Calamity Jane

[davidball]

Sure that is what is happening...but in my mind...we are all equal....shooters without sex. Shooters without sex That's pretty funny! Certainly I don't want to be a shooter without sex...I don't think Dave would like that either...You all know what I mean!

Oh boy . . .

[Matt Cheely]

Sure that is what is happening...but in my mind...we are all equal....shooters without sex. Shooters without sex That's pretty funny! Certainly I don't want to be a shooter without sex...I don't think Dave would like that either...You all know what I mean!

Oh boy . . .

[Chris Keen]

You could always pull a Sako and drop your gun in the Port-o-let. That's how Pharoh Bender turned his gun Blue! (at least I think that was Jeff, could be wrong)

[steel1212]

Certainly I don't want to be a shooter without sex...I don't think Dave would like that either...You all know what I mean!

Poooooor Dave....

[Tiny Warrior]

Thanks Chris There were 5 total lady open gun shooters. Each year I am seeing more and more women competing in this sport

I only saw one other woman shoot and I liked what I saw. I saw potential for Gloria to develop into a very competitive shooter. Hope she keeps at it.

There are times when my femininity come into play in the match which I find irritating. For example, taking my gun off to pee. I could tell you stories of how this simple fact has cost me competitively, but it's early in the morning on a weekend and I don't want to get all worked up and grumpy this morning. But I am going to say this to any lady shooter who may be reading this...Ladies you HAVE to manage your fluid intake during a match. Have your 8 glasses of water in you BEFORE you hit the range and then drink so you pee at least every other stage. It is a pain to take the belt off, find the safe table, re-gun etc...and you may have to leave your squad early and not paste as many targets as the boys. Feel no guilt! Go pee! It is what it is!

Thanks, that was my 3rd match shooting Open. I'm really enjoying the "dark side". I've got a great teacher, which helps a lot

Having to pee in the middle of a match? Yeah, tell me about it! After drinking so much water to keep hydrated at Indiana, I shot with a full bladder on my last stage....which by the way was my favourite stage(the one you had to make your way up range...stage3 Sliding Out of Steuben County?) Sometimes I wish I had a...... nevermind, I'm glad I don't

See you at Area 5!

[Coach]

Congrats on the big win on Sunday. Now for the more serious question: When are you going to stop sand bagging? C class in open my _ _ _!

I was unable to challenge yesterday. Another rough start with a minor rally. Maybe next month. I had some good practice yesterday and today.

[JakeMartens]

Congrats on the big win on Sunday. Now for the more serious question: When are you going to stop sand bagging? C class in open my _ _ _!

I was unable to challenge yesterday. Another rough start with a minor rally. Maybe next month. I had some good practice yesterday and today.

yeah what Coach said, where is the A card?!?!?!?

Nice job Jane

I did some practicing with Coach yesterday, once I figure out this reloading thing and stop droping mags while I am shooting I plan on giving you a good run for your money, maybe!!!!!!!

[Calamity Jane]

Congrats on the big win on Sunday. Now for the more serious question: When are you going to stop sand bagging? C class in open my _ _ _!

I was unable to challenge yesterday. Another rough start with a minor rally. Maybe next month. I had some good practice yesterday and today.

The C class thing is an error. I've got a B card. The A card is on the goal list.

I have no doubt you and Jake will be great competitors next month. I depend on it!

I want to post more about the win and what it means to me...but I simply don't have time. I'm trying to get a HOT load together for A5 and work my 3 days and get ready to travel and.....you get the picutre

[Calamity Jane]

Walbash Practical Pistol Shooting Club

Father's Day

June 15, 2008

Jane Ball HOA

Relish The Moment

It would be easy to let this moment pass because I am SO BUSY getting ready for A5 but wisdom tells me to slow down, deep breathe, and enjoy this tiny moment in time before moving on.

I achieved something that I thought was possible for me. Sure you can try to qualify it and say so and so wasn't there etc...but it doesn't really matter. On that day in time with those competitors I was HOA. That's achievement. Someone asked me how it feels? The experience hasn't left me satisified...it has left me hungry for more. I want to take more. I feel like I'm getting close to coming up with a formula that's going to allow me to take more competitively.

The match got off to a rough start. The set up crew were few (we set up before the match), we got started late, and I had a nuclear meltdown blow-up tantrum on my first stage because another competitor wanted to move a target on a classifier stage. The same stage my husband and I set up and measured TWICE! It was kind of ugly and I ended up aplogizing to my squad for my display of poor behavior. It was a rough start and yet I put all that behind me and focused on the shooting. It was a solid competitive round. My mind drifted to the concept of winning mid way through the match but I changed that thinking quickly because I've fallen into that trap before.

I've certainly developed. Developed into what....I'm not quite sure right now. I'm finding my game and playing it and that's a liberating feeling. Yet, there is more testing to do.

A5 brings with it new challenges. I welcome the challenge. I have no idea what is going to happen (sort of my way of not having expectations ). I'm just as anxious as you are to see what is going to happen. I look forward to playing the game I have in me right now. It truly has boiled down to what I said earlier in this diary.... page 7 or 8...."I know my own mind and I'm going to take what I know and kick some @$$"

At this moment I feel like a confident, aggressive, competitve shooter. It's taken quite a while to develop into that self image. Stay tuned to see how it all plays out.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Calamity Jane

[Calamity Jane]

Are We There Yet?

Some of my warmest memories as a child are the vacations we took across country in the car. We had the wood chuck sided station wagon and my seat was all the way in the back with the luggage. Why does it seem to always take longer to GET somewhere? I couldn't resist the temptation to ask, "Are we there yet?" And my parents couldn't refrain from saying in a grumpy voice, NO!"

My trip to A5 had me asking once again, "Am I there yet?" and in a grumpy voice to myself the reply was, "No!" After the match I found myself in a steakhouse with my family and Coach and all I wanted to do was tuck into the fetal position and be held by my husband. The match was emotionally PAINFUL. It hurt but like most things that cause growth it hurt in a good way. It was a necessary pain that I believe needed to happen to take me to the next level.

When people asked me about my match I replied, "It was up and down." I would do something good and then on the next stage do something bad. For those of you who don't like the good and bad analogy...I would do something correctly on one stage and then I would make a mistake on the next stage. It was a roller coaster ride that left me sick at the end. I didn't put together a solid consistent match and it has left me with the question of "Why?"

I've had a few days to reflect on it and I believe I've come to an answer. My match was not consistent because my mental programs were not as precise as they needed to be. I was running mental programs but because the stages weren't that difficult...I didnt' execute the mental discipline necessary to compete on the stages that appeared "easy". That is a hard pill to swallow because I take great pride in my mental game. Sometimes the truth does hurt!

Here's an example:

Stage 2 Wayne's Pain

There was a wall with 2 handles. Two targets with a no shoot in between on the left side of the wall and a mirror image of that array on the right side of the wall. Most people shot the right side strong handed using one of the handles for support and the left side free style with a hard lean.

I ran my mental program to draw and shoot the strong hand side first...then move to the left side, lean hard, shoot the other two targets, and then fall out of the box. I did exactly that...HOWEVER..I fell out of the box before I got my last shot fired. I decided to take the mike. If I'm honest with myself, I didn't mentally program that last target before I fell out of the box. I mentally programmed and visualized the first target in that array but I didn't visualize the second target. I just told myself to shoot it. It was sloppy and I really hate to admitt that. When you have what appears to be simple stage, it's easy to get sloppy mentally. That bit of knowledge is what I will be taking with me from this match.

I finished 28th out of 77 open competitors

I finished 4th B out of 24 B competitors

My best stage was Stage 7 with a 7th place finish on the stage..top B on that stage...beat a BUNCH of masters on that stage

Lessons have been learned and now it is time to move into the third training cycle!

[Calamity Jane]

What Matters?

I had the privilege of assisting my family with the “Having a Ball” stage at A5 on Sunday. It is always fun to see many familiar faces. I had one familiar face ask me how my mental game was coming. I told him pretty good and then he gave me some words of wisdom. He said something like this, “Do you know what the secret is? None of this matters.” He didn’t have time to explain as he was on to the next stage but that statement has left me meditating on the thought, does this matter?

It’s true in a sense. I’m just a person running around with a pistol shooting at targets. What does that matter? Would the world end if I stopped? Probably not. Would I survive if I never did it again? Probably so. But then I met some one at A5 who reminded me why I am doing this.

I met an individual who was there with his son. He and his son shot the Indiana State match a couple of weeks earlier. They were touring the Midwest together and shooting as opportunity presented itself. I guess what made this gentleman stand out was the fact he was tugging around a tank of oxygen. It’s not often you see someone competing in our sport sucking on oxygen. The nurse in me had to ask what his situation was. He told me he needed a lung transplant. He then explained to me why he had to live. He referred to his son several times saying he had to see him get out of college. His tale of hope left me breathless as I walked away from our conversation. I know what this man is facing and it will be the biggest physical, mental, and spiritual challenge of his life.

Does running around with a gun really matter? Nope. But let me tell you what I do think matters. Learning how to fight matters. Learning to face fear matters. Learning to not quit matters. Learning how to use your mental capacities to over come matters. Learning how your spirituality fits into every day of life matters. That is why I am doing this. Shooting is teaching me, molding me, challenging me to develop into the being I was created to be. When it is my turn to face the biggest battle in my life, I will be ready because I have trained in the disciplines necessary to overcome and THAT MATTERS! I will have trained to win.

[Flyin40]

What Matters?

I had the privilege of assisting my family with the “Having a Ball” stage at A5 on Sunday. It is always fun to see many familiar faces. I had one familiar face ask me how my mental game was coming. I told him pretty good and then he gave me some words of wisdom. He said something like this, “Do you know what the secret is? None of this matters.” He didn’t have time to explain as he was on to the next stage but that statement has left me meditating on the thought, does this matter?

It’s true in a sense. I’m just a person running around with a pistol shooting at targets. What does that matter? Would the world end if I stopped? Probably not. Would I survive if I never did it again? Probably so. But then I met some one at A5 who reminded me why I am doing this.

I met an individual who was there with his son. He and his son shot the Indiana State match a couple of weeks earlier. They were touring the Midwest together and shooting as opportunity presented itself. I guess what made this gentleman stand out was the fact he was tugging around a tank of oxygen. It’s not often you see someone competing in our sport sucking on oxygen. The nurse in me had to ask what his situation was. He told me he needed a lung transplant. He then explained to me why he had to live. He referred to his son several times saying he had to see him get out of college. His tale of hope left me breathless as I walked away from our conversation. I know what this man is facing and it will be the biggest physical, mental, and spiritual challenge of his life.

Does running around with a gun really matter? Nope. But let me tell you what I do think matters. Learning how to fight matters. Learning to face fear matters. Learning to not quit matters. Learning how to use your mental capacities to over come matters. Learning how your spirituality fits into every day of life matters. That is why I am doing this. Shooting is teaching me, molding me, challenging me to develop into the being I was created to be. When it is my turn to face the biggest battle in my life, I will be ready because I have trained in the disciplines necessary to overcome and THAT MATTERS! I will have trained to win.

Awesome post

Flyin

[XRe]

I met an individual who was there with his son. He and his son shot the Indiana State match a couple of weeks earlier. They were touring the Midwest together and shooting as opportunity presented itself. I guess what made this gentleman stand out was the fact he was tugging around a tank of oxygen.

That wouldn't have been Teepy Porter and his dad, would it? Teepy has long-ish, really blond hair? Skinny kid?

Does running around with a gun really matter? Nope. But let me tell you what I do think matters. Learning how to fight matters. Learning to face fear matters. Learning to not quit matters. Learning how to use your mental capacities to over come matters. Learning how your spirituality fits into every day of life matters. That is why I am doing this. Shooting is teaching me, molding me, challenging me to develop into the being I was created to be. When it is my turn to face the biggest battle in my life, I will be ready because I have trained in the disciplines necessary to overcome and THAT MATTERS! I will have trained to win.

Well put... and well understood...

[Calamity Jane]

I met an individual who was there with his son. He and his son shot the Indiana State match a couple of weeks earlier. They were touring the Midwest together and shooting as opportunity presented itself. I guess what made this gentleman stand out was the fact he was tugging around a tank of oxygen.

That wouldn't have been Teepy Porter and his dad, would it? Teepy has long-ish, really blond hair? Skinny kid?

Does running around with a gun really matter? Nope. But let me tell you what I do think matters. Learning how to fight matters. Learning to face fear matters. Learning to not quit matters. Learning how to use your mental capacities to over come matters. Learning how your spirituality fits into every day of life matters. That is why I am doing this. Shooting is teaching me, molding me, challenging me to develop into the being I was created to be. When it is my turn to face the biggest battle in my life, I will be ready because I have trained in the disciplines necessary to overcome and THAT MATTERS! I will have trained to win.

Well put... and well understood...

I can not confirm or deny the identity of the person I was speaking about due to HIPPA regulations....it's the health care professional in me

Thanks XRE and Flyin40 for your posts. My diary has gotten awful quiet lately..so it was good to see some feedback

[Calamity Jane]

Training Cycle #3

Well it has begun. The last training cycle that will lead me into Nationals. I'm really looking forward to the next 10 weeks. Here's the layout of the plan:

Dry Fire

I really liked my 30 days of dry fire routine in the months of March and May but with that came some sore tendons from over use issues. So this training cycle I'll be following a more traditional dry fire training schedule...3-4 days a week.

Live Fire

It's time to get at it. Time to work on some skills and movement. Matt Cheely is coming to my house this month. We're going to work on some movement stuff. I also want to work on timing with activators. I need a better feel and more confidence on "what I can take" when facing a stage that has activators. I'll also continue to work on the basics.

Competition

I won't be shooting any more major matches until Nationals. However, I will be competing at local matches with the focus to win HOA. I'm not saying I'll get HOA...but the intent is to compete at a level to make that happen. In my mind I think I need some HOA's locally to gain confidence that I'm at a level where I can compete pretty well nationally. However...this kind of thinking may cross the line into "expectation". I need to do "this" to accomplish "that" thinking may not be true. I may need to adjust my thinking differently in this regard.

That's the plan. It's not that complicated. It's just a continuation of what I've been doing with some adjustments here and there.

[Chris Keen]

Sounds like a great plan Jane. And you're right .... it's not very complicated. Winning, that is.

Hear this one piece of advice, you don't need to win a stage to win the match. (of course at local matches that's usually par for the course) but try and keep your focus on "one shot at a time". All that matters is this shot ... and this one ... etc. I lost placing 1st in A LTD at AREA 5 by 1 shot. My last stage. Wasn't calling my shots on the last array.

Call every shot

[Calamity Jane]

Thanks for the advice Chris....BTW I saw the 30 days episode. I was SOOOOOO relieved that my face did not make the camera!! The Rhino and Bender are the 2 second heros Sorry you didn't get any camera time.

I just finished an awesome dry fire practice. It was cut short by a little incident. I wear a hat in the basement because of the glare from the lights. I was hot so I took off my hat. When I took my hat off...a cock roach looking bug jumped out from my hair!!! I had left my hat on my dry fire table and I think the little critter took up residence. After some screaming and jumping up and down...I decided it was time to call it quits for the night!! My skin is still crawling!

[Chris Keen]

Remember the only thing that matters is the bug you are squishing right now!

[Calamity Jane]

Competition

I won't be shooting any more major matches until Nationals. However, I will be competing at local matches with the focus to win HOA. I'm not saying I'll get HOA...but the intent is to compete at a level to make that happen. In my mind I think I need some HOA's locally to gain confidence that I'm at a level where I can compete pretty well nationally. However...this kind of thinking may cross the line into "expectation". I need to do "this" to accomplish "that" thinking may not be true. I may need to adjust my thinking differently in this regard.

WRONG!

I knew when I typed it it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Placement thinking does not work with me. Some people it does...not me. So let me say this....

I will be shooting at local matches with the focus on my shooting. I will aggressively pursue excellence, maintain focus, and enjoy the shooting.

Ofcourse I didn't do that today at our steel match ...but I will the next time I've got a gun in my hand.

League night is going to start up again. That's always been a really good training tool for me. I'm looking forward to finishing out the summer with the Coach pushing me right along.

[Calamity Jane]

The Cheely Class

I've posted a thread on this but here is a link to the video summary.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7...86737&hl=en

It was good to shoot with Matt and I wish we could have had more time together. He came late Friday night and I held him hostage in my basement as I loaded rounds for the class. It was good just to talk. He had to leave right after the class on Saturday related to some work obligations I hate it when work gets in the way of shooting!

Waking up Saturday morning to a thunderstorm was a little bit of a discouragement. However, because I have the dry fire basement there were no worries. We started the class in the basement going over the basic stuff. The weather cleared by 10 o'clock and we went to the range for live fire. It was HUMID!! and HOT!! I really enjoyed myself. I have taken classes before so I knew what to expect. Matt did a great job. The focus of the class was movement. We moved and grooved most of the afternoon Matt said, "Give me 4 boxes and a piece of steel and I'm happy." I have to agree with him. Moving with the gun is what makes the sport so much fun for me. Matt gave me some tips to do that better.

One thing that I've got to get better at is NOT falling out of the box...fault line...whatever. I'm like Super Girl...there's something about flying through the air and shooting that I think is cool. It doesn't matter how low I get my center of gravity...I was meant to FLY!! Seriously, I need to work on this....but it's going to be hard...cause I LIKE TO FLY. Seriously, I've got to work on this.

Anyway....tomorrow I'm going to reveal my training plan for the next 8 weeks. For those of you who have questioned my sanity...there will be no doubt.... I'm crazy Stay tuned...

[Calamity Jane]

The Purpose Driven Life

I've talked about increasing my live fire practice but I haven't really committed to how much. I've asked myself the question, "How much is it going to take to get me where I want to go?" Many have gone down this road before and based on their experience I've come up with a number. I'm going to shoot 8,000 rounds over the next 8 weeks. I plan on doing that in 40 live fire sessions consisting of 200 rounds each. I've sat down and talked to my husband about this and asked him to support me in this endeavor. He graciously agreed to support me. Without his support I would be unable to "go for it"!!!

One of my favorite movies is Simon Birch. There is a scene where his friend asks him why he always practicing holding his breathe. Simon states something like this, "I don't know why. It's just important." That's the way I feel about this endeavor. I don't know why...but this moment in time is important and I have to finish this thing.

The number of rounds down range is not as important as WHAT I'll be doing with those rounds. I've worked out a plan that involves including dry firing into my live fire sessions. I think this is going to help the over all quality of my practice.

I'm also going to use the video camera to accomplish a couple of things. First of all...I'm going to show you the journey. I'm going to allow you to watch the next 8 weeks. You may have noticed that this diary has been lacking video. I've done that on purpose. I have found from past experience that video DOES NOT build up my self image. Therefore, I eliminated it from my competitions this year. I have competed better because of it. However, I do feel it is necessary for skills development. When you're the only coach on the range...it's necessary to have that video feedback. Therefore, my son Jackson has agreed to help me post video. We'll probably post it in 5 day blocks.

The amount of entries into the diary is going to increase. I've been working on mental aspects and competition for the past several months. DAVE RE has been instrumental in helping me get a hold of that piece of the pie!! But now the focus is turning to skills, and I'm willing to share that journey with others in a very public way.

This is not going to be pretty. I am not going to sugar coat the harsh reality of what I look like on camera or the sweat and tears that may get captured there. It is what it is. I am what I am.

I'll be counting backwards to mark the journey. I have session #40 already on tape and I'm on the way to the range in a few minutes to capture #39. It's a countdown to a purpose that is driven by my life.

Here we go folks....I'm not sure of the destination but it's going to be one heck of a ride.

[Calamity Jane]

#40

This session I was working on the draw. I didn't have my timer with me so it was more about smoothness and form then speed.

Matt introduced me to the concept of shooting around a wall with your arms bent and closer to your body. This is a VERY uncomfortable position for me. I like to shoot the gun at almost full extension of the arms. So in an effort to teach myself that I can indeed shoot the gun accurately with my arms bent...and also to work on finding the dot earlier in my draw (I'll explain that later) I was working in the first part of this video drawing the gun where my left had meets with my right, fiding the dot and shooting without the extension that I normally do.

When I looked at this on video I was shocked at what I saw!!! If I didn't know what I was working on I would say that was a normal draw. My arm position doesn't look pulled in at all....yet it feels TERRIBLE TO ME. Later in the video you will see my normal draw with my elbows only slightly bent and almost at full extension. What I've seen on video has me quesioning if I've been shooting with my arms too fully extended and that is part of my problem with the second shot and recoil control??

You know the elbows are talked about quite a bit...are they up...are they down...are they locked. But I think the elbows are only part of the "absorbing" recoil issue. It's interesting to note how the elbows and the shoulder blades connect. For example, I noticed that my normal draw with extension and elbows slightly bent spreads my shoulder blades out in my back. However, if I bend my elbows more (like in the draw I was doing on video) my shoulder blades are closer together and I can see how that would be better to absorb recoil. I'm going to experiment a little more with this on the range today.

Finding the dot...Matt encouraged me that I should be able to see the dot as I was pushing the gun to the target. I see the dot...but it's usually during the last 3-4 inches of bringing the gun to the target. If I could find it earlier, that would mean more opportunities to shoot earlier. So I was trying to find it earlier without CHICKEN WINGING. XRE...You know what I'm talking about.

Areas that I saw need imporvement:

My head is still moving a little bit when I draw (I thought I fixed that!)

My left hand is a little slow...ESPECIALLY when I was doing a strong hand draw!! That was uguly to see.

Stuff I need to explain up front:

I wear a glove on my left hand to get a better grip on the gun (if you don't know this about me...read my diary)

I have a pink piece of tape across my grip safety. My grip safety is pinned...the tape is there because of a sharp edge that is cutting my hand. I have not buffed off that sharp edge yet.

My stance has a repeatable action that I hate captured on tape. Before I shoot I give my knees a little bend to make sure they are not locked and to check that the weight of my body is on the balls of my feet....this action causes my breast to bounce. I hate that but that's the reality of being a woman. I'm not going to quit doing it because I feel that check step is fundamental and necessary.

I have #39 on tape. My son and I will process that this weekend.

#38 was league night and did not get captured on film but I'll explain what happened and what I learned

#37 Will be today

#36 Will be the Riley match on Sunday and I'm planning on having my youngest son tape it for me.

Here is the link to #40. It is boring to watch. This is not about show...it's about developing skill.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...55889&hl=en

Edited July 20, 2008 by Calamity Jane

[Calamity Jane]

#38 League Night

My good buddy Coach hosted. I won the "match" but I got whooped pretty good in a side match. I drove home knowing that even though I dominated the match, it still wasn't good enough to do well on a National level. Times were good...but points were not the best. The gun was bouncing...my draws were not solid....my sight pictures were sloppy. I've got some work to do.

When I shoot Riley tomorrow I will be focusing on points and sight pictures. It's time to clean up the slop and start getting perfect percision.

#37

I shot today in a rushed fashion with much frustration. I felt some pressure to get my practice in today because weather was moving in. I did get it in before the rain. I wanted to do the Brian Williams drill but didn't get to it. I started out shooting 25 yd groups. My shots were to the left. I then had to go back to the house and get a rest to see where the gun was shooting.

****Please make a note!! If the gun is shooting poorly; right, left, high, low, CHECK the sights by shooting on a rest. A lot of times the sights will work loose and move on you. ALWAYS blame the gun first. IF the gun checks out then you can beat yourself up about how you need to work on your trigger pull.

It was just as I suspected. The gun was grouping to the left. Then I couldn't find my allen wrenches to fix it which cost another trip to the house. That was another costly delay. But finally I got the gun sighted in so that was a positive thing.

After all that, I just decided to do some group shooting with the purpose to really focus on my sight and calling my shot.

I dont' feel like I really accomplished anything really big with this session. However, it's good to know the gun is sighted in. That will help at the match tomorrow.

[Calamity Jane]

I'm also going to use the video camera to accomplish a couple of things. First of all...I'm going to show you the journey. I'm going to allow you to watch the next 8 weeks.

Today at the range it was clear to me that NO you won't be able to watch. To video,edit and post takes too much time. It's a distraction that I can't allow. I'm still going to shoot video to analyze what I'm doing but I'm not going to be able to post it. It's boring to watch anyway!! I will see if my boys will video some matches and perhaps I'll post that.

[Calamity Jane]

#36

Riley Match

Have you ever gotten what you deserved? I got a "time out" today and if truth be told…I deserved it.

It began like a normal Sunday shoot. Up at 6 am, gather stuff, load truck, off to McDonald's for coffee and to feed the kids, arrive at the range and set up, greet people as they arrive…..and then "it" happened. It was time for me to put my gun on and I realized that I didn't have my open gun. I grabbed my son's 40 cal open gun case instead of my 38 super comp case. This would have been no big deal if I had 40 cal open gun ammo, but I didn't. My youngest son had his para and he decided earlier that he really didn't want to shoot. So I decided to make the best of it and trudged off to the safe table to put on the para. I was telling myself shooting this limited gun could help me focus on my sight picture. As I was putting on the gun, my good friend and old mentor came over and asked why I was shooting the para. He then offered to share his 9mm open gun with me. I accepted.

We went to the first stage and I shot first. It was a speed shoot. The gun puked on almost every round. Afterwards my buddy told me the grip safety was not pinned. Funny he didn't tell me that BEFORE I shot. Because I'm "me" I boldly asked if we could tape it. He was a little hesitant and said all I really needed to do was grip the gun more tightly. So then I had the mental dilemma, do I shoot a gun that could possibly puke all day, or do I change to the para and make the best of things. For a variety of reasons, I chose to change to the para.

The next stage was a classifier. I shoot the first 6 shots, mag reload to strong hand, and then the mag fell out, picked up the mag put it back in and it fell out again.

The next stage had the same mag falling out incident followed by the extractor giving out. That was the end of my day.

I believe things happen for a reason and I have been pondering what I needed to learn from today.

Lessons learned:

1. I placed a USPSA sticker on my gun case so that I would never confuse Jackson's gun with my gun.

2. Lighten up a little. I'm self absorbed with my own journey and training. I need to back it off a notch and get some perspective from other people's point of view. My intensity is getting a little annoying to others. I can't seem to merge my two egos…gentle Jane and competitive Jane. It's one or the other NEVER a blend. I think there may be therapy for this.

3. I MUST learn how to SHUT UP and SHOOT! If you notice most of the best shooters do that. Only positive things come out of their mouths when they speak. Be gracious, be positive and if you're not being one of those…SHUT UP AND SHOOT!!!! Before the match today I was critical, judgmental, and I actively participated in gossip. I would not describe my behavior as gracious or positive….that' one reason I believe I DESERVED my "time out". Some cosmic force needed to discipline me because I was out of control with my mouth and my attitude. I got what I deserved.

Today didn't work out….so what. I've learned and I'm moving on.