Niceash

Did not take me long, half way through first stage of first match. Mag Change, mis-feed, go to clear, Finger still on trigger, RO yells "Stop" Unload and show clear" I am thinking there must be something wrong with the Stage? Maybe a Target Malfunction? Nope,operator error. Put my stuff away came back and helped for the next stage. Pondered my steps. . . Well, hopefully I have learned from that lesson. The RO was my trainer and he felt really bad too. Told me it was probably my Adrenalin taking over, Need to be clear and deliberate about each and every movement. Till next time. . . rg

Good advice. I showed up early for my first Match today, brought some extra coffee, helped do some setup, and met some great people. I was very excited to try my first "real" match. Half way through the first stage I DQ'd, I kept my finger on the trigger while clearing a mis-feed. I stood there for a moment dumb struck as the RO asked me to unload and show clear. I tried to play back the moment, but it was a blur. I dropped off my stuff in the car, and came back and helped out for the next stage. Everyone was very kind. I realized that I probably should take off, shake it off, take time to practice some more, and come back another day. I have to say that I hoped that I would have done a little bit better. My RO was my orientation instructor and he felt really bad, told me the Adrenalin just got the best of me. No matter how many time you watch a video, or read about someone else, you just can't know what it feels like to have that timer running util you get out and do for yourself. So, now that I have a DQ out of the way, I can focus on completing a Match clean. It really does take the air out of your sails for a few hours. Thanks again for all the good advice. rg

Good to hear. I am doing my first match tomorrow, got a sponsor (Father In-Law) and picked up a Glock 35 today, I was going to shoot my 23. (and I was happy to find out my Uncle Mikes holster fit the 35 too) I too am just looking to complete the stages safely. I did pretty good in a practice session earlier in the week, so hopefully tomorrow goes ok. rg

Good Stuff. I am shooting my 23 at a local USPSA match tomorrow here in Oregon. This forum has been great, I have been able to find answers to most all of my questions by using the search function. That, and I read a good book (Thanks BE). Looking forward to my first live match tomorrow. Thanks to all of you that have added your wisdom. Rod Salem OR

Spent the afternoon today with one of our local clubs RO's and designated Orientation Guru. Will be showing up this Saturday for my first Qualifier. Wanted to say thanks to all of you that took time to add something to this thread. There is a wealth of information here for someone that has an hour or so to read it. I hope that my experience is similar to many of yours and that I have found a great sport to partake in. I had a good time today just running through the safety checklist, the basic routines, and doing some sample exercises (loved the El Presidente) I learned that a USP is not as easy to hit as it looks, and how easy it is to forget to do a mandatory reload. I shot several groups of SnakeEyes with my Glock 23, at 10yds, so I don't think my gun will be my biggest issue to start. I also learned to make sure I orientate my Magazines all the same way, every time, so my reloads are smooth and without hesitation. (also good tips on reloading the mags after each stage). Thanks, I am looking forward to my first official match (yes, I did join USPSA) Rod Salem, OR Columbia Cascade Section