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AustinMike

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About AustinMike

  • Birthday 10/28/1967

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  • Website URL
    http://www.michaelconnellphoto.com

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Austin, TX
  • Interests
    Shooting, of course! Pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, just about anything that goes bang.<br /><br />Drumming (rock, metal, some other stuff.)<br /><br />Motorcycles
  • Real Name
    Mike Connell

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Finally read the FAQs

Finally read the FAQs (3/11)

  1. I like shooting a Texas Star as much as anyone but there is just no way that would have worked with that many shooters. The reset time just takes too long. See Big Lucky's post - it would literally add hours to the match.
  2. Can't think of a better way to use up my M2 ball surplus!
  3. I'd love to shoot my M1 again or an M1A. So much more satisfying banging that steel with a 30 cal!
  4. Benny, that simply isn't true. While the course description did read "top barrel", the concern over height was brought up by competitors early in the day on Friday. In fact, you were the first person to ask me about this on Friday. At the time, I wasn't certain since I was handling score sheets that morning while one of the other ROs handled the stage briefing. I had to go double check with the other ROs on the stage and I distinctly remember coming back and telling you that it was OK to shoot through the highest barrel that you could reach and you said "OK." If you shot through the top barrels, that was your choice to do so. If you had any questions about this when you shot, the RO running the timer probably asked if you understood the course of fire before giving you the command to make ready. Every squad was told that they could shoot through the top most barrel that each person could reach. Many shooters of shorter stature opted to shoot through the middle barrels. All the RO's worked very hard to make this a fun, safe, and fair match. The concession made to allow shooting through the middle barrel was absolutely available for all shooters. I don't know how you missed this information when I spoke to you directly about it. Sometimes we forget things when the beep sounds. In any event, I don't see how it does any good to bring this up on a public forum a week after the match is over. Plenty of CROs and match directors were available when you shot the stage if you had any problems with how the stage was run. It was a great match and I hope you enjoyed it. -Mike
  5. Is there a list of sponsors? I made comments on LaRue and SureFire pages and sent an email to Ergo Grips. I'm trying to remember all the sponsors!
  6. Sheldon and Marcy, you guys did an amazing job and "thanks" doesn't begin to cover it. Your hard work is greatly appreciated. The size of this match was staggering but it was pulled off so smoothly. You guys were grace under pressure out there! I enjoyed working the match with my fellow RO's - amazing hard working bunch of guys! The competitors were friendly and patient with us in spite of some waiting around in weather conditions ranging from cold mornings, blazing afternoon heat, rain, blowing dust, and high wind gusts. The super squad that 3 Gun Nation was following around especially stands out in my mind. Those guys picked up every last shotgun hull on our shotgun stage (10) before they left! That really helped us out and we really appreciated it! Many thanks to our match sponsors, especially Mark LaRue and company. LaRue Tactical's generous support of the shooting sports is amazing. We were treated like family the whole weekend by LaRue's staff. Thanks for generously donating to the prize table and for keeping us fed and hydrated over the long weekend. You guys are the best!
  7. I'm not a match official but I shot at the RO match. On sight pictures, the idea is to avoid people sighting at various distances and slowing things up. Checking that your dot is on isn't a problem. Standing around trying to see what a long range target looks like through your scope while your squad is waiting on you is. There are just too many shooters to move through to let everyone take the time to do that. I can assure you that even at the RO match with smaller squads, we were not allowed to take sight pictures on the far targets - although I sure would have liked to! The way it was explained at the RO match was that obvious round dumping will get you in trouble. If you take a legitimate consecutive aimed shot at a target that has not fallen yet or a FAST target that you were uncertain you hit, that's OK. If the target has fallen and you're just shooting over the top of it, that's round dumping. Several of us on my RO squad just quickly ejected any extra slugs or buckshot.
  8. Since non-IPSC paper targets are being used, it would be worthwhile to clarify the rules or at least add to the FAQ. There are only 2 perforated circles on the match targets, with considerably more excess paper outside the outer scoring ring than on an IPSC target. That may cause some confusion to anyone just working off the rules. Just a suggestion.
  9. The re-enactment is Sunday at noon. A $5 spectator fee was mentioned on the Facebook page for the event. I'm not sure if that is for the reenactment or to gain access to the range on any day. Spectators are allowed though. Eye and ear protection would be required on the range.
  10. It was overcast all day so we didn't have trouble. There is one long range stage and the targets were painted white.
  11. Got through all 12 stages today at the RO match today. The weather looks like it will be crap tomorrow so we hustled through it. Back to back, no break - exhausted but it was a lot of fun. Shot WWII division and my M1 is filthy with range dust inside and out, as are my pistol and shotgun. We had sustained winds of 15mph pretty much all day with gusts 30+ frequently. The range was a dust bowl. A brief shower was welcomed, as it helped knock down the dust. I was glad I had a shemagh! It was a fun match and the stages move pretty fast. Lot of steel! Well done, Mr. Carruth!
  12. I didn't get to shoot the match, but I stopped by for a bit on Saturday morning and grabbed a few pictures. Looked like a blast and hope to shoot it next year if time & money allows.
  13. It's been two years now since I lost Mom. The holidays tend to be kind of rough still. She died right before Thanksgiving, so that's an especially tough one to get through. After I lost her, I found this thread out here. There were things brought up there that helped me cope with the situation. I started my own list of things that I felt and learned and I've continued to add to it. These are the things that we don't want to talk about, but they are realities that we each must face some day. This list is not meant to elicit sympathy. Rather, it's a resource that will hopefully be helpful to someone. When someone you love dies, you may wonder if anyone else feels the same way. You may wonder if what you are going through is "normal." Reading what others went through and felt helped me. Perhaps my personal experience will help you in your time of loss or when you are called upon to comfort someone else. Good things to say/do: • "I'm sorry for your loss." • "I loved your mother...she was such a good friend...she helped me this one time...I remember this about her..." • "Is there anything I can help you with during this time?" Offer specific things - take care of plants/pets, run any errands, make any calls, etc. Of course, be prepared to follow through. • Say nothing. Don't feel like you have to say anything. Hugs can be a lot better than words. • Follow up. Don't assume that someone is OK, especially soon after a loss. I cried every day for weeks and think I hid it well. Guys are like that. Bad things to say (and why): • "How are you doing?" I'm a complete wreck. I'll probably just say "fine." • "I know how you feel; I know what you're going through." No, you really don't. Even if you've lost someone, every one's experience is different. • "It will be alright." I'll never be "alright" about what happened. • "Things will get better with time." No, they won't. You don't get over the loss of a loved one; you learn to live with it. • Cliches. "These things happen...she's in a better place...it was her time..." Things like this don't help at all. The cruelest thing some one said to me was "Well, that's life." It was a dear friend, who meant no harm and couldn't have known how much that hurt. When you're grieving, things like this come across as a dismissal of your feelings. • "Call me if you need anything." OK, this isn't bad, but it's also not necessarily helpful. Someone who just lost a parent, spouse, etc. WILL need things. Don't expect them to call you though. Especially us guys. We don't want to be a burden and we don't like to feel weak. If you care enough to help, you need to call them periodically and offer to help in practical ways. Maybe it's just a shoulder to cry on. Thoughts on dealing with the death of a loved one, in no particular order. • Have all of your insurance policies documented for your loved ones. Company, policy number, contact info. Make sure that family members who don't live with you know where this information is. • Have enough insurance to avoid a burden on your loved ones. A funeral will cost over $8000. • Keep important documents together, in a safe place. Maybe a safe deposit box, but make sure a trusted relative has a key. Keep copies of the documents at home and make sure someone else knows where they are. • You can get a better deal buying flowers outside of the funeral home. All of their prices are high. Buy as little from them as you can. A funeral home is a business, and like any other business they want your money. Don't be swayed by emotions into buying everything they offer. • If you are a veteran and plan to be buried in a military cemetery, you MUST have form DD-214. The government does not keep or provide this electronically. It's a piece of paper and it takes days/weeks to get. Get it now. • Get more official copies of the death certificate than you think you need. Everybody wants one (bank, credit card companies, insurance, etc.) • People grieve in different ways. Some close up. Some get angry. Cut everyone in your family and circle of friends some slack. Hopefully they do the same for you. • Have as few people in the funeral planner's office as possible. This is a hard one, but more is not better. Closest immediate family only. You'll be grief-stricken, confused, and there are important decisions to make. A lot of extra voices in the room with opinions about what the deceased would have wanted isn't going to help. Politely ask extended family to do other tasks. • You will cry lots, often unexpectedly. You have to. Your body needs to. Something someone says, something you see or hear, a song on the radio...anything can be a trigger. If you're driving, pull over. Sudden tears may freak people out. They may wonder if you're crazy. You may think the same thing. You're not. • Be as open as you can at a viewing/wake. Walk around and talk to people and hear some of the stories of how your loved one touched the lives of others. It helps. • Displaying pictures taken over the course of a loved one's life is a good thing at a viewing/wake. They will help people recall some great memories. • You will hurt. Emotionally and physically. Stress weakens your body. Take a multi-vitamin and lots of vitamin C. I got bronchitis. • Try to eat regularly. You won't feel like it, but your body needs it. • Grief takes time. How much depends on you. There is no right or wrong time frame for grief. There's nothing wrong with you if you still shed a tear a year, or even many years after your loss. Some people might look at you some time later and their eyes seem to be saying, "You're STILL not over that." They've probably never had a loss like yours in their lives, so they don't understand. Lucky them. • Some people will have a hard time handling you while you're handling your loss. Your friends don't want you to be sad. Some won't be comfortable being around a grieving person. Try not to take it personal. • All the "firsts" without a loved one are hard. The first Thanksgiving. First Christmas. Their first birthday. Your first birthday. Anniversaries. You'll cry on all of them. • We can be angry that someone we love was taken from us. We can also be thankful for the years that we had together. • I don't think it's healthy to spend a lot of time at the cemetery. At least for me. Flowers on holidays and special occasions, sure. Do what feels right to you, but know that the best part of your loved ones is found within your heart. • At the risk of sounding cliche, your life must go on. You'll hurt terribly, but you won't be the only one. Your family needs you and you need them. Remember and honor the dead; continue to "be there" for the living. • Gatherings around the holidays won't be as happy for some time. Don't stop the normal "traditions" in your family. There are new memories to be created with the people in your family that you still have with you. • Find things you can do the honor your loved ones. Use skills they taught you. Heed their good advice. Make them proud. • It will take time, but as soon as you can, talk about some fun memories with your family and friends. Laugh heartily. • Death can't have the memories. They're yours. Hold on to them. Cherish them. Share them. • There is a sense in which a loved one lives on through the influence they had on others. Sometimes you get a glimpse of this. It's a special thing when it happens. In closing, I'd like to relate an example of that last item. An old friend of our family and a good friend to my mom for many years just passed away. She had cancer and the damage to her brain made her a different person for her last few weeks. It's so extremely hard to see someone literally lose one's mind. Her daughter told me a very special story. She was cleaning up in her mom's room and said that she should throw away an old tattered calendar that was gathering dust on her shelf. Her mom abruptly snapped out of her delirium to scold her for the thought of such a thing. "Barbara Connell gave me that!" Wow. It was an old gift that she had kept many years and even though a terrible disease was consuming her mind, she still remembered her friendship with my mom. Thanks again to folks out here who helped me through this.
  14. I was thinking about you and this thread the other day. I wanted to update the thread about my mom too. The 2 year mark just passed for me. It doesn't get easier or better per se, but over time I've come to accept the situation and live with it. I have learned some more things and will share more after this week is over. Holidays are the toughest time. I wish the best for you and thanks again for sharing your experience through all of this. You definitely helped me.
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