Nemo Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 (edited) He's the Michael Jordan of practical shooting. Now, if Nike would just come out with the TGO line of shooting shoes... I know those would make me faster and accurate... Edited May 5, 2006 by Nemo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 TGO is to IPSC what Robbie Naish is to Windsurfing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Or Laird Hamilton is to Big Wave surfing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbadaboom Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Bruce Lee to Martial Arts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS_A18138 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 He is the Wayne Gretzky of IPSC shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 He is the Wayne Gretzky of IPSC shooting. Heh... what a stretch! The question is, is anyone else as dominant in any other sport? I can think of one guy: Lance Armstrong. Lance, however, is on a whole different level. I'd say he's one notch below Lance and one notch above everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I'd say TGO is actually one "nut", er "notch" ahead of Lance at this point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Thank you, George!!!!... I used to get razzed badly for my appreciation of Joe Montana's skill on the field. Long, long ago I made a comparison online here of TGO and Eric Clapton... Some members vociferously disagreed until TravisT (October 25, 2002--12:48pm) came along and supported the concept... (actually the topic was about musicians, but...) http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...opic=3251&st=45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 (edited) TGO is to shooting what Eddy Merckx was to cycling. (Most cyclists dont consider Lance to be the best ever) Edited May 6, 2006 by Jeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Front Man Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 No offense to Bob Hannah, but if it is the same Bob Hannah that I shot with in the early 80's, he certainly wasn't TGO like.... Uncle Tightloop, No, I don't know that Bob Hannah! The Bob I am talking about was a past National and Supercross Champion. The more I think about it the less I think The Hurricane and TGO are alike. Bob hated the compitiion, I don't beleive TGO hates the competition because of the nature of the sport . I personally do not know either Bob or TGO, I just admire their acomplishments and achievements. FM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Ok then.... TGO is to practical shooting as Cal Ripkin is to baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberneck Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 The question is, is anyone else as dominant in any other sport? I can think of one guy: Lance Armstrong. Lance, however, is on a whole different level. I'd say he's one notch below Lance and one notch above everyone else. No one has anything on Cael Sanderson a wrestler (not the goofy WWE vareity). Sanderson has never lost a match. That bares repeating, he has never lost a wrestling match. 4 straight HS championships, 4 straight NCAA titles, an Olympic title, several world team titles and at the tender age of 27 he was just recently named the head coach at Iowa State. There is no one alive that has dominated his sport in the same manner that Sanderson has wrestling and that includes TGO. Even he loses a match once in a while. Sanderson has no idea what it is like to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boo radley Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 The question is, is anyone else as dominant in any other sport? I can think of one guy: Lance Armstrong. Lance, however, is on a whole different level. I'd say he's one notch below Lance and one notch above everyone else. No one has anything on Cael Sanderson a wrestler (not the goofy WWE vareity). Sanderson has never lost a match. That bares repeating, he has never lost a wrestling match. I don't want to be pedantic, but that's not completely true, according to his own website (www.caelsanderson.com). Looks like he never lost an NCAA match, but after that his record was: 20-5 ('02/03), and 26-3 ('03/04) the year he won an Olympic Medal. I agree that his achievements have been outstanding. If we go from individual performance, to team -- how about the 1938 Duke football team? They played the entire regular season without allowing a single point. This impresses me even though I'm a TarHeel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Boo Can't compare individual to team...not the same.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Dale EarnhardtTGO FM (Guess I'm Old School) Last time I checked. TGO never shot anybody who was running a little too good....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedshooter Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I remember watching TGO in the 2001 limited nationals. When the super squad came to their last stage, several of them were in a position to win the match. To add to the pressure it started to rain, not just a garden variety downpour but an absolute gully washing monsoon. Not only did TGO beat everyone in the super squad to win the match but if I recall correctly also won the stage, beating everyone else that shot the stage without the rain. (I think 2nd place for the stage was something like 93%) It was not only one of the greatest shooting feats I have witnessed but also one of the greatest displays of mental focus & athletism I have seen in any sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Anyone who attended the awards banquet at the 2004 One-Gun Nationals might remember Robbie's very gracious acceptance speech. In an emotional address he gave great credit to those who placed just behind him in the final results. And they deserved it, too. To be that close to Superman's cape is no small feat. Yep, he almost didn't win. It was very close. I sat there thinking how the competition was getting so close to unseating the King. It sounded for all the world like a bitter-sweet yet memorable concession, maybe even an announcement of retirement, thus marking the end of an era. Then I remembered that he all but zeroed his first stage of the match. For Christ's sake! *I* beat him on that stage (a once-in-a-lifetime moment, to be sure). With that as a starter for the event, he nutted-up and out-right won 6 of the remaining stages, placed 2nd on 5 others, and was 3rd on 2 more, against what could justifiably be characterized as the best shooters in the world. Jeez! End result: Another National Championship. Then came 2005 with another Limited Nationals title, and a 2nd place finish at he Lim10 Nationals, and another World Championship in Standard division at World Shoot XIV. I'm not a wide ranging sports nut, so likely I've missed some folks who have his level of talent, drive, interest and expertise. But as far as I know, there's no one who's been at the top of their world for as long as TGO. His cape has been conquering the highest winds for 20+ years. Long live the King. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 The remarkable part about TGO, to me, is his ability to show that "champion's poise under pressure" across a long stretch of career. He can be down a bunch, and come back and win the match in determined fashion. And he can do it now, just as well as when he was younger. That's pretty unique. You'll see that level of mental game for occasional streaks in other sports - and certainly there have been other dominant players in their games. Like Brian has alluded to - when the chips are down, and the weather's gnarly, and the shooting's tough... bet on Robbie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 (edited) Sorry I'm joining this one late.... Spanning my short shooting lifetime (98-06) TGO has won every Limited Nationals except one. And the last SIX IN A ROW!!! That is the toughest division, at the toughest yearly tournament in the world. Hell, half of them were won when it was a full, "no where to hide" field, including TJ and the Burner. I feel confident saying that if he had jumped into IPSC Standard at the 97 WS (first WS with Standard??) we'd have a streak there at four and counting. Taking nothing away from the 97 winner and Mr. Voigt, Rob's just, well.... THE great one. It's funny to me because when I first got interested and started reading everything I could find, there were these articles saying he hadn't won since 95, and shot a dumb ole' skinny gun in 97, like some kind of stunt. Jerry had doubled in 96, TJ in 97, and they were talking about TGO as a "has been". From what I understand the course design in 97 SUCKED for skinny gunners and he had to eat a lot of extra loads. The results won't come up on USPSA, but I think I remember him winning like 7 of 13 statges. They were making respectful, but patronizing references like, "still a solid warhorse". Well he switched to a high cap in 98 and lead from wire to wire. Great article in Front Site BTW. The Burner burned everyone in 99, and then THE STREAK began. Jump ahead to 2002. In the 20th, yes TWENTIETH year after his first national and world championship, TGO had another "perfect" season, winning pretty much every iron sight title worth having, including IDPA, USPSA LIM, L10 and SSC, IPSC WS 13, steel challenge (Open and Lim) and I think Bianchi Metallic. Whatever the national title count is, if you look at the SSC as the SS NAts (which it is finally!!), TGO runs them all off. (Also please see my Front Site letter to the editor from 2000 asking for SSD and the SSC to become the SS Nats...ledo ledo. ) Dave / XRE you know how I dig that mental stuff. After he retires, and the streak ends at 15 or 20 Limited's in a row (because He chose to end it) he should become a mental coach. I remember reading an article in GunGames. This was about 96 or 97 when they were talking about how washed up he was. He was asked who's good, who is next blah, blah, blah. Then they say, "balanced courses, $1 million, winner takes all, who do you choose". He Responded confidently with something like, "Me, the added pressure made that choice an easy one." In pictures of him shooting at major matches his face looks so relaxed you'd think he was asleep. He may scowl or joke around after the run, but when he's on the clock, it's an eerie calm. If he could find a way to impart that eye of the tiger match performance.....WOW!!! He can also "dial up" what's needed. You wanna shoot Bianchi? OK, or get all speedy at the Steel Shallenge? Fine. Jack up the pressure for a last stage match winning performace? Bring it on. How many times has he won the nationals on the last stage? There ought to be a humor thread about TGO like the old "Chuck Norris" one about how he can actually kick you into next week. But I digress.... If the scores are in order for 04, TGO finished 50% and 127th on the "Darkhouse" and then switched it on to win the next four stages. I'd say Gretzky is the closest, or Ripkin. Speaking of wrestlers, does Rob remind anyone else of Dave Schultz?? Lance is a great athlete, but takes things more scientifically. What I hear from people who know TGO , and I don't, is that he's more a gifted artist who works hard at making his way work. Where as Jerry is the scientist who is intense and does the research, Robbie seems to do things his way and make it work. Lastly, how good is TGO??? So good he's in the encyclopedia. Edited May 12, 2006 by dirtypool40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Damn.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I forgot to add... When I was bored one time I ran TGO's scores for the 04 "One Gun Nats" in with the Open guys. If I remember correctly, TGO would have placed 8th including the Open shooters, at about 88% of Grauffel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now