Bolivian Nationals

[dirtypool40]

Had a blast, what a neat match.

The best match for props, stages and scenery I have ever shot including the US FGN match in 03. Also the worst I ever shot in a match since I started shooting IDPA in 1998. Only performance comes close is Area 6 2002 where my best two stages had a miss and an extra reload in them.

The good:

Picturesque range, up in the mountains. Great Weather, cool about 55ish, and sunny. Gracious hosts, bordering on incredible. Tenderloin steak sandwiches for lunch. The stages were like I would expect at the World Shoot, some short and complex, others really long and drawn out.

The match had a super hero theme. There were professionally painted huge 6' posters of super heros on every bay.

We shot a lot. There were only four shooters on my squad, so you were eitehr shooting, loading mags or getting ready all the time. 18 stages in two days. Hell, we were done both days by lunch time.

There was a suspension bridge, and about a 55 Chevy in a stage.

There was a "low cooper" tunnel, Miguel Reznicek put it up, it's like a football drill with the tires, you step over the sticks rather than run under them. We called it the "Reznicek tunnel". Of course this stage also had a regular Cooper tunnel, and a real honest to God Railroad handcart!!! (They call them a zorra) Who has even seen one of these in real life? You had to pump the thing and ride it past targets, it was unbelievable. Look for photos of this stage in Front Site.

They had a DARK house, as in NO light. And yes, open gun blast does make "dark adapted" eyes a thing of pure fantasy. Try point shooting around no shoots when you can't even make out the no shoots. As John Boy and Billy would say..."How'd that work out"......."not too good!"

They had a vibrating horse (requiring hours of "walkthrough" time to fully enjoy ) you mounted and shot a speed shoot from.

There were plenty of run through house field courses, and enough gravity turners and swingers to keep you dizzy if the 14k' altitude didn't do it for you.

The Bad:

They seem to be allergic to condition one holster starts. I don't know why but these guys hate just drawing and shooting targets. Rumor has it that when my buddy Mike got down here and romped their Nats they noticed he was not practiced at con 2 & 3 starts ad ever since more than half the stages have not been con 1.

Just an observation, but international IPSC seems forever mired in the evolutionary stage of goofy starts, and disneyland props to play on. I don't know if they think they are slowing good shooters up or what, but they just don't like shooting contests, they want amusement park rides with a little shooting thrown in. As a result the hf's are often very low, and you can spend half the stage time doing something other that shooting.

They also shoot stages about half the length of our short speed shoots. Where we would draw and shoot six or eight, reload and shoot another six or eight, they just draw and shoot six rounds.

They also seem to hate reloads, and no not just because I like them. Stages hardly ever have a reload in them.

They have huge expansive setups we'd shoot 26-32 round course in and only put 18-22 rounds in, but wanting to use every position possible, will put one popper in a port or make you run fifteen yards for one final contact length target. Obviously shooting for hf, you could easily figure out that the way to win is to bypass that position. I didn't but it's hard not to. I guess it's part of the stage design learning curve.

There was a definite home field advantage. The altitude sucked. OK, I have to prep this with that while I'm not an iron man competitor, I can get on a stair climber or elliptical and go like hell for 45 minutes. Try running flat out at 14k'. Even walking through a stage more than once left you winded. It was like shooting an 18 stage match bloated, dizzy, hung over and sleep deprived. There are various remedies for this, but when you're up at 14k' you just ain't right. Ever try shooting when you are exhausted or have the flu? I felt like that. Never had a good stage. Stages I survived were the good ones.

The Ugly:

my shooting. Wooof. It was freaking embarrassing. Just as I would get going I would run past a target or double tap a no-shoot looking for the damned dot. I don't know if it was the eye thing cycling back up or the altitude, but I could not find or see the dot.

Oh did I mention I minored? Yeah that helps and already rough time. 158pf. Nice

The rest of the guys stayed until Sunday, but I had a new "amigovia" back in Santa Cruz so I caught a flight Saturday evening. Slept in Sunday and had the cinnamon rolls I brought back from the US. mmmmm, Pilsbury

[zhunter]

DP, that sux that you did not shoot well. Hell, when I "sent ya back down south" you were shootin' awesome. Must be dem "southern chicas"

I have spent lots of time at altitude, and yes, it is VERY difficult.

There is a drug I took to help me acclimate, but I am not sure it worked

Anyway, you were shootin' so it has to have been good

[dirtypool40]

In my defense, I decided to "take it on the chin" and just let the altitude do it's worst. I wasn't going to be running around with a light triggered open gun on drugs I had never taken before.

The drugs they reccommend for this kind of thing effect everyone differently.

I felt like a wuss though. My Buddy Mike and I were supposed to stomp the field, and we both sucked. We just busted out laughing when they printed the personal check sheets, both of us had hit factors in the 1's and 2's on some stages. Mike actually zeroed a couple. It was embarrassing, standing there these big gringo shooters, in all our cutting edge gear, sucking with such alacrity.

[zhunter]

DP, Drugs are good man!!!!

[dirtypool40]

And being BOLIVIA you'd never guess what they prescribe.

______- cola maybe.

I'm tellin ya, the LAMR command up there should have been more like;

"Shooter if you understand this course of fire, you may pack your cheek with leaves, then climb and maintain Flight level one four zero".

I SH!T you not, walking through a course more than once you were winded. RUNNING through a 30 round course (and pumping a handcart) put you squarely in the hypoxic, blue nailed, gasping, anerobic zone.

Try letting all your breath out and then not breathing again for a whole field course, it's about like that.

[XRe]

You need an O2 bottle for that stuff, man!

[zhunter]

Eric

When I went to Alaska I took something that started with "dia", can't remember off hand what it was. I was suppose to help with severe changes in altitude. Well, let me tell ya, I went up way too fast, as I puked for 2 1/2 days. Could not hold ANYTHING down. The water was still cold when I threw it back up.

Can't image how bad I would have been if I had not taken that stuff

[blkbrd]

Ok, your off days are better than my on days, the altitude would have left me gasping for life. Dot???? what dot all I see is moving big black spots . I feel best when I am pressurizing a plane sitting on the ground, sealevel +5 PSI is about right. I can sprint at sea level, but at 12K I want ropes and climbing spikes, with a belay thats not ready to pass out like I almost did on top of Mt Baker.

It sounds like I need to come down there just for the food and scenery .

But you freeeken minored? We need to talk.

It takes everyone 8+/- .2gr. 3n37 and you think 7.25gr. is good to go WTF?

[zhunter]

Speakin' of Eric's minor, that is twice this year dude!

[dirtypool40]

OK, the minor thing was a combo of mis-information and my fault. As I posted in the 9mm HE thread, I was making 177pf with 7.7gr @ 1.165" oal. 7.4gr made 169pf, and 7.0gr made 160. I figured going back up to 7.25 would do it. Silly wabbit.

I was told (and it sounded good) that with less air resistence I would gain 2-4 pf going up to La Paz. So I loaded to 162 pf, only needing 160 and thinking I was playing it safe. I minored at 158.

As bad as I shot, if I didn't minor, or didn't double tap no-shoots the last two stages, or didn't have a "shooter induced malf" on a stage with two disappearing targets, or didn't run past two targets...ANY ONE of those brain farts, I would have still won.

BTW, were they just hacking on the gringo or am I suppsed to get penalized for not shooting in the direction of targets that already disappeared? They set up one where you ran over, shot a popper and had to haul ass (with both hands) to another port to try and catch a drop turner. I made the first one, but the second was goen by the time I got there. Proc for non engagement? Then I had a malf on one where you shoot a popper and two targets fall from behind cover, into the open and then back behind cover. You have about .75 sec to get them, and I was busy cussing. They got me with two procs there.

Matt, I am hosting a 300 round, 14 stage, two day local complete with man vs. man, BBQ and party at my house. Jump on AA and come on down!!!!

[XRe]

BTW, were they just hacking on the gringo or am I suppsed to get penalized for not shooting in the direction of targets that already disappeared?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like they were hacking on you....

[zhunter]

When is your local match and are there ladies attending the BBQ

[Flexmoney]

DP,

Sounds like you had better get a rule book...and read it. That, or just take Vasoline with you wherever you go.

[dirtypool40]

I kow, you'd think after 7 years of shooting I'd know what was kosher. Something about fool me once....

Of course I only learned how to check and fix a trigger this year too, so I guess I'm a little behind the curve in several areas.

Had a BLAST though.

They are great hosts (ok, except for the hacking) and put on a helluva show!!!

[.40AET]

But you freeeken minored? We need to talk.

It takes everyone 8+/- .2gr. 3n37 and you think 7.25gr. is good to go  WTF?

I can't stop laughing. I don't know what's funnier, the story or the "we need to talk"

DP- You tell the best stories, I feel like I was there. The best thing is you hack on yourself better than I could if I was there and telling the story.

If you ever make it up to the mid atlantic area, call me, I want to shoot with you.

[dirtypool40]

Thanks AET, I love to tell stories, I am the hero of every one I make up!!!

I like the comedy style where you make fun of yourself instead of other people, less chance of getting my ass kicked that way Matt (Blkbrd) is always ripping on me, he's a bud from back home and has a little more and more technical experience than I do, esp at reloading. We have the same gun too so, he probably has a good idea what it needs stuffin' with. That being said he failed miserably to set me up with that hottie waitress last time I was home.

I'm writing the match up for Front Site, but it won't be as much fun as when I tell it on here. Hell they wooldn't even let me call a guy at the Burner course "split finger" when he could rip 11's and 12's at will during drills.

Anyway, as the rumors have indicated, I will be changing job soon and am really hoping for something stable and stateside, so we will get to shoot together soon.

[mcoliver]

The altitude sucked.  OK, I have to prep this with that while I'm not an iron man competitor, I can get on a stair climber or elliptical and go like hell for 45 minutes.    Try running flat out at 14k'.  Even walking through a stage more than once left you winded. It was like shooting an 18 stage match bloated, dizzy, hung over and sleep deprived.  There are various remedies for this, but when you're up at 14k' you just ain't right.  Ever try shooting when you are exhausted or have the flu? I felt like that.  Never had a good stage.  Stages I survived were the good ones.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I seriously doubt altitude had anything to do with it. Could be the new GF.

[dirtypool40]

Yeah, a new gf can have a similiar effect to hypoxia. Especially this one.

But I gotta say that when the FAA would require oxygen, you gotta wonder how well you're going to perform.

[eric nielsen]

GF = Not enough blood getting to your brain. And dehydration.

[zhunter]

GF = Not enough blood getting to your brain. And dehydration.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're assuming his equipment is capable of draining that much blood from his brain

Did I just say that?

[dirtypool40]

ok, things are getting out of control...

here's Andrea.

Or does that belong in accomplishments?

[PaulW]

If you think Eric tells good stories on here try listening to him in person. Very entertaining. Just learned how to fix triggers this year HUH? Don't frickin touch that trigger dude or else, or else, hell I'll think of something. BTW, how is the gun runnin since it had it's super high tech, JB weld tune up? Minor, I don't even want to talk to you for awhile after that one.

[dirtypool40]

DOH. OK, I'm not too big for my britches...I meant I can get the triggers not to folow when they get "tired". The rest is YEARS beyond me.

As to minor, it's only a 160pf down here and I took a bad steer. Now I know.

My match is coming up in a couple of weeks so I am going to load some ammo, and get back to practice for the first time in four months. Lack of practice REALLY showed at this match. It's funny how it takes a while then WHAMMO you look like a rookie again.

Thumbs pinching the slide.....come one, that's day one stuff.

[dirtypool40]

Guys, thanks to ZHunter for the hosting.

Here's a couple of snaps from the match.