top shot episode 7

[XD Niner]

We had the Golden Bullet Nothern CA Section Championship this last weekend. All the locals were there and that includes Brad. A couple of very clever shooters wore a custom shirt to have fun with Brad. I almost fell over laughing. Brad was a good sport about it, he has even worn a Berreta "grip angle" shirt he made for Area 1.

Now that's really funny!

I still find it hard to believe that Denny wasn't in the elimination challenge. It just goes to show that emotions trump logic every time. I can't imagine he would be a strong competitor one-on-one given his performance over the last two shows particularly but he really hasn't done anything since the show started. I think he is a very likable guy and that's why his fellow team members shy away from voting for him.

Kelly is the giant killer. As far as I can remember, no one else has survived more than one elimination challenge and he's made it through three. I know he's immature but what else would you expect of a young man his age? I think he's done a great job of adapting to the various weapons.

[abn-rgr]

We had the Golden Bullet Nothern CA Section Championship this last weekend. All the locals were there and that includes Brad. A couple of very clever shooters wore a custom shirt to have fun with Brad. I almost fell over laughing. Brad was a good sport about it, he has even worn a Berreta "grip angle" shirt he made for Area 1.

Thats classic......

[sfinney]

I think Denny is one of those guys that..... everyone just likes. And I understand the "we need well rounded shooters on our team" mindset.... but now that its not about teams anymore, guess that didn't play out so well for Red in that regard.

But it might work to someone's advantage in the last few shows with the heads up format. Weaker shooters in the mix will make it easier for some to advance.

[BradEngmann]

Hi everyone, just wanted to post my response to my experiences on the show, as well as my impressions of Episode 7.

First off, since I've been on the show, I've heard a lot of positive feedback about those who originally were anti/apathetic about guns actually wanting to go to the range. Undoubtedly, Top Shot has been good for shooting sports in general. As I've said in the past, mainstream appeal is tremendously important and should not be underestimated. Some may disagree, such as the author of a recent letter to Front Sight & Phil Strader on the "political correctness" of shifting to amoeba targets exclusively rather than the torso ones. (I think the writer makes illogical slippery slope arguments but I digress) USPSA is a sport, but it remains a fringe sport. Most shooters don't know who we are or what we're about, much less the general population. So, expanding the potential audience is always better.

With the above being said, one major thing that I'm disappointed in is my portrayal as a USPSA shooter. I understand that I represent the sport, and I really did go on the show with the intention of positively demonstrating its values and integrity. Obviously that did not happen. Since the show's been on the air, fellow competitors have given me a few jabs here and there, all of which have been hilarious. In fact, James Ong just made a "USPSA Grandmaster" shirt with a crossed out bow and arrow and wore it to the Golden Bullet this year. (Yes, it's on Facebook) However, I feel that USPSA guys understand and are in the know. The rest of the country is not, and I've read quite a bit of hate around the Internet directed at me. While I really don't personally care about what some hobbyist who's never been in a match before thinks, it does bother me to know that some of that rancor is being reflected towards my home organization and competitive sports in general. What was not shown on TV was the camaraderie amongst the members of the house, the full scope of everything that went down, the pranks between me, Pete, JJ, and Blake, or any of that. According to the show, I have no sense of humor, no sense of honor, and would curse out a waitress if I got too much dressing on my salad. I think the negative was focused on way too much. People need catharsis with the characters, and anger is a powerful emotion. However, notice I never spoke poorly of my fellow competitors. Ever.

It's my firm belief that IPSC shooters are some of the best in the world. No, not all of us can put a quarter size group at 600 yards, but in terms of a mix of speed and accuracy, we're unparalleled. Most other shooting sports have a strong focus on repetition, not just in the techniques, but in the actual competitions as well. Every stage for us is different and every stage is a unique skill test. This is not to say those sports aren't hard, and I definitely have lots of respect for those competitors. But to use a golf analogy, it's kind of like one type of golfer hitting 10,000 shots with the driver at a pin 300 yards away trying for the hole in one, while another wants to play a crazy 18 out of sand, water, mud, and rough terrain. But being on the show gave me an appreciation for the difficulties of the various other disciplines and the skill it takes to be good at any one of them. Yes, even archery!

In my time on the show, I didn't feel like I got the opportunity to demonstrate what I could do. This is especially true for guys like Mike, Blake and JJ, who are simply ridiculous in terms of talent and are in a different league. The latter two didn't even get the chance to shoot half the time while I was there, and certainly not in events where their true abilities could shine. The challenges were accuracy based, required no movement, and were completed with guns that we got pretty much no practice with. Additionally, most of that practice time was spent figuring out where the gun was shooting. The one chance I did have to shoot fast was on the Peacemaker, which unfortunately involved both teams' guns breaking prior to the event, and us having to use a new gun for the challenge. I missed my first couple of shots because the gun required a 6 o'clock hold while I used a center hold. I had to figure that out on the clock. Hell, JJ even ADed on that stage because we were only allowed to load 5 into the gun and he thought he was on an empty cylinder. Of course the keyboard commandos are going to laugh that one up because someone who has a problem with something they've never done before automatically is horrible at everything in spite of any previous achievements.

I do want to respond to the "making excuses" part. This has really really bothered me, but how do you react when someone accuses you of that? You just sound like you're "making more excuses" when you explain what actually happened. Some would attribute expounding on the misses with the Peacemaker or mistakes resulting from lack of familiarity with the gun to "trying to cover up his sucking." This irritated me to no end with what happened to Mike Seeklander and still does to this day. "Yeah, he must really suck, and it couldn't possibly be the rifle's fault." If you honestly believe that, then you're a *bleeping* idiot. I never make excuses for my performance or blame the equipment when I mess up in a match (and Mike certainly does not). I do complain, and get pissy, and whine and moan. A lot. However, I'm only hard on myself for failing when I know I should have done better. It drives me to train more and train harder. But when there's a legitimate issue, then how can you explain that without sounding petulant? What I was actually complaining about in Episode 2 was not the fact that it was a Beretta. That's just silly. I was complaining about the fact that I knew I had to represent USPSA with a gun I didn't consider reliable or have time to test. The argument I made while I was there is that the performance curve is logarithmic, and your natural ability determines the slope of that curve. In other words, some people get better faster, but there's a lot of variance in performance when doing something new. I also didn't know there were going to be teams or voting and was unhappy with the fact that it was not a pure shooting contest. I later decided that I was complaining too much (with Adam's advice) and accepted the competition for what it was and by remaining positive I ended up enjoying the experience a whole lot more.

Now, as per episode 7. One thing which was not shown is that I actually volunteered to go into elimination for my team. I asked both Pete and Denny to put me against Kelly. My rationale was based on multiple factors. (Or according to the Internet, we're all idiots that can't think about anything, while the passive viewer who was not there could easily have made a more informed decision) Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't because I "performed the worst." I just missed one of those cans and grazed the top but didn't break it. I thought that missing three cans thrown into the air didn't make me the weakest shooter on the team. We put Kelly on the hard ones because due to a misunderstanding we thought that the half size cans were bonus targets and you only got one shot. Kelly did the worst in practice so we thought that was the safest play. Also, I was out there practicing with the rest of my Red Team with that plastic picture holder that resembled a gun, so I knew where everyone stood. The reason I volunteered is because I didn't want Pete and Denny to go. Pete didn't deserve to, so I stood up and went in Denny's place. Per voting for Kelly, none of us saw him as strong with a pistol, or anything that required speed. However, we did see him as a threat in case there was a distance shootoff where he would have a distinct advantage. (I called him the Spy in Stratego). So I decided to try and take him out so I wouldn't have to face him in his specialty. I also was getting really tired of not shooting for days.

Did I believe Kelly was the weakest all-around shooter on the team? Yes I did at that point. We thought that speed was going to be a factor in future events and he couldn't shoot fast. Plus he missed a bunch of shots at those playing cards with all the time in the world. However, there were two things I knew about Kelly then, and still do now. First off, he can certainly handle pressure, which is consistent with his top notch performance as a distance rifle shooter. He doesn't crack. The second is that he's a competitor, and a smart one. He has the drive to be good at what he sets his mind to. For example, even though at his current skill level he wouldn't do very well in USPSA, if he really wanted to take it up, I'm convinced he could be a state level contender in a relatively short period of time. Speed isn't something you practice in his discipline, but he could build it up very quickly.

The amusing part about the show is that people couldn't figure out what type of game it should be. I could have played ruthlessly to win the $100,000 but I wanted to shoot. Adam tried that strategy and got rebuked on here heavily for it. His goal was to win the game because he knew it wouldn't be decided on shooting ability alone. On a statistical basis, Caleb would have lost to Blake and JJ, but he wanted to shoot against them anyways. I wouldn't have voted for them either even though I knew they were both better shooters. So should I have made an alliance with Denny and put Pete against Kelly? Should I have made an alliance with Pete to put Denny in? Sure, I could have done either, but I wanted to go and shoot against Kelly where I thought the chances were in my favor. Of course it didn't go that way, but there was a big element of uncertainty. Neither of us had ever thrown and shot skeet before. When I threw in practice I used my legs a lot, but when I had to hold the shotgun, I short-stroked my throws. Kelly evidently overcame that by practicing with the rifle in the courtyard. Although I did redeem myself while I was hanging out with Blake in Louisiana while trying a different throwing technique. No cameras of course!

In any case, how could I summarize my experiences on the show? Well I'm not famous, I can tell you that. Maybe it's because I live in San Francisco and nobody watches it out here. I didn't win any money. What I did get is the chance to meet and live with some amazing people, all of whom I consider to be my good friends. I also witnessed my dark side a little bit, and learned that people will remember your character far more than your performance. I look forward to spending lots of time proving to people that I'm actually not a huge dick. I also learned that mindset is a giant element of not just the game of shooting but of life as well. And what more appropriate place to leave that message than on the Enos forums?

Edited July 26, 2010 by BradEngmann

[Seth]

Brad,

I thought that you got trapped saying something stupid, then continued to prove your worth the rest of the time. I think you did a great job and should be proud to have had the unique opportunity.

Seth

[The Antichrome]

That was an excellent post by Brad.

I had the pleasure of shooting the recent Pro-Am Championship in the same squad as Brad.

He just squeaked by me by 63 plates or so;-)

I only heard one Beretta jab directed at him all day.

He seemed to be a nice guy and a dedicated, thoughtful competitor.

Also, he set as much, if not more, steel as anyone else on our squad.(and thats sayin' something)

It's interesting to see the differences in TV and the real world up close, huh?

[gohuskers]

Brad -

I thought you came across as a good guy and a fine competitor. While I thought some of the moaning in the earlier episodes should have been avoided, I think most of the "cast" - if you will- were probably just as frustrated with the challenges as us viewers. Where's the shooting? So I for one understood your frustration, and in the end I think you ended your television career with class and dignity - which i find to be a common ingredient amongst almost every shooter in the show so far - with the exception of 1 or 2 fellows who shall remain nameless.

[Resjudicata]

It's good to see that the show is getting away from the "Team" aspect. Also, looks like more difficult shooting challenges. Not that the prior challenges haven't been tough enough.

I'm not going to comment on who should or should not have been up for elimination this week. I'm sure everyone on the show has a strategy they are working on. Sometimes those strategies work and sometimes they don't.

Hopefully, the choice of those going to elimination from now on is based solely on performance. This is only my opinion as a viewer. I would likely think differently as a competitor.

Chris

[Matt Griffin]

This is a perfect illustration why everyone needs to realize that this show is full of REAL people that you will likely meet one day. It's not hard to comment about the episodes without running people down, and if I was judged on thirty seconds of edited speech per day, I'd be in prison next week as a danger to society. I am glad to see that the difficulty is ramping way up also.

Two points:

Berettas are very much not Glocks, I shoot both and like them for different reasons, but hoo boy do they have a different feel.

Aerial shooting is very, very hard and not something you can pick up overnight. Especially throwing in front rather than straight up.

You went out with class, Brad. See you at Nationals, I would imagine.

Matt Griffin

[duramaxtech]

Brad I'll I will say is you did good ..... now switch to that CZ and really start shooting

As far as why Denny hasn't gone to elimination ..... Maybe the red team was thinking of getting the competition off before its too late? No I'm not trying to drag up garbage from episode 5 ..... I'm just saying Denny hasn't performed toward the top from what we have seen from the outside. Would you want to shoot against someone like Denny or Brad? JMO

I do have to say the kid (Kelly) is doing great. He has knocked out everyone that he has come against. Do I remember correctly that Brad was the only to knock out another team member, Kelly has taken out the rest.

[Bubber]

Brad I'll I will say is you did good ..... now switch to that CZ and really start shooting

As far as why Denny hasn't gone to elimination ..... Maybe the red team was thinking of getting the competition off before its too late? No I'm not trying to drag up garbage from episode 5 ..... I'm just saying Denny hasn't performed toward the top from what we have seen from the outside. Would you want to shoot against someone like Denny or Brad? JMO

I do have to say the kid (Kelly) is doing great. He has knocked out everyone that he has come against. Do I remember correctly that Brad was the only to knock out another team member, Kelly has taken out the rest.

I belive you are right. Brad took out Frank (zipline), and then someone on the crossbow. And then Kelly got the rest, but then again I don't remember well. later rdd

[Dan Hefta]

Brad, thanks for posting. I still love the show, can't wait until next Sunday!

[Filishooter]

Kelly impressed me. Not only the fact the he's a fast learner but that he has good focus and the mental toughness to have survived for so long. It also appears that he is sponsored by Scotch Tape. The "inexperienced" shooter coming into the game is now the most experienced with being in the most elimination challenges. Win or loose, he's already proven himself. How often do you see someone with NO classification beat not one, but two $%&@ IPSC Grand Masters?!

Edited July 26, 2010 by Filishooter

[XD Niner]

Thanks for the in-depth post Brad and for sharing some of the behind the scenes reality. I know we only get to see a small snippet in each show as edited for TV. I'm glad you enjoyed the experience and thank you for putting yourself out there for our entertainment and arm chair quarterbacking.

[John Heiter]

Love the pic of the guys in the "No Bows" shirts. Especially like that even though Brad is a *!@$$ Grand Master and now celebrity to boot, he still has a couple strips of patching tape on the leg of his pants.

[SA Friday]

Hulu has it on their site now if you, like me, have no cable and want to see the episode.

Without a doubt, denny is the weakest shooter still left in the game and should have been in the elimination challenge. Based on the previews, it looks like there's some physical aspects to the challenges coming up and some of the remaining shooters might very well struggle with the non-shooting aspects of the challenges. Weighing and measuring the shooting and non-shooting skills of their competition could pay off in the future episodes if there's influencing decisions to be made.

I find two aspects of this show quite exciting. To have any shooting with high end competitors into a more main stream exposure is a giant step for shooting as a whole. As a known and very outspoken shooter in the local area, I have had multiple conversations with people about shooting stemming from their exposure to shooting from this show. Ya, everybody knows about guns, but not everyone knows about the exhilaration of shooting like this. Most see shooting as standing there and punching holes in a piece of paper. Showing just where shooting skills can be taken and the various challenges available is outstanding for our various shooting sports as a whole.

The second aspect is the higher level of morality being seen from the contestants in comparison to other reality shows. Ya, there have been a few hick-ups and creative editing along the way, but in an overall comparison so far most have stuck to voting for those who earned votes from poor performances. In comparison to Survivor... Geesh what a ethical quagmire of backstabbing and surprise kicks to the junk... The shooters are fairly open with each other. Hell, they are still on teams, and I saw red and blue shooters practicing with each other in this episode, JJ cheering on red team members during a challenge too. It will be interesting to see just how this morality changes in season 2. The shooters will have an idea of the format now. It will be a true test of their morality, and I hope the chosen shooters take a hard stance on this issue from the start in season 2. I know they are shooting for a lot of money, but ultimately, they are all representing the shooting community to the people that watch the show. I've always believed competitive shootings strongest selling point is the higher ethical undercurrent that resides in its community. That's a very attractive allure even to non-shooters. The more of that aspect of the community portrayed in this show the more the impact to public. It has the ability to permeate more than just the competition side of our shooting community. It's a defining wall between thugs with guns and shootists.

[GentlemanJim]

I think Kelly is doing quite well for such a youngster, I seriously doubt I would be as composed as he at that age

It seems to me red team has failed to coalesce into a real working unit..from the very begining

Blue team has( pretty )much worked together...and it shows

I have to pull my support for cowboy he just aint rising to the occasion

Several of the folks have been super stand up , that impresses me

Being an underdog kinda guy...I am rootin for Kelly

Jim

[Seth]

I have decided that JJ and Blake have been intentionally edited out so they are the out of nowhere monsters as the comps get harder.

[SA Friday]

I have decided that JJ and Blake have been intentionally edited out so they are the out of nowhere monsters as the comps get harder.

I don't know... It's pretty hard NOT to see that they are the 300lb gorilla's in the house of shooters.

[Jaxshooter]

Maybe Kelly will get the respect due him after sending another "I am a Grand Master" down the road. He has the ability to totally focus on the task at hand. This I think is due to mental and physical requirements to excel at his chosen discipline.

[Topstrap1]

It still seems like the winner of Top Shot might not necessarly be the best in any one type of competition. We've seen where someone with exceptional skills in one discipline get tossed out when matched up with another shooter of another discipline and the competition for that day luckily or unluckily falls towards a certain shooter. The winner of Top Shot may come from behind and be of modest skills in all disciplines but is well rounded in a lot of things. As good as a JJ or others might of been what if one of them somehow had to compete against Kelly in the first round in the long range shoot off?

I still don't think the show shows the full potential of any of the competitors skills even though they might of been some of the best at what they do. Still a good show for the masses but probably disappointing to those of us that do compete and can appreciate the skills needed to do well in whatever we enjoy.

Maybe the next season will be different but at least the show is out there and showing whoever is watching it that there are people that enjoy the shooting and competitive sports where accuracy is needed that we aren't all crazies wanting to shoot people whenever we have a firearm in our hands.

Great post Brad, you are right about people judjing us quickly by what we say or are percieved to have said and acted in situations.

Topstrap1

[duramaxtech]

How often do you see someone with NO classification beat not one, but two $%&@ IPSC Grand Masters?!

That is funny, I had not looked at it that way. GMs are not unbeatable. In a side match I was teamed up with a GM that I will not name but I will say everyone here knows that name. We where doing a blind draw 2X4 shoot for the cash. The GM and I (at that point I was shooting B open and was on the verge of an "A" card) planed it out, he started on the right and I was from the left. We both went prone as well. It was simply, that the team that cut the 2X4 in half between the painted lines fastest won. Well we didn't win, we didn't even place second when everyone said we where the team to beat. One of the things that was funny was we both shot our guns dry and had to reload. Those watching said it was like syncronized swiming but with guns and fully dressed. Our down fall, our little 38 supers screaming out the end of the barrel poked tiny holes in the 2X4, the winning team both shot limited 45ACPs and each round blew chunks out the back of the 2X4 with every hit. The second place team was a master and "B" open shooter. The GM and I came in third. The winning team was a "D" and "C" class limited shooters!

A GM card doesn't make you a shooting God!

[ken hebert]

as for next season, i say ditch the current host and hire R Lee Ermey. Can you just imagine...?

"Oh my GOD you pathetic sack of horse *#$%! My invalid grandmother could outshoot you from her @@$$(&*!! wheelchair! You're an embarrasment to shooters everywhere! How dare you come on to MY range and disgrace John Moses Browning bless his eternal soul with a total suckass shooting expostion like that!! OH MY GOD!! Now drop and give me twenty!!"

[sirveyr]

I also witnessed my dark side a little bit, and learned that people will remember your character far more than your performance.

This a great observation. I think a lot of us can learn from this line. I know that I can.

[ThreeHeadedDog]

Something about this show that I love seeing and have wondered if it is lost on many viewers is that I ABSOLUTELY love seeing a show like this, with these types of people getting MAD with guns in their hand.

I am not only a competitive shooter but also a defensively minded person. I carry a gun (legally) and view my guns as not just props or equipment in a sport but something that may be forced into the position of having impact on my life. Something non-gun people always mistakenly assume is that someone carrying a gun is basically a liability if they get mad. Those of us who do integrate guns into our lives(like those on the show) veiw our guns as tools. This mindset often seperates guns and anger in our reactions.

I loved seeing both Brad and Kelly have bad runs at the clays and you could see the frustration in their faces and motions but they were clenching their fists and shaking their heads almost completely oblivious to the fact they had a 12g in their hands. The gun was however kept pointed in a safe direction and under control.

I think this type of thing is nothing but positive for the non-gun person to see.

I hope I was able to properly transfer my thoughts to writing. I am generally very poor at doing so.