How did you do at your first match?

[jmtyndall]

This is a great thread to read as I sit here looking into my first match. Really helps to temper the dread of being dead last. Embrace the suck. Laugh at it later lol. Thanks for the laughs, guys!

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[GLI45]

Shot my first match today. I didn’t get DQ’ed, didn’t finish last (barely 37/41), and had a great time! Accuracy was pretty good, but I had one procedural and overlooked a target on one stage that cost me two misses. Biggest thing learned, I’m slooooooow. Second thing I learned, bring hand warmer packs. It was in the mid to upper 30s for the entire match and for this Texas boy that’s damn cold! I’m already looking for my next match.

 

[jmtyndall]

My first match was today. Successes? I didnt fall, didnt get DQ, didnt get dead last. Got my ass handed to me by a plate rack. Didnt realize until I whiffed about 15 shots that my gun was shooting several inches high

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[pskys2]

On 1/2/2019 at 2:36 PM, Hi-Power Jack said:

My first match was right after Custer's Last Stand, and

I hit Everything, but Very Slowly.  Probably came in last,

shooting 9mm Minor  against .45's in Major.

 

I corrected that the next month by shooting as fast as The

Big Men at the Range, and missing almost Everything.

 

Took a while for me to hit things after that  …   still learning the speed thing.      

Hey Jack I was watching you from the stands!

I know I was nervous and shaking at my first match (1978) I did take it slow and ended up in the middle of the pack.

I also tried to speed up over the next few years, yet still ended up about the middle.

Took me about 6 years to start stringing things together and win a local match.

I've known a few who came in and were top dogs in the first few matches though.

Still shooting and I'm shooting as good now as I've ever have.

[fencer1960]

My first match, last October. Sorry I waited so long to try it. 

 

 

Smith, PLimited - U

8

Overall

1

Division

	#	%	Pts	Time	% psbl	A	B	C	D	M	NPM	NS
Match	1	100	628.2344	124.16	93.77	115	0	18	0	1	0	0

 

 

Division Overall

Stage	#	%	Stg Pts	Pts	HF	Time	A	B	C	D	M	NPM	NS
Stage 1 Stage 1 Nig	2	89.8	143.6815	156	4.2219	36.95	30	0	2	0	0	0	0
Stage 2 Stage 2 Dot	2	98.36	147.5471	136	7.7054	17.65	23	0	7	0	0	0	0
Stage 3 Stage 3 Sodd	2	97.07	135.8976	134	3.9056	34.31	25	0	3	0	0	0	0
Stage 4 Stage 4 Star	1	100	135	125	5.2477	23.82	22	0	5	0	0	0	0
Stage 5 Stage 5. Rel	1	100	45	43	7.2027	5.97	8	0	1	0	0	0	0
Stage 6 Down The Mid	3	52.77	21.1082	35	4.5788	5.46	7	0	0	0	1	0	0

[fishhunter3]

placed 2nd in my class back in the days when you run what you brung . been hooked ever since. 

[blueorison]

I did awesome!

 

I had fun and was safe and made friends!

 

Friends that I still see, to this day.

[danby]

My first match was in production, and I was very tentative and focused on not breaking any rules.  I didn't do anything very well, but I in hindsight I actually approached the match properly without knowing it - I just shot the targets, since that was the only thing I knew how to do.  I ended up in the bottom half of the results, but got about 50% of the winner, who happened to be current Lim10 national champ Casey Reed.  I remember just being super thrilled that I didn't get last place.     

[Distant Thunder]

My first match ...

 

A.   I came back home alive

 

B.   I counted no extra holes in my body

 

C.   I came away looking forward to the next match

[levellinebrad]

My story is much the same as everyone else. My first stage started with (5) 6" plates at about 15yds. I was shooting a compact HK45 and it took me 3 mags to clear it, I think I shot 5 more targets and left the rest since I was out of ammo. Second stage started of with a Texas Star and 5 years later I have still not cleaned a star as fast as I did that one. The rest of that match just got worse and the only reason I wasn't dead last was because my buddy was worse then me, but not by much. He was so nervous , he was shaking like a Chihuahua in an ice storm. Randy Carter was on my squad and is probably the only reason I came to a second match. Everyone was extremely helpful but Randy chuckled at me on that Texas Star and told me to cherish that one because it would be down hill from there. He was right.

 

5 years later and I am still a B class shooter but have so much fun.

[Beef15]

42 out of 63 overall.

 

Pretty big shock for someone used to finishing just out of the top 10 at local 2-gun matches.

 

I've picked up a place or two in 2.5yrs.

[anonymouscuban]

First match was last month. I placed 80th of 97 competitors. My goal was not to be DQ'd so I was pretty happy with how i did. That said, so much to learn. But boy did I have fun!



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[Jay1957]

Almost a tear ago. Goal was finish safe. Slow but reasonably accurate...very slow. 58 out of 62.   Hooked.

[Out of Ammo]

I did horrible in my first match.  I had shot a pistol for a while but was looking for something that I thought would be fun and competitive.  I found a local USPSA match and the folks there were very helpful. I tried to go as fast as I possibly could and shoot the targets.  Needless to say, the results were horrible and I had a number of Deltas and Mikes, but I loved the shooting and competition.

[GrumpyOne]

1 hour ago, anonymouscuban said:

First match was last month. I placed 80th of 97 competitors. My goal was not to be DQ'd so I was pretty happy with how i did. That said, so much to learn. But boy did I have fun!



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Your goal should always be to not be DQ'ed. All else is secondary. 

[anonymouscuban]

Your goal should always be to not be DQ'ed. All else is secondary. 

Yup. You're right.

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[JakeG]

Well I went strait Ricky Bobby if you ain't fast your last well I was 2nd to last in the overall!! I did revive all the match points in my division for an el presidente out of 5 shooters!

[blueorison]

15 hours ago, anonymouscuban said:

Yup. You're right.

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Agree. Fun+be safe/don't DQ. You can still be unsafe and not DQ, safety is up to us, not the ROs!

 

When newbies are like, "boo I did so poorly!"

 

"BUT DID YOU HAVE FUN"

"BUT DID YOU DQ"

 

then we all smile.

 

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Fine! Because I didn't get DQd

[Code3FPV]

I shot my first match in the rain on Saturday.  I did better than I expected and had a lot of fun.

 

 

[JJB05]

Cool video...tough conditions to shoot in...RO gave you some bad direction..that classifier you can shoot T3 or T4 in any order.  Great job!

[Corrado_kid]

53/75 - didn’t have a clue what was going on other then shoot the targets

[blueorison]

3 hours ago, Corrado_kid said:

53/75 - didn’t have a clue what was going on other then shoot the targets

 

Haha this is so me. Thanks for sharing the laugh.

[hlpressley]

Big ole DQ for me! Broke the 180 on a reload coming out of a port moving right to left to go down a hallway. 

[George16]

It has been raining the day prior to the match so the bays were muddy and slippery. On my very first cof, I slipped and fell to the ground. I used my right hand to brace my fall and in doing so, the basepad, ammo and spring came out of my mag. The mag tube was still inside the magwell so on instinct, I just stood up, ejected the mag tube, grab and inserted a new mag and finished of the stage.

 

It was slow but felt fast for me. One of the guys in the squad got it on video and posted it on the club’s Facebook page. I was so happy not to have my trigger finger inside the trigger guard when it fell or else I would had been dq’ed for AD. I think I finished on the bottom five. I was just happy and relieved I made it safely .

 

I have improved a lot since then. It’s even more fun now after switching from production to PCC. Now I can see the dot clearly compared to the iron sights.