Related to the "how much does it cost" to get into a shooting event is how these events, over time, begin to suck the fun out of shooting in them.
It's no fun to be competitive in your class, but always lose to the same guy who's just a bit better.
It's less fun to begin the slog to beat that guy. Pretty soon what you're doing is work, not recreation, and the feeling of stress reduction from having fun is replaced with increased stress from the "gotta win" training.
Go to some of these events.
It's sad looking at some of the best competitors. They're winning, but they don't look like they're having fun.
I decided a while ago that I was going to have fun shooting at these things even if I never won. I'm gimpy and my (patented) "thump-drag" gait means I don't scoot very quickly.
I'm not going to outshoot Jerry Miculek, but I'll bet I can match him for enjoying myself at the match.
I've also noticed that the people having fun are contagious. When someone is having fun, they get cheered on more than the robot who's sole programmed function is to WIN.
HUDGlockGuy is going to win, he wins every week, no need to watch. But look at her! She's using the rental gun and having a blast coming in tenth, "YOU GO! WOOOOOO!"
The dude at the bowling pin shoot with the 7-shot S&W revolver got more cheering coming in third than the first and second place guys because they were just so competitively grim.
So go have fun! It's OK to enjoy shooting, despite what some people would have you believe.
It's OK to shoot just for the enjoyment of it, without trying to be a better shot, put food on the table or prepare for the end of civilization.
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My buddy Scott got me into it so we could practice gun handling with the ARs we built. We're having fun and practicing gun handling.
ReplyDeleteI did place 8th out of 13 on one stage in his month's match, though. Shot it clean, too. :)
Yep, been there, done that. I was the lunatic who shot USPSA Open division with a 6-shot revolver (had a red dot on it). I had loads of fun, and while I never won that division, I usually didn't come in last, either.
ReplyDeleteI even had a stage named for me, an absurdly high round count hose-fest they called (insert real name)'s Nightmare. I wish somebody had gotten a picture of me before I shot it, because I looked like the Frito Bandito, with moon clips hanging everywhere. And yes, I had loads of fun shooting it, too.
I have always found that the farting around portion or just practicing or 'friendly competition' to be much more enjoyable and better learning experiences than competition.
ReplyDeleteYou can't stop and ask your opponent what you're doing wrong and what he's doing right in a competition. That part, being able to learn from your 'opponent' is what makes practice my favorite part of any event.
Kinda like pickup fights at an SCA event. Competitions are mostly boring, the same people constantly win. But the pickups? That's where the fun is.