What nerves???? LOL! Got nothing to lose so I went for it. Brian and I tied and knocked out Mass but then Enos got me on the second go around. Got it on video tape too. Glory days.....always fun to look back. Terry

Jim, I heard from more than one source there was someone really helping out with the match. After a little question/answer session, I knew it was YOU! Thank you so very much. You really stepped up to the plate for us and I appreciate it more than you know. A match this size cannot be run very well by just one person. In fact, what brought me to realize I couldn't put off my knee surgery was last June's shoot at Milan. We had I think 6 stages....4 of them classifiers....then we had a shotgun side match....then we had mini-pins! By the end of the day, I could hardly walk and I paid the price the rest of the week at home. I made up my mind to have the surgery. Little did I know that things don't always go as well as the guy you talk to that had no problems and was back to work in a week. It'll be a little more than that it looks like. I'm kinda regretting it now. Frank and I have talked about the need to organize a commitee of reliable people to take on certain duties so it's not all on one man's back. Maybe we can have an organizational meeting this winter when people are looking for something to do and in the mood to get involved. We'll need all the help we can get for the IL sectional. Thanks again, Jim.

I thought I'd add my $.02 here for what it's worth. I'm pleased that the match went well and also the size and scope of the turn out. Thanks to all those that came a great distance in these times of high fuel prices and other expenses. That is one reason I had originally set the entry fee at a reasonable level and Frank kept it at that amount. I had planned on being at the September shoot but the weather had other plans. On Sept. 19th I had my long over due knee replacement surgery so I could not attend the rescheduled match. In short, all the credit goes to Frank and those that helped him make this shoot a success. I have read here and talked to those that were there, that shooters new to our range were complementary about the facilities. I appreciate that. Even way back at the 1982 Nationals, it was called it "IPSC Park" mostly because of the well kept/mowed ranges and the park like setting. Many of our club members really don't know how lucky we are to have such a nice facility. I'm please to have a GM make our shoot and hope you had a good time, Matt. Sorry I could not be there to meet you. Also, Carmoney, it has been years(since Second Chance) since we've met and maybe next year you'll be back if the dates work for you. Frank plans on hosting the Illinois Sectional so hopefully many of those that attended this year's shoot can make it back then. Those dates are yet to be set. We'd like to have it shortly before the Nationals but have no idea when and WHERE they will be. I hear it may move from Tulsa. Anyone have ideas on that? Mike, you usually are up on these things. Heard anything yet? I don't intend to completely disappear from the practical program at Milan. It would be unfair for me to have Frank hand it all back to me. Besides, it is time for new energy and ideas to take over. I'll stay in the back ground as an advisor and hope that my new knee will allow me to shoot our matches again. If possible I'd like to tackle the SSC this April. We'll see how rehab goes by then. Thanks again to everyone....shooters and worker that made the match a success. Terry Fischer Milan IPSC Chairman- Retired

Jim, I hope some of the info I sent to you yesterday helped. BTW, I mailed your plaque for the Milan Steel Challenge today. You should have it by Wednesday. Terry

Larry, I felt bad you had to leave before you were done with the match. I'll try to make it up to you and the other shooters who ran out of time. As far as those that didn't bring enough ammo.....well....can't do much about that except remind them the next time, bring double what the minimum calls for.

Jim, Thanks for the nice review of our first ever Steel Challenge. 7.. er 8 (LOL) great stages. In Doug's defense, he was under some pressure to get things rolling after the rain delay and taking a bit longer to set up than he thought. He says now he knows what stages will fit where at the club so next time, things will get rolling on time. I'll have to look at the club calendar and see if there's a date that we can hold another SC shoot before years end. I've learned what I need to do on my part to make things run more smoothly. I think posting the stage descriptions near the shooter's box (like I do for our IPSC shoots) will help those unfamiliar with the stage to know the proper sequence. AND, yes, more paint! LOL! The $.97 a can Wally World stuff just doesn't do the trick, especially on some of the new plates that were still in the black. The scorekeeper has some name corrections to make and once that is done, I'll have Ryan post it on the website and I will send out a e-mail newsletter with the final results and who gets something for their effort. Thanks for coming and I can now plan on perhaps a larger match, now that I know what to expect. Terry Oh and BTW, glad we didn't have the weather Sunday we're having today....YIKES...It's brutal out there Terry Fischer

Here's directions to the club: 49221 51st St W, Milan, IL 61264 Address 51st Street Ct City Milan State/Region IL ZIP/Postcode 61264 Country US [united States] Latitude 41.410561 Longitude -90.522446 Coordinates 41.410561, -90.522446 N41°24.63366, W090°31.34676 Map quest: http://www.google.com/maps?q=9221+51st+St+...p;z=12&om=1

Colbyjack, I sent you an e-mail regarding my comments. Check your in box. Mike, I'd welcome a Master Blaster anytime. I think you are in Frank's e-mail group now. Also check the website for current events. You could sign in to the message board and add your $.02 when you want. I know everyone would like that. Terry http://milanpracticalshooting.com

Mike, Does this mean that you would attend a Steel Challenge match at Milan if you have no conflicts with dates? If so, I will work towards that goal. And with the upcoming Steel Challenge match (the real deal) in the middle of August, Doug is motivated to have our shoot on the 3rd. It'll be good practice for him. Kinda like shooting a small local club pin match before Second Chance. Practice is one thing but shooting an actual match would be another. Unfortunately for Doug, he'll have very little competition from the rest of us.

To address some of the comments here on the match timing, yes it is unfortunate that it is during the Nationals period. Again, there was little choice in the matter of picking dates. This Milan Fall Pistol Classic has been going on now for about ten years. It has always been a local match to offer a thank you to those local shooters who have supported the club through the non-USPSA affiliated years. As far a hurting participation, last year we had about 110 shooters for the two day event. Many shot both days so the actual number of shooters was somewhat less than 110 but those were full paid entries non the less. It was my intent to keep it a local event again for this year. However, my upcoming knee replacement surgery hits just before the shoot. Frank Wolverton took over the duties as MD and IPSC Chairman for me. It is his decision to expand the match outside the local shooting community. It's his show and he has free reign to do as he sees fit. If I had known how things were to play out, I would have looked at a different date to accommodate shooters from around the area. But, we can't have a Fall Classic in July, now can we? So it is what it is. I believe Frank is working towards bidding on next year's Illinois Sectional. The facilities will support such a large match but the Milan IPSC organization needs work. I think Frank is working towards that goal. It may be news to some, but Milan has only been re-affiliated with USPSA for only a little over two years now. My predecessor, didn't want all the additional paperwork and hassles that came with club affiliation, so he dropped it. He was running everything by himself so I cannot blame him for it. I took over from him January 1st, 2006 and finally got us back in the fold by June. The club is really growing with 50-70 shooters each month....many first time IPSC shooters. But it takes time to rebuild the club back to it's former self. Most all the old certified range officers are long gone. We've held two NROI seminars each year to recharge our cadre of certified RO's that we so desperately need to maintain a safe and USPSA conforming matches. It all takes time but it is working. Just think if you had to deal with all new shooters that want to help but don't really know how. It's not all that easy. Hopefully by passing the torch to Frank, new ideas, energies, and hard work will continue to help the club grow. Terry Fischer

To answer your comment/question Carmoney, I am. Thanks Doug for your input but I see I need to weigh in here. Unlike many clubs that are USPSA only, Milan Rifle Club is a multi-use, multi-discipline club. It is first a rifle club, with 200, 300, and 600 yard ranges. The use of those ranges for scheduled matches prevents us from using the IPSC ranges. When we set the next year's calendar in October, I'm handed a tentative calendar with about half the dates already written in. Many of the rifle(high power) dates are determined by the NRA or the Illinois State Rifle Association and cannot be changed by the host club. In addition, we have PPC, Bull's-eye, CMP, Cowboys, and a few others that vie for dates along with the club's USPSA/IPSC program. Many times I have to compromise my regular match weekend to accommodate other disciplines. We all try to work together. Back in the early 1980's, when Guy Johnson was club president, all factions fought amongst each other and Guy fought with them. To his credit, if he had not done so, we'd still be loading ALL firearms with a single round and never drawing a hand gun from a holster. It was Guy and company that was responsible for bringing Milan into the modern age. Those meetings were very upsetting with a lot of back stabbing and verbal exchanges. Now, the BOD of Milan tries to work with each other and we get things done. I'm sure you haven't been to Milan for years but there have been several improvements made, by working together. Since the Steel Challenge purchase by the USPSA took place long after the calendar was set, the August 3rd date was the only one available. I was aware of the Area 3 match but in reality, how many of you would have spent the time and money to come to a small local event as will be our very first Steel Challenge? If Doug Carden had not proposed the idea to me a while back, this shoot would not take place. Doug is a die hard SC shooter and is bringing his own targets to the range so we can hold this shoot. Beside, it was even stated in the Front Sight magazine, that part of the purpose of adding the SC to the fold under USPSA was to try to entice new or timid shooters to a sport that was less intimidating to participate in than a USPSA/IPSC match. So Area 3 was not a concern to me. I didn't post the Aug. 3rd match on this forum. Someone else did. I wish those posters would clear it with the match directors first before they take it upon themselves to make these announcements. As I stated earlier, this is our first Steel Challenge match. Without any experience in running this type of format, I wanted to keep it local. If it proves popular, perhaps next year we'll run more of them as we gain experience. With more dates on the calendar, there will be opportunities for those that would make the drive to Milan, feasible. I hope I answered your question. Terry Fischer Milan Rifle Club IPSC/USPSA Chairman tfischer_milan_ipsc@mchsi.com http://milanpracticalshooting.com

Here's the website address. http://www.chillisportsmen.org/ Click on activities, then USPSA Action Shooting. It will take you to a page with a link to the results. T Fischer Milan Rifle Club, Illinois

I believe that's Suzanne Cooper shooting her five pin set. Pin girl Leta on the left , timing. I have more video of the pin girls and shooter than stills. I'm still looking though.

I'm working on it Got more pics to go through.

Fire up that scanner, Patrick. I know you've scads more pics than me!

And who could forget ........ Here's a little different angle for those who missed this party. Yeah beno, I miss it too.

Hi Patrick. Good to see you here. I sure miss those days at SC. I wonder if the range is still there, intact or maybe the last Mrs. Davis had it dozed???

Thanks for the welcome. I enjoyed reading some of the previous pages that were posted some time ago. Well, I was prompted to post some more pics so here goes..... Richard always had a campfire going to ward off the Michigan chilly nights! Our host.....

Guys, I'm new to this forum but I found many names I used to know from shoots around the country. Sweeney and Carmoney I remember from Second Chance. I had read an earlier post from Patrick about "Propane Wednesday" and I went digging out some old pics. Here's one that I think demos just how crazy....er I mean "tasteful" Richard's displays could be. LOL! I hope everyone enjoys it. I have a ton of old shooting pics that I can post if I'm properly motivated! LOL! Good to read some of the old IPSC history stories, too. I might have a few to share. Terry