Ron Ankeny Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 My Open blaster is history and I won't have another one for several months. My revolver is still in pieces in a box somewhere in the reloading room. Our club is shooting a four classifier special tomorrow and I am the MD. If I shoot my choices are shooting Production with a CZ or Limited/L10 with my single stack. I suppose I could even do both for more trigger time. OK, here's the rub. All of the classifiers will be speed shoots. They are Ducks in a Barrel, Bang and Clang, Front Sight, and Better Make Sure. I am just fast enough that I stand a good chance of shooting one or maybe two of those classifiers at pretty near 100%. If I shoot this special, I run the very real danger of getting mighty close to Grand Master. In fact, if I ace a couple of those classifiers and continue to shoot until I get my new Open blaster in the spring, GM will probably happen. Kind of sucks doesn't it? I know how so many shooters detest paper Grand Masters with a passion. You know what I mean? The local heros who shoot into the 95% range at home through the classification system, then fall on their butt when they shoot a field course, or flounder in a big match. As I see it, I have two choices. Shoot and let the chips fall where they may, or stop shooting until I can shoot in a division where there is less risk of moving up. Maybe I should go shoot and take it easy so the scores stay below 95%? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspian_45 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Just for kicks how about using your production gun and shoot limited/limited 10 minor? Or shoot open with the limited gun? I wish I had your dilemma. There just isn't any place close to shot here in east central IL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Shoot to your ability and let what happens happen. Who cares what people think about paper GM's. You aren't really a paper GM because you can consistently shoot those scores on classifiers. Everyone has their strengths or weaknesses and unless you are strong or weak in both areas you are going to be either a sandbagger or a grandbagger. My advice. Stop worrying about what people might think if you made GM and work on improving the skills that you need to win major matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Ron, I say shoot to the best of your ability and let the chips fall where they may. For every "PaperGM" there are 100 sandbaggers who should be moved up but choose to stay down. I think that if you should always shoot to the best of your ability, 100% effort every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Fortune favors the bold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 My advice is to shoot as fast as you can. Not as fast as you can see. Not as fast as you can call each shot. Just get the bullets out of the gun as fast as you can. In my experience this is a good way of tanking a classifier, while still collecting a couple of ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. Seriously, shoot to the best of your ability, anything less is dishonest. When your guns are fixed you can shoot the major road matches in M class in open or revolver or limited, even if you GM in L-10/Production. As to what others think, those who know you, know you are ethical as all get out. Those who think otherwise don't matter. I wish I could come over and watch you make GM, since Sam seems to have some sort of phobia about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 If I shoot this special, I run the very real danger of getting mighty close to Grand Master. Ain't that a b!tch Kind of sucks doesn't it? I know how so many shooters detest paper Grand Masters with a passion. Ron, I wouldn't care less what others think. You are a 5 division master, for crying out loud! You are a great shooter and you deserve a GM card in at least one division! Just because you can do speed shoots (even) better than field courses doesn't mean you are not worthy. Just go out there and kicks some ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Stop Whining and just shoot....think how good your moniker would look if it said GMX5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 If you tank them on purpose, or duck them, then you're a "paper" Master. For me a "paper GM" is one who stands knee deep in brass, grand bagging the simple classifiers until he catches a lucky run. Hitting 95% in honest to god cold runs doesn't make you a slouch in anyone's book. I understand the temptation and started down this road a couple of years back, I was close to making "M" and shooting better, and wanted to win some "A" class stuff at state or Area first. I had a buddy that had avoided classifiers and was tooling on the whole of Area 6 as a "B". Another buddy / mentor pulled me aside and basically said... "Don't be a pu$$y, shoot to your ability, if you move up fine. I'd rather be last "M" than first "A" knowing I was ducking classifiers to steal toys from the class below me." Take it for what it's worth. For me it was the slap in the face I needed. I quit worrying about what class I was or how I did in it, and started just trying to win the match. Do you want a 2nd "B" MIL plaque knowing you're only a reservist and should shoot in "M" if you shot more classifiers? No, you want to finish well OVERALL in the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 Well John, that theory of yours about getting those bullets down range as quickly as possible is just what has me worried. Remember what happened to you? When you finally found a magazine full of well behaved bullets you nailed a 100% score. Of course, those confused bullets that didn't know which way to go usually out number the smart ones. Seriously guys, I was just thinking out loud here. My reason for posting was just to show that you really can't tell much about a shooter or his/her circumstances from the card in their wallet. Jake nailed it. Guys like me who stand in one spot and shoot OK will sooner or later get a pretty good classification because that's the nature of the numbers game. If you shoot, improve, and stick at it, the upward bias of the classification system will keep moving you up. The result can be labeled a grandbagger. OTOH, there are folks who just don't have the opportunity to shoot a lot of classifiers and when they practice they don't concentrate on speed shoots. They work hard on the elements of movement, etc., and they often times shoot match scores above their classification. Those guys get labeled sandbaggers. In the end, we all need to just pursue our own agenda and not worry about the other guy. Hmmm...a Production gun scoring minor in Open Division... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitz Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 In the end, we all need to just pursue our own agenda and not worry about the other guy. Hmmm...a Production gun scoring minor in Open Division... Or a Revolver-Kid, named Spook, participating in Open with his wheel-gun amongst all those pistolero-guys...in Dutch competition...with good results Our one and only European Champion looking for new challenges. Ain't that so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmist10 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I was giving this sort of topic a lot of thought the other day. I was thinking about those guys that are skilled enough and/or have trained enough to reach the highest levels of their shooting sports....then they get older, "gimpier," or cannot continue to train at that level due to outside forces and eventually fall off the pinnacle they previously acheived.....BUT BUT - they were there for however fleeting the moment . It is what drives us C-Class shooters. Hearing, watching, desiring to be like them.....to reach our own pinnacle even if it is on a standard CoF. Maintaining the highest level of acheivement is finite. Eventually, even TGO will fall off in ability....it may be 30 years from now ...but it will happen. Do you think he will consider holding back at any time because someday he may not win? So the question is - do you want to reach the top or just dream of it? Does it really matter that you can't perform at blazing levels on field courses? You can shoot and manipulate a set of standard (classifier) courses better than 90% of all other guys/gals that are trying the same thing? If you ask me, I'd shoot a paper GM and be damned proud to say I've done it - even once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Everyone has said it already, but I'll say it again with fewer words: Shoot the damn gun you big puss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Who cares what your rating is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitz Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 The same happened to me in mountaineering, reached the important summits of Central Switserland, no longer am I able to climb them; but watching them from the valley below fills my heart with joy! You're one of a kind, it doesn't matter what your rate is..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgary Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 ObNote: a "paper Grand Master" is a shooter who practices and practices and practices on specific classifiers until they can turn in a GM level score which is, in truth, well above their normal ability. If shooting a GM-level score on classifiers *is* your normal level of ability, then.... you're a real GM, not a "paper" one. Have at it, and enjoy it. Bruce (I wish *I* had that problem...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Who said "Just shoot to the best of your ability. Let Sedro decide what card they want give you"? I liked that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Ron, Although we have never met I have gathered from these forums you are old, blind and decrepit. Being similarly blessed you have become my role model. I know that if you can get a GM card so can I. Don't disappoint me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Good post, Henny... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Ron, You are a freakin' walking bag full of "I don't deserve". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 JD- I wish I could come over and watch you make GM, since Sam seems to have some sort of phobia about it. (Stop pressuring me!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFoley Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Go for it Ron! Make us all proud! Be all that you can be! Get in there and kick some a$$! Screw the classification system, if you get GM and regret it, then shoot another category, but never, ever, be a sandbagger. It is contrary to the very human spirit, it is a black hole of holding yourself back for no real reason. You obviously have some real ability, or the question wouldn't even come up. After you get it, then work on other goals like match % at the big ones. I'd rather someone call me a grandbagger who couldn't beat me if they had the best of days, than have someone tease me about being underclassified that I let win on the classifier because I didn't want it. I don't know you personally, but I want to see you overcome this man vs. himself struggle to do the right thing. I will be watching and hoping you make it. Sincerely, An A class shooter who shot about 40 classifiers this year and never practiced a one of them, except that 40 yard standards thing before TN state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Ron.. face it..you are pretty damn good shooter...you deserve what you get...if you do well..you do well.. If you shoot a dang GM score on the first run..you my friend are a GM.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Ron, forget about it and just shoot. Most of us already know you are a man of extraordinary shooting ability. Every time we get together, I learn something new. You are my friend and my mentor and I don't care what letters are on your card. Go out and have fun. Just shoot like my buddy Ron Ankeny! BTW, If anybody gets a case of "classification envy" he's doubting himself, not you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted December 11, 2004 Author Share Posted December 11, 2004 Flex: I am in a young club and we shoot a couple of specials a year, as do our neighboring clubs. For example, in 2003 I shot 44 classifiers. It looks like I'll end 2004 with 33 classifiers for the year. That's 77 classifiers in just 2 years. The way the freaking classification system works they flag the classifiers that actually reflect true ability, but they keep counting the acorns the blind hogs find. It's not some kind of inferiority complex or crappy self esteem, the problem is the freaking system. Everyone knows accurate assesments not only trim outliers on the low end of the scale, they time the outliers on the top end. After a person reaches M class, USPSA counts everything on the top end. Any M class shooter who shoots a boatload of classifiers can make GM by using the feast or famine approach. Shoot balls to the wall and if you get the hits, GM is in the bag. Frankly, it does bug me when I know the method is flawed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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