GunBugBit Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Last night I shot my first local match, which was also my first ever shooting competition -- at age 56. One little surprise was that Iain Harrison, the winner of the first season of Top Shot, was in attendance. Mr. Harrison, not a regular at the Ben Avery Practical Pistol range, was designated to shoot in the D Open class after a short conversation with the match coordinator. He took first place in that class and would have taken 2nd in the Master Open class. He presented himself as a humble, calm, low-key guy, same as he was on the Top Shot show. He has been a US citizen since December 2011. There was another fellow with him who also looked familiar, probably from the Top Shot show, but I did not inquire as to his identity. Maybe someone will recognize his name from the match results (see link below). My own little victory was being one of the winners in the Tyro class. The other winner had a better score than mine with his open gun, whereas I was shooting single stack equipment (a Springfield TRP and 8-round magazines). I was happy with how I did in relation to the other more experienced single stack shooters. I was nervous on the first 3 stages and made little boo-boos, but was quite thrilled to manage stage 5's Texas Star decently, and knock down all of the other steel with one shot apiece, and do all right on paper. I went for accuracy, not speed. My mentor suggested I could try going faster, but I just stayed in my comfort zone. A few words about my mentor, Hazen Bazinet -- he was very nice, super helpful, and shared with me that today he gets sworn in as an American Citizen. He is from Canada. Thank you and congratulations Hazen! The results are here, I'm Bob C.: http://www.cactusmatch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=683:april-30-2015&catid=59:2010-thursday-night-scores&Itemid=117 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Sounds like you enjoyed it. Hope you continue to enjoy this great sport - and win a lot (when I'm not competing against you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Thanks Hi-Power Jack, I did enjoy it a lot and will continue on the journey. I have no specific goal in mind at this time, other than to improve and enjoy doing so. This forum and Brian Enos's book Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals were instrumental in helping me take this first baby step into competition shooting. Thanks to the many informative threads and shared experiences from the good people here, I was better prepared than I would otherwise have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davsco Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 nice job, better late than never, still plenty of competition years in you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 DVC, but mostly C.... I see they also have 3 gun, USPSA and Steel Challenge. Better start cranking on that reloader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I didn't care about my time on my first match either. Welcome to the sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfast Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Hello GBB, glad you enjoyed match. I was in the saloon (stage 1) when Hazen was explaining how to run the stage to you and another tyro. Hazen is a good guy and enjoys helping the 'new to the club' shooters. You will learn a lot about gun handling and shooting if you are able shoot this kind of match weekly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 (edited) Whats a Tyro? Never mind, Da Google knows. A first timer, newbie, FNG, got it. From Latin tīrō recruit Edited May 2, 2015 by 9x45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) davsco, thanks, I hope to be blessed with being physically able to enjoy many more future matches. Thanks b1gcountry. notfast, hope to see you soon back at the range. Yes, Hazen is a credit to the shooting sports, I enjoyed his company and learned a lot from that time with him. 9x45, yes sir, better fire up the reloader and keep it humming. Edited May 4, 2015 by GunBugBit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wbyrd01 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Glad to see other new shooters having a good time at their first match. I remember how nervous I was at my first and it was only a year ago. Funny that I was so super nervous and it really was no big deal. Hope you stick with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) Thanks wbyrd01, going to my 3rd match tonight. The range atmosphere is very good -- they take safety very seriously as they should and most of the guys seem to be having a great time -- and lucky for me it is an easy 30-minute drive. Edited May 14, 2015 by GunBugBit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldeneagle76 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Have to go try to get in as a walk-on for my first USPSA this weekend (I'm 38). Nervous as h#ll. Funny how no matter how many years you have been shooting and how familiar you are with your guns...you can still get these nerves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wbyrd01 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Have to go try to get in as a walk-on for my first USPSA this weekend (I'm 38). Nervous as h#ll. Funny how no matter how many years you have been shooting and how familiar you are with your guns...you can still get these nerves. Each time you step up to the line take a deep breath, think about what you're doing, and remember, it's the funnest sport ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Have to go try to get in as a walk-on for my first USPSA this weekend (I'm 38). Nervous as h#ll. Funny how no matter how many years you have been shooting and how familiar you are with your guns...you can still get these nerves. Make sure you contact the match director. Many clubs do not allow newbies to just show up and shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) 3rd match was a lot of fun. My score was much better than the first two times. Practicing the draws and mag changes to par times at home helped for sure. They went smooth all five stages tonight. My right eye has difficulty when the sun goes down. Need a prescription pair of shooting glasses to correct the astigmatism that remains after the LASIK I had 15 years ago. I see well when lighting is good but not in low light. The USPSA-sanctioned matches at the same range are during daylight hours but I still want to see as well as I can. Iain Harrison was there again tonight. He seems about neck and neck with Mike Trombley so I'll be interested to see tonight's scores. Both guys are extremely nice. goldeneagle, hope you can get into the USPSA match. Edited May 15, 2015 by GunBugBit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmob50 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Good job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROY NEAL Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Ian is a riot when you get to know him with a wicked sense of humor.........one of my favorite folks I have ever interviewed for an article. I was almost crying as he had me laughing so hard. Maybe its his accent........yeah, had to be that. Glad to see that the initial "rush" of excitement still hits you just like many of us regardless of what age you started down this road at. That feeling will drive you to get better and practice. And then a magical thing happens.....you start to see your skills improve as you are shooting stages. Little things that would trip you up, no longer bother you and pretty soon you want to run ("hit the timer, I aint getting any younger" is how one of our 55+ year old competitors sums it up). Best Regards, Roy Neal Team SV Infinity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenoShooter Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 It took me about 2 matches to even be able to remember how I shot the stage! Such an adrenaline blur...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Yes it can be a blur after working a full day then going to the club at night to shoot 5 stages. So far I've been able to write up notes at home within 24 hours of each match before I forget the stage setups and what I think I did right/wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 After five club matches, I shot my first USPSA (classifier-only) match on Sunday June 7. I joined USPSA online just before I went to the match. I don't have my member number yet but will soon. I think I did well on a couple of the classifiers and not so well on a couple others. I assume I'll be in D class initially. I liked how the match was run and I learned more while having a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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