lugnut Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 Is this a thread about why did people stop shooting or why don't they post anymore? I miss the great threads about cross over and roll etc. What happened to the GM posters who can explains things so clearly with a keyboard? It's about people that were at the top of their game and stopped really shooting competitively. Some are still active on this forum some are not. How can they spend some much effort and get to the level of shooting that requires major commitment- only to just stop. The threads have been very interesting and honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 My short answer to your question up above ^^^ is... The thrill of the pursuit...the boredom of actually acquiring the thing you were pursuing. In some respects... a lot like dating women....(sigh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 Cha-Lee, Bob H. Great information and thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I guess part of the reason for this post to me, other than the obvious curiosity... is that I need to find out how much sacrifice and commitment I'm willing/able to make. It's like a moving target sometimes. Every time I go to a match on a weekend it's time away from the family (although teenage boys tend to still be sleeping by the time I get home!).... but damn I love shooting. I don't want the love of the sport to go away... but at the same time I can't control the pace... if I love it, I go for it. A shooters dilemma I guess. As I've heard and seen... B class is where lots of people can get stuck... unless they train harder and smarter. And that's where I am. I'm in my mid 40s but still feel young... but I almost feel as if I have a limited window before the eyes and joints possibly get in the way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 My short answer to your question up above ^^^ is... The thrill of the pursuit...the boredom of actually acquiring the thing you were pursuing. In some respects... a lot like dating women....(sigh) LOL. I hear you. But some of us marry and have wonderful lives. Good parallel though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Praying Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Great answers guys. I'll add this to the answers I've heard from other shooters. My comments were based on what most of the older M/GM's i've talked to that has stopped shooting. So It's great to hear other answers. I need to find out how much sacrifice and commitment I'm willing/able to make. I had the same question. My answer was I have a job and I don't want to make work out of shooting. I don't mind working weekends designing stages and building them, but I'm going to keep shooting fun if I can. As of now I'm A Open and B everything alse, so what they say may be ture. I'm ok with that, for now. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Yup. Life happens. I'm not one of the GM types missing mentioned above, but.... it still applies. Haven't shot a classifer in 3 or 4 years, and shot maybe 2 USPSA matches in all that time. I do miss it sometimes.... but my life is very full right now. One day you are living about 10 miles from one of the best ranges in the country, with a key to the gate, and have time and extra funds for as much practice as you can stand. Next thing you know, 3 kids in a little over 4 years, and your job moves you to a different part of the country where the nearest USPSA club is about 1.5 hours away. Throw in the tremendous time and money drain of a new family, add in mid 40's eyes going starting to go bad, add 30 pounds on the belly, increased time demands from work.... and you are not the shooter you used to be. Heck, I wasn't even that good then, but made M when I set it as a real goal.... semi-competitive in my class, but no threat for the big win. About the time I should have been buckling down to triple my efforts to try to get competitive for match wins, maybe make GM, life just happened. I still dabble in IDPA (plenty of that around), the occasional USPSA match (usually in Production now), but really don't have the drive to shoot that I once did. Maybe someday I will get my eyes fixed or buy an open gun and challenge myself to try it again.... but it just isn't a priority for me.... right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 About 4 yrs after makeing GM I got tired of winning throphy's & found out you could win great guns in 3-gunning & fadded there ever sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I dont know about being a 'top' shooter, but have been around for 21 yrs now, and for me in the beginning, it was 9 matches a month, practicing at least 4 nites a week etc...hell i was burning 300 dollars a month in local match fee's never mind the sectionals and area matches. As time went on, my friends in the sport moved on, for me its as much a social event as it is a shooting sport, they left, i'm still here, now its getting boring, so i change to a different division, ok, for a while, as some have said before me, lately its dealing with combo's of health issues/finances and everything else that now pushes the sport I love farther down the ladder, I still keep my hand in, shooting 2 matches a month, but now the focus has changed for me in that I get more out of helping the new shooters coming into our sport, showing them the potholes that I already stepped in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 One well regarded shooter said this... "—I enjoy solving problems, but once solved I look for a new challenge." Seems about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Round_Gun_Shooter Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 In my case the majority of it is a financial issue. The issue being last time I didn't have the capability of doing what I needed to do for that last 5% I needed to be competitive nationally. Next time, I want to be fully prepared to ride it until the wheels fall off. I for one am anxious to see you back and hope to get the chance to see you shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 I for one am anxious to see you back and hope to get the chance to see you shoot. Thanks man, I'm looking forward to it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I for one am anxious to see you back and hope to get the chance to see you shoot. Thanks man, I'm looking forward to it myself. Your return --- and pursuit of whatever goals you set --- should be as satisfying to witness as your progress toward the 3 second El Prez. I'm betting you'll go as far as you want to -- and will achieve those goals.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Thanks for the confidence man. FWIW, me and the SUB 3 El Prez (without a miss) still have unfinished business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ap38 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 AND sometimes it has to do with a 25 year old spirit in a 50 year old body.......................................... Gotta grow up and have a career at some point in life................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 AND sometimes it has to do with a 25 year old spirit in a 50 year old body.......................................... Gotta grow up and have a career at some point in life................... Hey! I have a 46 year old body and I 25 year old spirit... what are you saying??? Until that 25 spirit is beat down... I'm not stopping!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 AND sometimes it has to do with a 25 year old spirit in a 50 year old body.......................................... Gotta grow up and have a career at some point in life................... I won't derail this thread here - but there is something to that. I would say that at one point in the distant past I remember very specifically making a decision that I knew would impact where I was at shooting, but that I knew would be better for my life/career. And thus far, I'd have to suggest that I made the right decision. Not necessarily the most fun decision, but certainly the right decision. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 AND sometimes it has to do with a 25 year old spirit in a 50 year old body.......................................... Gotta grow up and have a career at some point in life................... I don't really think that a 25 year old spirit in a 50 year old body is a bad thing. I also don't agree that it's as black and white as choosing between a career and a passion. And I totally disagree that growing up is dependent on your job. I guess it just depends on your priorities and how much it means to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Gotta grow up and have a career at some point in life................... You assume that everyone that is serious about competition has no other vocation. I don't know about the crew that you shoot with, but the competitors in Area 5 are doctors, lawyers, teachers, police officers, fire alarm technicians, welders, nurses, professors... More on that, with a personal flavoring: When I was working on two undergraduate degrees, did I have to miss some major matches? Sure. Did spending thousands of hours in clinical practicum assessments and the basement of the university library in order to obtain my graduate degree and license give me extra time to dryfire? Nope. Working towards, and "hav(ing) a career at (this) point in (my) life has just meant that I need to get up earlier, go to bed later, and work harder at being a strong competitor. I'm a forum moderator, and a 20-something GM...two things that the OP mentioned. If it seems like I have not shot much during the winter, it is because 95% of the clubs here in Ohio shut down during that time. Just because there is snow on the ground, I am not deterred to practice at home in my "dojo". To paraphrase the former governor of Alaska: I'm not retreating, I'm reloading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I know when I shot skeet very heavy, I up and quit mid year at the top of my game with an HAA average of right at 99. I was AAA(equivilant of GM) across the board and was very competative in AAA. I got to the point were I would avoid all the local matches as the potential return on investment was not there. You paid similar entry fees as the larger matches but there wasn't near the cash to be won. The entry fees were at a bare minimum,$250 bucks but with options etc was over 300 bucks. Ammo was running well over 100 bucks for just the 5guns without counting any of the shootoff ammo. Add to that the matches were a friday-sunday thing which usually ment leaving thursday and getting back sunday late. It got to the point that it became like a job and you need to win to play. The enjoyment I got was from winning. I still go out and shoot it on occasion and the tools are still there but the desire and attitude needed to go out there and be as competitive as I use to be just isn't there. The work schedule also plays a big role as I just don't have the 3 days a week minimum to go to the matches all summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Forgive the drift. And that's where I am. I'm in my mid 40s but still feel young... but I almost feel as if I have a limited window before the eyes and joints possibly get in the way.... I think most "windows" are self imposed. Unless you have some real physical and visual issues, I would dare say you have plenty of time to make GM if you dedicate the resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I think most "windows" are self imposed. Unless you have some real physical and visual issues, I would dare say you have plenty of time to make GM if you dedicate the resources. I agree. I think a lot of the time when someone comes up with reasons why they can't do something, they are really just telling that to themselves. Words become actions. Actions become habits. Sure there are definitely cases when people have legit excuses. I think most people would be surprised what they are capable of in spite of them though. As Flyin40 said earlier...decide. To go a bit beyond that, you have to believe it can happen first. Along with that, the next time you catch yourself coming up with a reason (excuse) why you can't do something - stop yourself immediately and just go do it. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you just act instead of think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 .... but now the focus has changed for me in that I get more out of helping the new shooters coming into our sport, showing them the potholes that I already stepped in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Well to the point of your question, "where did they go on these forums" and even though it was posted more twards USPSA and pistol. I will answer for myself by saying. I got really tired of answering the same old questions every two days or so, and I started shooting a lot more over-seas than here, cause it is more fun. Now I still get to a few of the big 3-gun matches, but I hardly ever shoot a 1/3 gun match any more as I would rather play with all 3. KurtM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 When I quit having fun, I'll find something else. So far, after 32 years, I'm still having fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterready Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 There were guns back then?? Sorry Gary, that was just too easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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