Would You "compete" When No Longer Competitive?

[Bwana Six-Gun]

I shoot the 45 ACP in a 25-2 not that snivelly .40 SHORT AND WEAK that you and haras seem to enjoy. When I go down I'll probably send them to my son-in-law and hope that I can get him in the game.

[chuckbradley]

Ah yes, ... the age old question of casual shooter having fun vs. serious competitor out to conquer the world.

There is a third category.

It is serious competitor out to conquer the world and having fun doing it.

Will I ever aquire the skills to challenge the best of the best?

Maybe not, but I as long as I continue to learn and improve I hold out hope that someday it may be possible.

The strategy so far has been simple.

Step 1. Pick out someone that shoots significantly better than me and pursue them relentlessly until I can beat them consistently.

Step 2 . Repeat step 1.

Looking back after reading this I have to say thats exactly the way it works, or at least it did for me. Problem is I ended up where the next someones were Todd, Rob and Jerry. After finishing 7th at the limited nationals in Vegas, back in 98?, I went to the Florida Open to sell as a vendor. I didnt shoot it. I didnt want to. Todd was suprised and tried to give me a pep talk but I lost that desire to be the serious competitor that wanted to conquer the world. And for me the most fun was winning.

At my first nationals in 95 I looked at the super squad and said i want to earn a spot on that squad one day by finishing in the top 16. I did that. What else was there and what committment would it take? And at what cost?

I spent 5 years getting to that point. Five years i spent traveling to 20+ big matches a year and a local match or two every weekend. It was time to slow down and put my priorities straight. Being there for my kids as they grow up. I didnt quit completely then but i did slow down. Then I got older and fatter and had to deal with injuries and not being competitive any longer.

I have seen allot of people drop out of shooting IPSC. The biggest reason is that they realized they had reached their peek and lost interest. The shooters who were there for fun 10 years ago are still there. I would like to see the stats on the drop out rate between b,c,d shooters compared to the A,M,GM shooters. I think it is real hard to transition from that fierce competitor to the fun shooter. Thats what i am trying to do.

One thing I have seen allot of lately is customers calling me who have been shooters and have been out of it for years and are now getting back into it. I think once in your blood its there to stay. Its a great sport filled with good people.

We will be going to a match this month. And i will still try to win.

[AzShooter]

Some people will never be "Competitive" but still enjoy the hell out of shooting. It all depends on what your goals are. If you want to be a National Champion and have limitations from age, illness or whatever you can still shoot and enjoy the company of your friends.

I'm happy to know I shot a match the best I could, whether I win or not.

[TriggerT]

Interesting thread. This is the question I am currently faced with. Due to changes in my life I no longer have the time to devote to shooting like I used to, which means I don't shoot at the level I used to. I find it very frustrating when I know I can do better, but don't have the time to be at that level any longer.

[Loves2Shoot]

That means you can just spend some more effort at matches lighting fires under the new guys, talking about the "good ole days" and giving them something to aspire to

[blackdragon]

One of the coolest things that has happened to me, There is a kid Tanner Cunningham. He is from NM. I let him shoot my open gun back, when. First time he had seen one. I think he was 14 or so. Now the the little turd, kicks my A$$. He is Master now both limited and Open. I guess thats why we really do this! And keep on doing this!

Ivan

[9x21]

Better to have'd loved the sport & lost than never have loved the sport at all..

I left the sport for a few years because of similar reasons.. When I quit, I guess I was just a hair away from making master. ( they didn't have your classifer score on a web site back then).

Coming back a few years ago, I quickly realized I would probably always be a A shooter, but I enjoy the competition. If I have a good day, I don't mind being 1st loser.

I wouldn't give it up again.

Keep going, shoot within your limits.

FY8825

[Skywalker]

I'm doing it right now... (no time or place to train in the last 15 months) ... why I keep shooting matches?

1. Because it's alot of fun to shoot a match with close teammates: lotsa teasing, laughing and having an overall good day.

2. Because I love shooting.

[chad allred]

Its all about doing what you love and having fun!

[Front Man]

I thought I was getting burned out on shooting.

Finally figured out it was work and other mandatory activities that were draining me.

It is nice to win, even if it is just a stage at a club match.

But my agenda is to keep my skills as high as my issues will allow.

And have fun too!

FM

[Tangram]

"Would You "compete" When No Longer Competitive?"

Ok. Perhaps, I am not the person to answer this question. Because, I doubt that I will ever be competitive if by that someone means >number one<. My physical condition is such (and is unlikely to improve) that master fantasies are just plain silly.

However, when the buzzer sounds and I maintain focus through the course of fire, eyes snapping, pistol firing, and hitting the mark, that is enough. I focus on what I can do and minimize the can't. That is sufficient.

Fun - yes. A chance meet myself and see myself at work - yes. Those are my intentions. Competitive? If I pay attention to what I am doing I smile. Competitive? ..... ..... No! I'm for fun and learning stuff.

[Moondoggie]

I didn't have the time/opportunity to start IPSC until I was 51. I've shot quite a bit all of my life, but IPSC was a whole new skill set/mindset. I think I'll make it to a B level one day with enough practice to develop speed. I shot 24 "A" hits on a 24 rd stage at Area 3 recently, I still have plenty of accuracy...I need to get faster.

I'm doing this for the shooting and the camaraderie. I enjoy the Zen Mode when the timer beeps. I also enjoy learning/picking up pointers from better shooters.

There's a super-super senior guy in our club who's gun handling is atrocious...most of the folks give him a hard time about it. I don't. I've gotten familiar enough with the club members that I can usually RO this guy much of the time he shoots. My patience (which is normally NOT my long suit) seems to take a lot of the pressure off of him. I figure that IPSC might just be the only thing he has left going on, and I want to help give him a chance to participate as long as he can. He's never had an AD/ND, but he's dropped his gun a few times and needs reminded to keep his finger clear of the trigger sometimes. He still shoots a lot of "A" hits. He still wants to participate (if not compete), and I think he deserves a certain level of respect for that.

[sturmruger]

Shooting is a ton fun, but when I am no longer able to shoot competitively then I think I will hang up my gun. We shoot with some folks that take on average 100 seconds to finish a stage they get all As, but 100 secs is a really long time.

[tightloop]

In a word....NO....one of the reasons I don't anymore..

[Flatland Shooter]

Many years ago (approximately 1986) I thought I had potential. I got lots of range time and even did well at the Nationals (2nd in my class). The sky was the limit.

Then I shot a match that included Rob Leatham and Brian Enos. If my best day ever coincided with their worst day, I still didn't stand a chance.

From that point on, I competed against myself. And I probably enjoy a less stressful match as a result.

Now, due to location, I no longer have a place to practice. All of the ranges locally do not allow drawing from holsters or "fast" shooting. I did a slow fire exercise (12 shots over a 30 second interval) and got to meet the range owner. A double tap is permanent expulsion.

A little dry fire practice and hopes of shooting a few local matches means I still get to shoot the sport I love, but I will not be able to improve my skill level.

Not competitive and loving it.

[Kory]

Lets be honest, very few of us are actually competetive. By competetive I mean you actually have a chance to win a big match if the top shooters show up. Many of us can win small club matches, but that's just a minnow feeling big in his little puddle.

I shoot for a number of reasons, but mostly for enjoyment.

Will I shoot if I am no longer competetive? Heck, I never was really competetive beyond little club matches.

If I choose to only participate in activities that I am really good at, I'd probubly have to stick to drinking beer and picking my nose.

[Jim Norman]

I have to agree with Kory not that I would be a cometitive beer drinker or nose picker, but that most of us have the potential to be a big fish in a small pond. I have won my class at a couple larger matches, but my chances of winning the nationals are probably slightly less than those of my winning the Nobel Prize in physics and as I age, those chances are becoming slimmer. However, so long as I can hold a gun, I will likely compete at some level, even if only against my self.

Jim