Calamity Jane

I put 100 rounds through with the new/old grip. Felt pretty good....kind of like an old saddle on a new horse I was going to shoot more but I'm out of ammo. My loader has an issue with the primer punch that I need Dave's assistance on I'm going to get loaded tonight and then have a serious range day on Thursday. It's time to move and groove with the gun which makes me just thinking about it.

MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!!! He put my textured limited grip onto my open gun and cut down my thumb shield! I'm anxious to shoot it. The Jim Shanahan (I don't know how to spell his name correctly BTW) grip helped me out with my limited gun and I'm anticipating that it should work really well on my open gun as well. Thank you honey for such a quick fix!

Missed you too Coach! Shooting is always better than working...but shooting doesn't pay the bills I've been swimming again and I've noticed something very unusual. When I have swam in the past I would look at the blue line on the bottom of the pool and think. I've worked through A LOT of stuff mentally looking at that blue line and many of my "posts" have come from that time in the pool. WELL....the last 2 weeks in the pool looking at the blue line...nothing. There's no issues to work through. My mind is blank. I even resorted to counting my strokes because there is nothing I'm tormented about to work through. I've found my quiet. So I guess that is why I've been so quiet in my diary. There's nothing to say. I'm on track with my 30 day dry fire plan. I'm feeling a freedom in the shooter's box that I've never felt before. It's all good. I mentioned that I was going to work on my grip issues. This next week I'm going to coax Mr. Ball into removing my Jim Shanahan textured grip off my limited gun and placing it on my Open gun. I think that will give me a little extra friction. I've been working on my left hand strength...but I think changing the grip will add a little something something. I'm also going to take a little off my thumb shield while the gun is apart. I'm on track. Look forward to Riley next week.

I HATE IT TOO!!! Lost my Mom the week after Mother's Day (May 1997).

Hop, Prayer just sent up for your friend and his family...green pastures, still waters, comfort, and a big banquet at the end of his journey.

EXACTLY! You've got the plot.

OK we can't help it. Sometimes we just NEEEEED some chick flick thearpy :popcorn1: and it's cheaper than buying shoes. You can't blame us for this need because we grew up watching Snow White, Cinderella, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island. We've been conditioned!! With all of that said...I went for some chick flick thearpy today and was sorely disappointed with Made of Honor. IRONICALLY the first words across the screen were "Original Productions" I don't think so.... It was painfully FORMULA to the point of boredom. For guys....going to this movie would be like going to the mall with your wife and holding her purse! AVOID IT AT ALL COST!

The “X” Factor Dave Re XRE DR Performance “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” Here is what I said about Dave in his blog called Regun: XRE….ReGun…Dave Re….He's a man of many identities but with one common purpose: to encourage, instruct, and inspire others to shoot better. He certainly has done so for me. I met Dave on the Brian Enos forums. There are many different personalities and opinions to sort through on the forum but Dave stood out as someone who really knew what he was talking about. It was with this confidence that I sent him an email one day and asked him a question. I needed load data for my new open gun and I just knew in my heart that Dave would have the answer. He did. He had an awesome spread sheet with various loads that were spot on. This saved me a tremendous amount of time and frustration. My journey continued as I decided to keep an on line range diary through the forum entitled Calamity Jane: Journey of a woman. Dave's feedback, encouragement and support really helped me stay on track in 2007. I found his advice to be sound, tested, and true. This year my journey continues as I strive to find a higher mastery of shooting. This year my range diary is entitled Calamity Jane: Training to win. I realized I needed more formal mentoring than what my range diary could offer. Who did I call? Dave Re. I asked him if he would help me on a formal basis and he has done so. Having a mentor/coach has many benefits. One of those benefits is learning from someone who has experience. We all are climbing the same ladder. It helps when others who have gone before us can tell us how to climb. Dave has helped me by providing: ideas for practice, reading recommendations of shooting books, formulation of goals and is currently assisting me with performance analysis. My intention is to train to win in 2008. I believe Dave Re is part of the formula to get that done. Thanks Dave! Present Day testimony In the last few months I have made great strides in my quest to win. Most of my issues have been mental barriers that needed to be worked through. I’ve finally worked through many of those issues that have been holding me back. Dave provided wise council as I was working through some of these things. I’m finding him to be a brilliant coach. He not only has helped me with my mental game but he has helped me with some technical aspects as well. Using video and email technology he was able to e-coach me through to a much better holster set up and draw. At ladies camp I was able to pull a hands above shoulder draws sub 1.0 sec with the best one being .91 I’ve been calling him the “doctor” of performance because he certainly has helped me with my performance. If you have the opportunity to work with Dave or take one of his classes…do it! Thank you Dave Re for all you have helped me accomplish! You rock! go here to check out his blog : http://re-gun.blogspot.com/

Jack I like you! One of the things I like in your posting is your humility. I've appreciated everything you have posted...so thank you! If you think there is something I should know and don't want to post...PM me. I respect your thoughts and your experience. It is difficult to be truly understood on the forum because we DON'T have those non verbal clues. XRE and I met in person at A6. We have been speaking through the internet for over a year. I'm fairly aquainted with him as he is with me. However, when we met, my brain went into FREEZE mode. I didn't know what to say. Speaking with someone face to face is much different than what we do here. I'm grateful that we do have the forum to communicate. The interaction via writing words on this forum has changed me. My next post is going to talk about my relationship with XRE and what that has meant to me and my shooting success this year...you all won't want to miss that post! I shot a steel match today. The dot was in the center plate. Pretty sure I won Open....OK I was the only open shooter Dave and I learned more about us as a competitive team. We are going to make some changes once again in our shooting dynamic that I think is going to help me competitively. The day was valuable just to discover that. Next up....the "X" factor!

No Middle Ground There is no middle ground with me. With me it's all or nothing, black or white, hot or cold, sweet or sour, full speed or no speed. It's a personality thing that I'm trying to get over but never seem able to. I tell you all this to explain my dry fire training. I'm doing it different this year and it seems to be working for me BECAUSE of my personality. In the past I have always tried to dry fire 3-4 times a week from January through September. I started the New Year off with this plan but in March I decided that I was going to dry fire for 30 days straight. I did. I liked the challenge of it. Then the month of April I competed at ladies camp and A6. I didn't dry fire much during that time. Now it's May 1st and I'm back in the basement with the committment to again dry fire for 30 days straight. Then I will compete in June at the Indiana State Match, and A5. All.....and then....nothing. I think it's working for me. I don't think I would recommend this training strategy for everyone....just those with my weird personality type. Going to try to make it to the range tomorrow (going to fix the sight) and then shoot another steel match on Saturday. I got beat last week at the steel match...big surprise The Open guy that won shot a 83.30 and I shot a 83.76. If we throw the first stage out...then I win by 2.28 seconds. Yep....going to fix the gun tomorrow.

We started our boys with a crickett. We put it on a rest and let the boys plink away. Loved that it only shot one bullet at a time.

Shooting Steel like A Sniper As you know I practiced this week at 25, 15, and 10-yard targets working with grip and timing. However, I forgot to mention my gun was shooting about 4 inches to the left…and NO it wasn’t because of my trigger pull! I put her on a rest and checked it out (just to be sure) and it was shooting to the left on the rest also. Most people would go ahead and fix the problem but not me. I didn’t have the Allen wrenches with me to fix it and I didn’t want to drive the short distance to get them. I just adjusted my aim accordingly and told myself I would fix it later. I was lazy…a true sloth. We shot a steel match this morning. It was one of those mornings I rolled out of bed grumpy… pulled on my clothes without a shower or makeup, didn’t talk to the hubby until after my McDonalds coffee, and case gauged ammo all the way to the range. It was only after the coffee kicked in that I remembered I was going to a steel match with a gun that shoots 4 inches to the left! Bummer! But being the ENTJ (hearty, frank, over confident in ones abilities) personality type that I am, I knew I could overcome it. Needless to say the first stage didn’t go so well. I kept hitting the steel twice! I had to aim so far to the right that when I called my shot it looked like a miss. CRAZY MAN! It took me all 5 runs on the first stage to figure out how to shoot the gun. It made me think of snipers…how they adjust for wind, distance etc. I was thinking about that first shot in the movie “Shooter” where Bob Lee fired the gun at a moving jeep and shot the guy in the head. He aimed the shot at a mark way ahead of the jeep…but due to math…both the bullet and the guys head met up at the precise moment. This was sort of what I was trying to figure out today at the steel match without the benefit of mathematics. Once I figured it out, it was smooth sailing the rest of the match. I shot pretty solid from there on out. However, my slothful behavior cost me big time competitively. Lesson learned: 1. Don’t be slothful at the range. If it’s broke, fix it. 2. Put a set of Allen wrenches in my shooting bag that will ALWAYS be there.

Thanks Mike! Perhaps it is time for this Peony to bloom.

Good suggestion.....I'm also thinking about my everyday life and wondering if the way I carry my purse could help me build strength. I tend to carry my purse with my right hand or right side of the body. I'm shopping for a new purse. I'm going to keep this in mind. Thanks!

Thanks Renee...I was wondering if anyone was ever going to talk to me again! Thanks for posting. I too wish I lived closer. I just got back from the range. It's a beautiful Spring day here in Indiana so I made myself go out there and shoot 200 rounds. I did just what I spoke about eariler. I set up 3 targets...one at 25, one at 15 and one at 10. I set the par timer for 5 seconds and took 5 consecutive shots at each distance using a weak grip, medium grip, and strong grip. Which grip did better?? The strong one ofcourse. I knew this all along but what helped was seeing....This is what a weak grip looks like, this is what a medium grip looks like, and this is what a strong grip looks like. Men..keep in mind that my strong grip is probably your weak or medium grip. I don't have very good strength in my left hand. I'm working on that. I also did some canting around a tent pole at 10 and 15. Very interesting. Most definately going to work in canting into the regular routine. It's fun and builds confidence. Knowing where to put the dot is a handy piece of information.

Data Analysis of A6 Did you know you can make data say anything you want it to? I've been going over the scores of the ladies at A6 and doing some data analysis. It's really interesting. I'm learning how to break it down into the positive. SOO with that thought in mind here is what I came up with. The following data was just comparing scores with Lisa, Kay, Eva, Sharyn and me. I beat Kay on one stage I beat Lisa on two stages I beat Eva on six stages I beat Sharyn on six stages I finished second on Stage 2, 9, and 11. I finished third on Stage 1 and 3. My best stage statistically was Stage 11. Lessons learned: the cost of mikes is too high and I'm not going to pay it anymore. I'm sitting here trying to come up with my next 6 week training plan. Here's my list so far. 1. Work on better control of the gun (grip, technique, and timing) 2. Continue dry fire routine 3. Fix gun (cut down thumbshield, new safety, investigate someone to help me build up left side of grip) 4. Stronger physically (restart physical fitness program) 5. Compete like Kay (try the competitive strategy of higher points with smooth, quick, efficient movement) 6. Experiment with canting a dot gun, reaching difficult positions behind barriers, up close shooting with a dot (finding where to aim) That's what's on my mind right now.

Of course you could say her superior driving skill in conserving fuel earlier in the race, set her up for being in position to stay out, be aggressive late, and RACE the last few laps while everyone else was sliding in to the pits on fumes...... of course it was the Team's strategy, but she executed it well. A win is a win. Like I said, "A win is a win." I still want to see her win one where it wasn't a fuel issue. I'd say the team had a lot to do with that win. Yes, she did her part and I think she's a great driver, but she still has some things to prove in my eyes. It's not because she's a woman either... I would think that way about any driver regardless of sex. EDIT: If you want to see how hot she really is... from the SI swimsuit. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/...ick/index2.html I'm sure Danica is losing sleep over the lack of your endorsement! I'm really surprised you boys didn't bring up the "Danica Rule". New rule this year about the driver's weight. It's rumored this new rule came into being because Danica is so light and some feel she has an unfair advantage. So weight was added to her car. As I understand it...where the weight was added could actually help Danica. SOOOO maybe Danica won because weight was added to her car in just the right spot....and that gave her better fuel mileage...etc A win is a win. Danica is the best thing that has happened to Indy racing. IT WAS DEAD!!! NO ONE was watching. She has brought it back to life. I can hardly wait for Danica to get to Indy in May. More winning from her would only make things better IMO.

XRE I don't think you're catching the gravity of that statement. I thought about continuing on and explaining what I mean....but that's where I've turned my corner....I don't have to anymore. One more thing to clean up before I move on with my diary. This post represents something extremely profound and important to me. This was Calamity Jane standing up on her own and realizing that she no longer needed to explain herself to ANYONE. I've known that in my head for a long time. However, it has finally gotten to my heart. This was a HUGE growth and development achievement for me. XRE's my buddy and he understood...although it does read a little cranky

Jack, I wanted to get back to you on this one also. I have to confess I was a little cranky before ladies camp and A6 and really wasn't in the mood to talk or explain myself. At that time I thought I had achieved something mentally but had not yet tested it. Now I've tested my mental abilities and I have achieved what I was looking for. What I like about Tiger and now I can say about myself...is that Tiger doesn't allow the loss to define him. His self image is strong. It has taken me YEARS to build a positive self image, but I think I've finally obtained an image that can lead to winning. NEVER under estimate the power of positive thinking. "So a man thinketh, so he is." I've tested this and have found it to be true. I like it when you post Jack...hope my cranky mood didn't chase you off.

So --- are Dave and you really talking about the difference in function of male and female brains, or are you simply talking about differences in two individual human brains? I think that's one of the coolest realizations to come to in life --- the total acceptance that this is how it is, and embracing that concept, rather than struggling against it. Nik, I wanted to get back to you on this one. Dave and I were talking as individual's not necessarily genders. HOWEVER, I wanted to share what I do know about the differences in how men and women think. This is how it was explained to me and I have found it to be very true. Men have brains and thought processes like filing cabinets. They process one thing at a time. They take the file out they are processing, complete the task, and then move on to another file. If you interupt them during this process, they do not "compute" what you are saying. Men tend to process things one thing at a time. Women on the other hand have brains and thought processes like a blackboard. As they process information it is ALL on the blackboard. They are looking at multipal items at a time. They will start to process one thing and then jump to another because it's all out there in front of them. SO....this may explain why a woman may start a conversation on one topic and then start talking about something else. Just when you get the file open that she was talking about she flips on ya. OR..how about this. You open up the sex file and are ready to go. However, it may take your lady awhile to get to that item on her blackboard. She first may be thinking about, are the doors locked, did I sign the kids permission slip, what am I going to wear the next day etc. Once she gets those things cleared off...she's ready to go. Jeff Foxworthy describes his wife like this, "She's like a diesel truck. She's hard to get started, but once you've got her started, she can run for a long long time." This doesn't have much to do with training to win, but it is interesting.

Thanks Bobby! Shooting makes me smile. I'm in love with the sport. It's the love that drives me and makes this a worthwhile pursuit. I regret not encouraging your wife! Usually I'm all over that! Please forgive me!! I admit I was focused on myself. The hubby was a grandmaster encourager for many of us at this match. Dave and I have been working on changing our "match dynamic". We are trying to encourage each other and positively affirm each other after each stage. He did an awesome job with me at A6!! Encouragement is the wind beneath our wings. If you don't have a buddy to talk you up...find one.

Losing the Battle and Winning the War “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat” Sun Tzu The title of my diary is “training to win” and that is EXACTLY what I am doing. I am SOOO winning the war it makes my head spin. Did I get beat at A6? Absolutely! I most definitely lost that battle but I can’t express how profoundly beneficial that lost was to me in my process to win. I know it doesn’t make sense how losing can lead to winning…but it does. I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot with Kay, Lisa, and Eva (2008 World Shoot Open Team) It was the first time I have had the opportunity to go toe to toe with the best. Kay and Lisa have dominated the sport for the last 2 decades. They have been my heros, my mentors, and now my competitors. They took me to school and I paid attention. What I gained was a deeper confidence in myself which is much more dangerous than a win. Kay is the grand master of competitors. The woman shoots solid points with pretty good speed…not super fast…not slow…with competitive speed that allows her to get great hits….and she wins. She wins more than she looses. She is the turtle that beats the rabbit most of the time. When you watch her it’s not that exciting…but she wins and wins and wins….and the rabbit always thinks they can beat her…and sometimes they do…but mostly she wins. Well done Kay! In my mind you are the matriarch of the sport….I know there were others before you….but in my mind…you are the begining. Lessons learned from A6 1. How to start a match I gave any hope of winning away on the first stage by shooting 3 mikes. There was a tremendous mental battle going on within me. I won the mental battle but the cost was mikes. I started on Fluffy’s. The mental battle was one that lingered from my Nationals experience in September. At that Nationals I didn’t shoot with confidence or the aggression I had hoped. Remember this entry posted while I was shooting Nationals from my last diary "NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP" Winston Chruchill There are times in life when the battle must be won. Too much is invested to quit. I can not quit. Tomorrow is a new day and a new match. I lost today's match but I'm going to win tomorrow. I've identified what I would like to do differently. The biggest thing I want to change is how I feel behind the gun. I'm shooting with timidity. I want to shoot with a strong heart not a timid one. Tomorrow I will be brave while still keeping my eye on the front sight I had to undo that major match timidity in my mind and for me that meant shooting very aggressively and not backing down. The trouble was…I didn’t have great control of the gun related to first stage jitters. Kay comes up to me after the stage and says, “Don’t get mad. I can’t tell you how many matches I have lost on the first stage. That’s why I always try to start my first stage in control.” The woman is EXACTLY right!! Lesson learned: First stage at a major match…get on the score board SOLID. 2. Time the dog gone activators in real time Can I just say Dave Re has NEVER taken me down a wrong path and A6 was no different. He told me the mover on Brian’s House stage took 3 seconds to activate. I believed him…I did…really…and then the RO activated the popper that activated the mover and it immediately deployed and was fast!! My plan wasn’t going to work if it was that fast so I changed my plan. I was the first one to shoot it in my squad. So I get to the end and activate the popper that activated the mover…then I move to the door to shoot it…AND IT’S NOT THERE!!! I’m standing there waiting for it and it’s not there…so I decide to shoot the small plate and then it’s there and I have to rush to get it..and then I’m not sure I got the small plate because I transitioned so fast…but I did..and then I moved to the popper that activated the swinger..and OMG it was a mess!!!! Why didn’t I just listen to DAVE RE!!! So lesson learned…first….listen to your good buddy Dave Re and second… time the activators in real time meaning when shot by others. 3. Glorious endings are not always wise At the end of Stage 4 there was a wall with a popper positioned in a most difficult spot. It was easy to engage with your strong hand, but to do it free style it required quite a lean. So I get to the end and I’m blazing. I make a very aggressive speedy ending which causes my body to start to fall out of the fault lines and I get the hard to reach popper in mid air. IT WAS SO COOL! I didn’t know I could do that. I didn’t plan it…it just sort of happened. The trouble was I went so fast I missed another popper and had a miss on the paper target next to the hard to hit steel. OK I messed up…but it was so gloriously cool! Glorious is not always wise. 4. Don’t let Jerry get into your head OK you all know Jerry doesn’t talk…right? I mean the guy doesn’t talk. And that’s OK. I accept, admire and like Jerry and Kay just the way they are. So after shooting with Jerry for about a day and half….he comes up TO ME and starts to talk!! Jerry is talking to ME and commenting on my good shooting. Jerry noticed ME and talked to ME! That’s all I’m saying. 5. Never miss an opportunity to recruit a sponsor. We all know Dave Re is representing Brazos custom guns this season…and doing a pretty darn good job IMO. Because of this I had the opportunity to meet Bob. I didn’t miss the opportunity to tell him that he builds great guns and that maybe one day he would build one for me. I stopped short of telling him I looked good in yellow and I already had the black pants….and I stopped short of painting a picture of Dave Re and me shooting the circuit together like Dave Sevigny and Julie Goloski selling guns by the boat loads. I thought about it…but refrained. Never miss an opportunity to meet those who could one day help you. 6. Don't talk smack at Chrono until AFTER you've made major. OK so the last time I saw Ken Skeeters was at Nationals where he had the unfortunate oppotunity to minor BOTH my husband and I. So to prepare for this match we chrono our loads in Indiana, 50 degrees, with a light rain. You can't get your bullet much slower than that!! AND in Indiana at those conditions I was 170 pf. SOOO when I saw my good buddy Ken I couldn't refrain talking some smack... like saying.."You're not going to take any points away from me today. I've loaded these rounds myself and I KNOW they are going to make it." And I sat down at a table feeling pretty smug. It was only when people started coming out of chrono with puzzled looks on their faces that I started feeling a little regret for talking smack. What was my fate....165.5 pf Ken almost got me again!! What's up with Ken's chrono??? How can loads that chrono on a cool, cloudy, rainy day be 170 and in sunny 74 degree Atlanta be 165.5???? WHATEVER! 7. Remember the things you did right I did SO many things RIGHT at this match it wasn’t funny. My mental programs were some of the best I’ve ever done. I’m getting a higher level of visualization than I have in the past. My hydration and nutrition management was spot on. How I felt behind the gun…the quiet…it was there. My dry fire warm up…I’ve figured out what that is and it is really working well for me. My point of attitude during the entire match I thought was really good. Honestly…I know I lost but I SERIOUSLY gained some ground competitively. So there you have it. I’ve completed what I call a training cycle and I’m pleased as punch. I’m beginning another training cycle that will end after A5 in June. I’m really looking forward to this next training cycle. I’m just clearing my throat…I haven’t even begun to sing. This next cycle will tell more of the tale. It was great to see many of you people at the range. Thanks for a great A6! Dave and I really enjoyed our weekend.

Welcome back Jake! Hope the foot continues to heal and your mobility comes back 100%.

Jane, *IT IS* a male dominated sport, but that doesnt mean that us males *are dominant*. There just happens to be more of us, than there does women. I think that is what I said in my previous post. Perhaps I'm not a very good communicator even in my writing?? Trying to keep the male/female thing out of it let me explain it this way. Women have to come to terms mentally with being a MINORITY. The feelings of intimidation are not gender related but are related to being a minority. ALL women who step onto the playing field of IPSC shooting have to come to terms with this in their head. Just like racing (auto, bicycle, running) ...... just like fighting (boxing, wrestling, martial arts, etc.) ....... and just like most other sports (football, baseball, basketball, etc.) ........... there are MORE MEN than there are women. But that doesn't make them any better at their particular skills. A skill has to be learned by men as much as it does by women. Yep… and I can hardly wait to show you my skill. And by the way I don't think women shooters have any more mental/physical obstacles to overcome than men do. Chris, I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Women do have mental and physical obstacles that are different from men in this sport. I'm not complaining about that I'm just stating it as a fact. Perhaps one day I will write about this. After 20 years of marriage, Dave says to me last night …"I've come to realize that your brain doesn't work like mine" He's always known my brain doesn't work like his…it's just recently he's decided that it's OK that it doesn't. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and we are different…male and female. When we embrace our differences and join together…then we can experience what we were truly created to be.

Thanks Coach...I'm sure you can visualize what happened