Your First Big Match

[outerlimits]

thought it would be interesting to start this thread.

in my case, my first big match was my first match, period. read about the 1984 steel challenge in american handgunner. bought me a 7" AMT longslide and drove down to canyon country to shoot the 1985 steel challenge. practiced on paper plates thinking i was hitting things.

think i beat 6 people out of about 270. think i had max times on outer limits. got a $200 maglight out of it. helluva shock, but that got me bit. ended up meeting lots of folks and found out there were actual clubs in my area. the rest is history.

[davidball]

"Big match". Huh.

Well, in 2001 I attended the Indiana Section Championship for the first time. Having only shot a handful of club matches, this was a big match. All kinds of walls and stuff on the stages. Moving targets, too. Finished near the bottom. Loved it.

Then I attended the 2003 Florida Open. Now that was a big match. International shooters. Crossed paths with Saul Kirsch and Matt Burkett. Finished near the bottom. Loved it.

Then I attended the 2005 Limited Nationals. Now that was a big match. Everyone was there. All the moving targets moved FAST. Finished near the bottom. Loved it.

I do a bit better than "near the bottom" these days.

Edited April 10, 2007 by davidball

[dfwmiket]

Mine: first 'big' match was last year, the 2006 Doubletap Championship. I shot Production, got lots of penalties, finished last in my division!!, and had a GREAT time. Shot it again this year, and did a bit better, too!

The Doubletap Championship is a match no one should miss if there is any way possible for them to attend. Period.

-Mike

Edited April 10, 2007 by cnemikeman

[shred]

Area 4 in the mid 90's. I'm in the parking lot and a jacked up Suburban with a huge "Safariland" logo on the side pulls up and out gets TGO and Brian, and some other big names.

[Merlin Orr]

Area 4 in 2000.... D Limited - Came away with a C card and thought I was on the way......

Wrong.

Edited April 11, 2007 by Merlin Orr

[joseywales]

2002 Coleman 4-H Charity match.

Used a 2nd-gen G17 with 10-rd mags.

What an absolutely fantastic time that day!

Hope everyone's first 'big match' experience is as fun as that one was for me!

Of the 65 shooters that day...here's my stat line.

61 Speer, Steve A26694 U Limited 10 Minor No No No No 472.4927 33.639%

[Scout454]

AWARE in 1997 (or 98). I'd made B Limited 2 weeks before the match and went first on the first six stages. Only shot 56% for the match but it was fun.

[BNorth]

First "BIG" match was the 2007 Double Tap Championship and as everyone else has stated, I had a blast!!!!

I did a few medium size IDPA matches in 99 or 00. Kansas City Indoor had a dark stage that required a flashlight. I had bought a new surefire light for the match and the bulb died on me right before the dark stage. The other was the Midwest Spring Nationals in Columbus MO. First stage had three targets that rotated into view for x amount of seconds and then disappeared again. Gun jammed on the second shot and I ended with a bunch of Mikes.

I came in close to DAL in both of them.

[Dan Sierpina]

The 1984 nationals at what is now Ben Avery range. I remember seeing two local shooters....one very tall and thin...quiet guy...and the other was not quiet....played with a Bali-Song while waiting to shoot I think the knife wielding guy has won a few matches since!

[CenTX]

2002 Coleman 4-H Charity match.

Used a 2nd-gen G17 with 10-rd mags.

What an absolutely fantastic time that day!

Hope everyone's first 'big match' experience is as fun as that one was for me!

Of the 65 shooters that day...here's my stat line.

61 Speer, Steve A26694 U Limited 10 Minor No No No No 472.4927 33.639%

The Coleman 4-H matches were a hoot. I shot it in 2005, a real hose fest, high round count very challenging stages. The train stage was unreal.

[Genghis]

Made a last minute decision to shoot Area 4 in 2005, a few months after I started shooting in competition. Used a G35 I picked up the night before, and a borrowed holster. On one memory stage I got two reshoots, and still ended up with two FTE's. Got one D out of 18 shots at the 50 Yard Standards, for a .111 HF. Finished at 32.94%, and later to my immense surprise, got a plaque for 2nd place in D-Limited. Loved (almost) every minute of it.

[reneet]

1993 Louisiana State Championship in Gonzales, LA

Kay was at the World Shoot but told me before I left to just breath and aim. I was really nervous but managed to shoot well enough to win my 1st of many LA state titles.

Edited April 11, 2007 by reneet

[sargenv]

My first "big" match was the Northern Cali Section match, The Golden Bullet up Ione. This would have been the 2002 match when it was 104 degrees in July. I think Mr Boyd was the MD that year. Who'da thunk that I'd be helping throw that match a few years later?

The first bigger match I went to was Area 2 also in 2002. First time I saw TGO and though I didn't really know Brian, I did recall seeing him hanging around watching.

Vince

[38superman]

My first ever match was the 2004 Nationals.

I started shooting club matches (2 stages) at an indoor range in April '04.

I showed up at Pasa Park three months later, having never shot in a major at any level.

It was my first outdoor match.

I ended up winning D class in Lim 10 against only a handful of shooters.

Nothing to brag about against such a small field, but I still walked away with a 1st place plaque and feeling pretty good about my future.

Over the next year or two, class wins seemed to come pretty easily.

I started getting the idea that I was supposed to come home with a trophy every time I unbagged my gun.

Then I moved up to B class and reality set in.

I hate reality.

Tls

Edited April 12, 2007 by tlshores

[IPSCDRL]

Ah, the first big match, I remember it well. I had taken a week off of work to help build and run a stage for the ’96 area championship at Harvard MA. I wish I had been able to finish the match but alas, I DQ’d.

I was reloading my new (to me) Open Division gun on my second stage when I let a round go. Whoops!

I geared down and helped my squad tape/set steel for the rest of the day. I then came back and worked as an RO for the rest of the weekend.

On the bright side, I met Jerry “The Burner” Barnhart at that match. Unfortunately it was just minutes after I had bombed out of the competition. Jerry was very understanding and consoled me for a few minutes.

Tough lesson learned.

[et45]

2004 Tn.Section match.I awoke Sat.morning to thunder and lightning.Drove over to the range and 3 trees were down across the road and a local deputy came by and got a map out and found a new route to the range.It stormed most of the day and my Glock that had never hiccuped jamed twice and misfired once.The next morning I got to the range and locked my keys in the truck.With that on my mind I stunk up the last two stages.I finished 9th in Production and still made out like a bandit at the prize table.

[Bryan W]

My first major was the 94 Limited Nationals in Reno. I had only been shooting for a few months and just made C class. I won 3rd C, finished around the 130th spot in the overall and got to see the big dogs for the first time. I was completely hooked once I saw what was possible. Rob, Jerry, Brian, Todd J... several others. What a great experience.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Bryan W

[eerw]

My first major was the 94 Limited Nationals in Reno. I had only been shooting for a few months and just made C class. I won 3rd C, finished around the 130th spot in the overall and got to see the big dogs for the first time. I was completely hooked once I saw what was possible. Rob, Jerry, Brian, Todd J... several others. What a great experience.

that was a great match...I managed a 23rd overall finish..shooting a borrowed gun, cause my first one broke the week before the match..

my first big match was an Area 1 in Provo UT. back in...hell, I don't remember..probably like 88 or 89.

Saw the first Hybricomp there..the one you welded onto your barrel..being shot by Wil and Mike Martolin. People like Cal Elrich, Floyd Wine, my buddy Jim Wall..

everyone shot heads up..no divisions..

[toowide]

my first big match was the 2001 Texas State Limited in San Angelo. I had been having fun at the local indoor matches, but once i got to run and gun in the great outdoors i was hooked for good.

[DMS42]

First big match? Since I'm an old, old shooter there have been lots over the years.

1958 - first NRA pistol match, got a couple of 1st Marksman awards.

1965 - Battalion Rifle/Pistol match -- 3rd in rifle and Match Winner in pistol.

1967 - 10th Army Corp Rifle Match -- 1st Sharpshooter

1976 - All Army Rifle/Pistol Championships -- 2nd place .22 cal. (shot an 891 and lost to an 892)

1984 - First SOF match -- came in 20th overall and 2nd in Military

1988 - First USPSA/IPSC match. Placed way down on the list. I got my B class card just before the match.

[BBunin]

Western States Single Stack this year.

I finished 162 out of 189 finishers.

I learned that it CAN be freezing and raining in Phoenix in January. And that it sucks to run field courses during a freezing rain, in a suede jacket.

But I learned that it's not so different from a local match, just one hell of a lot higher level of shooters...

Edited April 13, 2007 by BBunin

[Nemo]

From a post dated 10 March 2005

In 1996 after reading some IPSC articles in the gunzines I became a member of USPSA, without knowing if I would ever shoot a match or if there was anybody else in Puerto Rico that knew about this new (to me) practical shooting thing.

Started practicing without any guidance in my local club in Ponce without knowing that there was a bunch of guys in San Juan that were already shooting. Somehow they discovered me and invited me to my first match. I think the classifier is still on file... Showed up with my EAA Witness 40 and nylon gear. Didn't do too bad, think I won U. That's how it all started for me... year after that the Puerto Rico Shooting Federation, to legitimize IPSC in the Island requested we became a region, and we did. We founded the PRPSA.

Now, what will always be in my mind as my first BIG match is the 1999 FIPT!! Holy crap!! So many stages and open guns and excellent shooters!!!! BIG TIME BUTTERFLIES!!!

First stage: draw on a 3 yd open target, popper, clamshell, etc...

Sweating bullets... (and it wasn't close to warm in Titusville in February)

"Do you understand the course of fire... LAMR... AUR... Stand by... BEEP"

The beep sounded like 2 miles away... Managed to draw and BOOM!! AD'd from just out of the holster but straight to the A on that first target... split between that one and my second shot was like 2.5 seconds Scared SH1TLE55 but finished the stage. When scoring the RO showed me the timer for the first shot: 0.63 and said "That was really fast... now calm down and take it easy". Wise man!

Finished the match and had a blast!

[Sestock]

Started shooting in March of 2000. In July my club hosted the limited nationals, I didn't shoot it but rather worked the match. What an eye opener.

[abs]

First big match, Mile High Showdown2000, first C limited, I really sucked, everybody else just sucked worse!

[eerw]

First big match, Mile High Showdown2000, first C limited, I really sucked, everybody else just sucked worse!

but now you have a bionic heart!!

you probably had them sneak in a bionic eye and legs too..

hope the recovery is going well!!!