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The Next Level


Steve Anderson

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  • 2 weeks later...

Steve, as i am beginning to learn and i think Flex has a bit of an edge on this one,

savor where you are, for you may never be there again.

if you push too hard it will get you nothing but tired and frustrated.

No matter where you go.

There you are.

Chose your destination, but nomatter where you go, the red flag will always say "you are here"

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What's there to savor?

I'm not referring to driving myself nuts with ever-harder goals...I'm talking about practicing more and working harder to improve every aspect of performance in my shooting.

Oh yeah, I plan to make master next year, and GM the year after that. :)

I'll practice more, dry fire more and do whatever it takes.

It's time to get SERIOUS. That's all.

SA

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Why? I gotta say, I'm surprised to read that in this forum...

Any way, someone posted the following remarks on the IPSC list about the BIG dogs. It was in response to a thread about whether "pros" should have their own division since nobody can beat them. It had a big impact on me. here it is:

"Most of these top guys and gals became champions because they paid the price to get there while still working full time:

They didn't magically become champions. They worked their asses off and made huge sacrifices to get there - stuff most of us aren't willing to do. We want to stay married, be balanced, have a life, and...be jealous of people who have gone farther than us.

Jerry was an electrician, e.g, who had to balance work, wife and kids, and shooting to get to the point years after he began shooting to become a pro by offering classes in 1987. As Jerry said to me one time, "I don't go to a match to shoot. I go to win. That's my attitude. SHOOTING IS EVERYTHING TO ME." But he started out as a crappy shooter like the rest of us.

Todd used to get up at 5am, dry-fire for 2 hours, then go to the gym and work-out for an hour, then went to work for 8 hours, then came back to live fire and dry fire for another 5-6 hours, then reload for an hour, then go to bed at 11 pm - did this for years and years. He used two video machines to tape himself dryfiring so he could work on weaknesses, etc. His second wife died of cancer only weeks after he won a championship. You can probably bet he had to do a little soul searching about priorities. I was with him recently and suggested he might need to take a break and go "have a life" by going out with the fellows for a drink. He said matter-of-factly, "THIS IS MY LIFE" and stayed home working on his gun.

Travis still works as a detailer in his father's Porsche dealership. He comes to our matches periodically and is the first to go tape, pick-up brass, etc. He kicks our butt big time but he used to dry fire 6 hours a day for over a year when he started. Hard to ignore the fact he paid his dues more than the rest of us. Have you EVER spent 6 hours dry-firing?

JJ is going to college and entering med school soon and working while shooting.

These people were (and still are - just work for different outfits now) working stiffs like the rest of us who overcame inertia, lame excuses for poor performance, etc to climb to the top. Only THEN did they get financial backing and the accompanying griping from people who aren't champions jealous of their success. Very hard earned success at that.

I don't care if they shoot in the same divisions as the rest of us, because in most cases, these people earned their way to the top while working like the rest of us. They just paid their dues more than most of us are willing to.

That is the attitude that gets anyone to the top. They were the best when they weren't being paid for their knowledge, product endorsements, etc. They still are. They set a standard and a challenge to all of us that is phenomenal and I don't mind that they shoot with the rest of us.

Just one guys opinion. "

(quote over)

I believe any of us can reach that level. If we want it bad enough to work for it.

SA

(fixed, because cutts was right, I couldn't properly express myself earlier...)

 

(Edited by Steve Anderson at 6:20 pm on Oct. 13, 2002)

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Ahh shooter grrl, makes more sense now.

I was serious before. I will be SERIOUS now. My dedication at one level got me where I am now, my new level of dedication will take me where I want to go.

I finished my workout this morning, and then did 100 reloads in my workout clothes with the velcro belt aroud my gym shorts. Last month I would have just jumped in the shower. Today I spent another 15 minutes dialing in my reloads. It will pay off.

SA

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Great thread Steve,  inspirational.   I've recently learned alittle about one of our posters Mtrout40.  As I read your quote I thought of him.  Another great story and the opportunities are still ahead of him.  It's easy to sit back and find reasons why we don't have time and sometimes difficult to explain to others why we WANT to strive for such great heights.  

More power to ya Steve.  I don't think some of us understand the level of dedication that it took for you to do what you have done so far.  My bet it you'll be achieving your goals well before your deadlines.

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Anderson,

Can't wait till we shoot against each other again. Looks like I'm going to have to really start getting in gear. In less than a month, I'll finally be able to go more than once a week and get the practice in that I need. What's you next big match?

Jake

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Trust me, I'll make time for both. :)

I was considering playing with Limited 10 and shooting CDP for awhile. I shot a match last Saturday in CDP, it was fun, but I think I'm going to stay with SSP and Production until I at least get my M card in Prod. God knows how long that will take, but hey, getting there is half the fun right? I'll see the both of you next year. Let me know some of the bigger matches you are going to.

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While we southern Californians may have crappy gun laws we can shoot ALL year.  And listening to the radio while I write this we all may have crappy gun law if this wacko sniper and the silly media have any say in the matter..

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as of right now, definitley going to the OH probabally working it in some aspect, and the WV IDPA match, still be SSP since that has the most competition, maybe i should be smart and shoot ESP.. but oh well.. good chance the Commonwealth cups (va state champs) IDPA nationals is definitley on my want to go list.

as for USPSA the PA Tri-State match, maybe area 8, nationals depending on location. and would like to hit atleast one or 2 area matches. we shall see.

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  • 3 months later...

Dale,  Welcome... hope your talking to the other steve...killing things is against my beliefs.... ok thats BS, I'm just too damn lazy to clean things up, when i was in my youth (8-12ish) i was told you weren't supposed to shoot anything you weren't going to eat, including targets, fence posts, rocks, beer cans........well you get the picture.

so with me, laziness prevailed and critters are usually safe.

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