USPSA shooting sports behavior

[Bkreutz]

My experience is that most of the higher classified shooters are quite friendly, certainly there are exceptions. I'm just a middle of the road shooter that doesn't take myself so seriously, maybe if the USPSA had existed 40+ years ago "I coulda been a contender" . Maybe not, I was more interested in keeping my but from getting shot. What I have found works to get along with most squadmates are a few rules, I never discuss politics or religion, most people have already made up their mind and those discussions often lead to hard feelings, the other rule I have is not to be horsing around or talking to the "top" shooters when they're preparing to shoot. They put a lot of effort (and money) into this sport so they don't need an old fart to be bothering them.

[L3324temp]

I honestly don’t experience this at my local matches. It’s only a very, very small number which are not desirable to be squared with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nolan]

On 6/9/2020 at 12:26 AM, chgofirefighter said:

Curious is it me or is USPSA shooting sport filled with a bunch of ego’s, prima donnas, crybabies, the clique crew, wannabes, etc.?  

 

I've been in the sport for 30+ years and have been fortunate to have shot many, many major matches, and countless local matches.  I've been fortunate enough to squad with many Eno's sphere posters, with World Champions and with complete newbies at majors and locals.  I've shot on squads that were "We've got that band back together!" and squads where I didn't know a soul.  There have been squads with many shenanigans (whoopie cushions, I kid you not!, trash talking between friends and enemies, embarrassing wagers, Astro-Glide sample packets, tampons, you name it) and squads where you thought open heart surgery was being performed.

 

Though it all, my main take away has been, just like in life outside the range, peoples behavior and reactions to me are a mirror of my attitude and expectations.

 

Nolan

Edited June 11, 2020 by Nolan

[kneelingatlas]

On 6/9/2020 at 12:26 AM, chgofirefighter said:

Curious is it me or is USPSA shooting sport filled with a bunch of ego’s, prima donnas, crybabies, the clique crew, wannabes, etc.?

It's you.

There are some jerks, but far fewer per capita than the general population.

[IHAVEGAS]

39 minutes ago, kneelingatlas said:

There are some jerks, but far fewer per capita than the general population.

 

If you mean the California general population, that is not exactly high praise.

 

 

 

[Chills1994]

The last match I ever shot was April 12th, 2012 .

 

Soooo...

 

Consider this a tag because I want to see where this thread goes.

[HCH]

Read this whole thread. This is my opinion:

 

There are some shooters that think the whole match revolves around them. That is likely a reason the rule book is 150 pages and not 30 pages. 

 

For the the most part, USPSA, IDPA, and 3 gun shooters are pretty easy to get along with. There are some folks that I don’t care to shoot with, but there are a whole lot more that I enjoy shooting with. 

[motosapiens]

On 6/9/2020 at 10:18 AM, chgofirefighter said:

I've been around real men and women to noticed the difference.  There's a unique lack cohesiveness of the sport, it's a sport not real life.  

i think it's just your circle of friends. I consider myself very competitive, and I shoot almost every weekend with very competitive friends. Of the 50-80 people at every match, there are only 2-3 at most that seem like self-absorbed primadonnas. Everyone is supportive, friendly, helpful and enjoyable to be around.

[IHAVEGAS]

38 minutes ago, motosapiens said:

i think it's just your circle of friends. I consider myself very competitive, and I shoot almost every weekend with very competitive friends. Of the 50-80 people at every match, there are only 2-3 at most that seem like self-absorbed primadonnas. Everyone is supportive, friendly, helpful and enjoyable to be around.

 

Working well attended level 2 and above matches, it seems like out of 20-25 + - squads that come through there will always be 1 squad you are glad you are not on and maybe 1 more squad that seems like it might be that way. The other 18-23 + - squads, regardless of classifications, and it is all good. 

[chgofirefighter]

On 6/15/2020 at 10:25 AM, motosapiens said:

i think it's just your circle of friends. I consider myself very competitive, and I shoot almost every weekend with very competitive friends. Of the 50-80 people at every match, there are only 2-3 at most that seem like self-absorbed primadonnas. Everyone is supportive, friendly, helpful and enjoyable to be around.

There’s a huge difference between friends and associates but you’re right, usually there’s always a few 2-3 self absorbed primadonnas.  Most of the competitive shooters are super friendly, helpful, and enjoyable to be around with and compete with. 
 

Also, a few will go far above and beyond to offer some tips, training, strategy, stage planning etc. it’s always helpful when those that hold a higher classification will offer their assistance freely with no strings attach because they too want to see you evolve and grow. 
 

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb. It’s a sport after all! Not real life.  We should all learn from each other’s mistakes, and help those grow and learn in the process instead of being an A**hole. 
 

There’s joy in helping others out, regardless of whom they are or what’s perceived about them. 

[B_RAD]

2 hours ago, chgofirefighter said:

There’s a huge difference between friends and associates but you’re right, usually there’s always a few 2-3 self absorbed primadonnas.  Most of the competitive shooters are super friendly, helpful, and enjoyable to be around with and compete with. 
 

Also, a few will go far above and beyond to offer some tips, training, strategy, stage planning etc. it’s always helpful when those that hold a higher classification will offer their assistance freely with no strings attach because they too want to see you evolve and grow. 
 

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb. It’s a sport after all! Not real life.  We should all learn from each other’s mistakes, and help those grow and learn in the process instead of being an A**hole. 
 

There’s joy in helping others out, regardless of whom they are or what’s perceived about them. 

Don't know the specifics of the situation/s that you're basing these opinions off of but is it possible you've mistaken seriousness or competitiveness for being rude? Or maybe the GM just wants to shoot their match? Imagine being a GM and having most everyone always want to see magic from you. Then imagine half of the other shooters making some sort of comment if  you don't completely burn down a stage or if you just miss a reload. Imagine being asked for the secret to shooting all the time. Then imagine being ignored or scoffed at when you tell said shooter that practice is what's going to make them better. Imagine catching crap if you want to do a visual walkthrough at the load and make ready. Having other shooters yell from the peanut gallery that you're being a diva cause you're visualizing or doing some practice draws instead of just loading the gun. Imagine that if you do have a good match you just hear "well you're a GM, you should win" and if you don't have a stellar match you hear "I thought you were a GM". 

 

Maybe these GM's you're referring to, are just trying to shoot their match? Maybe they're quiet because they're trying to focus?  Maybe they're just being quiet because if they bitch/comment/gripe about anything they'll just get labeled a prima donna, cry baby or a$$hole!

Edited June 17, 2020 by B_RAD

[kneelingatlas]

2 hours ago, chgofirefighter said:

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb.

 

Do you really think they fear you'll beat them if they give you some pointers?  Even if they tell you that, it's probably not true.

 

I can think of a handful of alternative reasons:

-they want to focus on their own performance

-they offer instruction as a side business and don't want to give a private class to the whole squad for free

-perhaps, they feel you're approaching them with an attitude of entitlement

[Sarge]

3 hours ago, chgofirefighter said:

 

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb. 

I ran a group of GM Open shooters this weekend who were all top 5 finishers in a state match. They were all sharing their thoughts With each other on how to shoot the stage . Sure there are jerks in any game but just like the police, there are a few bad apples but the vast majority are good.

[Racinready300ex]

 

3 hours ago, chgofirefighter said:

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb. It’s a sport after all! Not real life.  We should all learn from each other’s mistakes, and help those grow and learn in the process instead of being an A**hole. 

 

I'll add another thought. GM's will get asked for advice  a lot. They may even offer unsolicited advice on occasion. Most people wont listen, some will even tell you you're doing it wrong. What they really want is you to agree with what ever it is they think is right. Over time, you wont offer up as much free advice. You might even start offering classes, because someone willing to pay a few bucks is more likely to care about getting better. And those who don't want to take a class probably don't really want help anyway.

 

I don't know anyone who fits your category of fearing competition.

[SGT_Schultz]

1 hour ago, B_RAD said:

Don't know the specifics of the situation/s that you're basing these opinions off of but is it possible you've mistaken seriousness or competitiveness for being rude? Or maybe the GM just wants to shoot their match? Imagine being a GM and having most everyone always want to see magic from you. Then imagine half of the other shooters making some sort of comment if  you don't completely burn down a stage or if you just miss a reload. Imagine being asked for the secret to shooting all the time. Then imagine being ignored or scoffed at when you tell said shooter that practice is what's going to make them better. Imagine catching crap if you want to do a visual walkthrough at the load and make ready. Having other shooters yell from the peanut gallery that you're being a diva cause you're visualizing or doing some practice draws instead of just loading the gun. Imagine that if you do have a good match you just hear "well you're a GM, you should win" and if you don't have a stellar match you hear "I thought you were a GM". 

 

Maybe these GM's you're referring to, are just trying to shoot their match? Maybe they're quiet because they're trying to focus?  Maybe they're just being quiet because if they bitch/comment/gripe about anything they'll just get labeled a prima donna, cry baby or a$$hole!

Yep

 

Am not a GM but this much is apparent to anyone who's been in this sport more than a few months and has a decent grasp of human behavior.

[rishii]

20 some odd years ago Jerry the burner Barnhardt was shooting thru a match and he spent a good part of the day with my squad, prior to shooting the stage he was hyper focused and intense. After he shot it was like a light switch got turned on, he was smiling, very approachable answered questions and seem like an all round good guy,  another thing that impress me was he was one of the shooting gods at the time and he was one of the first guys out there resetting the stage

the moral of the story is don’t mistake aloofness for something else, some guys are there to have fun and socialize others are there to win the match and don’t want distractions 

[AverageJoeShooting]

8 hours ago, B_RAD said:

Don't know the specifics of the situation/s that you're basing these opinions off of but is it possible you've mistaken seriousness or competitiveness for being rude? Or maybe the GM just wants to shoot their match? Imagine being a GM and having most everyone always want to see magic from you. Then imagine half of the other shooters making some sort of comment if  you don't completely burn down a stage or if you just miss a reload. Imagine being asked for the secret to shooting all the time. Then imagine being ignored or scoffed at when you tell said shooter that practice is what's going to make them better. Imagine catching crap if you want to do a visual walkthrough at the load and make ready. Having other shooters yell from the peanut gallery that you're being a diva cause you're visualizing or doing some practice draws instead of just loading the gun. Imagine that if you do have a good match you just hear "well you're a GM, you should win" and if you don't have a stellar match you hear "I thought you were a GM". 

 

Maybe these GM's you're referring to, are just trying to shoot their match? Maybe they're quiet because they're trying to focus?  Maybe they're just being quiet because if they bitch/comment/gripe about anything they'll just get labeled a prima donna, cry baby or a$$hole!

thats why you make gm then stop caring 

 

who cares if you do garbage at a match if you already have the gm next to your name

[B_RAD]

22 minutes ago, AverageJoeShooting said:

thats why you make gm then stop caring 

 

who cares if you do garbage at a match if you already have the gm next to your name

Making GM doesn't make you care less about not performing well. Doing garbage at a match is not something I want to do no matter what the letters are. I doubt any GM is gonna say "doesn't matter how I shot, I'm a GM"!  Anyone that's wanting to get better should be disappointed with a bad performance. 

 

Stop caring that people are being annoying is difficult. Letting it not bother you is the key. 

 

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by B_RAD

[Maximis228]

On 6/17/2020 at 5:14 AM, chgofirefighter said:

But there’s also a few GM/M class shooters that will never offer a helping had out of the fear of competition. Which IMO is dumb. It’s a sport after all! Not real life.

 

This could not be more incorrect.

[Zincwarrior]

As a self avowed hack shooter, I only care if you are too "busy" to help reset the stage.  I do seem to see more of that in USPSA vs. other shooting sports I attend in the region. Your mileage may vary.

[Boomstick303]

On 6/10/2020 at 12:25 PM, Nolan said:

 

Truer words!!!  And if you really want a reality check, enter a local match early and pick an empty squad, then see how fast it fills up.

 

 

 

I watch the evolution of how squads build for given matches, and how they change during the registration period.  Patterns do not lie.

[zzt]

2 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

I watch the evolution of how squads build for given matches, and how they change during the registration period.  Patterns do not lie.

 

I couldn't even think of doing that.  Around here registration fills quickly.  If you aren't logged on and ready to go the second registration opens, you may not get on the squad you want.  Take last Sunday's match for example.  I was ready to go when registration opened.  I stopped to enter my USPSA number.  In that extra 5 seconds two squads were completely filled and closed.  In 90 seconds all numbered squads were filled.  After 2.5 minutes the large I don't care where I shoot squad was filled and you were wait listed.  After 3 minutes you were so far down the wait list you had no hope of getting in.  82 people got to shoot.  45 did not.  The MD, RM and one other official gave up their slots so others could shoot.

 

The same thing happened for the match this Saturday.  The club is still under the stricter yellow restriction, so it had to limit the match to 50 shooters, no exceptions (down from the usual 80).  I'm staff so I was preregistered.  If you were not squaded in the first 30 seconds you won't get to shoot.

 

It's that way all year long except for the shoot on Mother's Day.

[motosapiens]

^^ if we were experiencing the above scenario, I would raise the entry fee $5, double the number of matches, and start investing in improvements for the range.

[Racinready300ex]

A few matches in this area can fill in a minute or so too. Match registration is a competition with in the competition around here.

[Seery]

On 6/9/2020 at 11:07 AM, rowdyb said:

I see less people taping and helping because their ig video performance is more important. 

I've noticed this also over the past few years. 

 

And it gets harder to find a place to stand as not to impede with all the phones pointed downrange. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Seery