What about "The Rest of Us?"

[Shooter13]

What about “the rest of us?”



When you go to a match are you thinking “I’m going to win this thing!” or are you going to see your fellow competitors and have a good time? I’m not talking about the “if I can place in the top 5” kind of deal.

For me the reality is I love to compete and that is just me, if we are playing marbles, drag racing, dirt tracking, shooting or playing basketball.

Sometimes I get lucky, but the reality is I’m not that good, some of the guys I compete with are world class shooters and if I’m so lucky to stumble into a top 5 or 1st place at a particular distance that usually means someone screwed up!

Some talk about equipment and my thought is “why handicap myself with inferior stuff” because the fact is most if not all have more range time, more experience and just more skill.

I love to compete and have a good time but I really like to shoot and the prep is, to me, part of the good time even though not as good as shooting

Wind reading is a whole different animal! And a topic for another day but I still think it is fun to hold on the 8 ring and watch it knock out the X! (or hit the 8 ring on the opposite side of the target!).

So why do you compete and where do you stand amongst your peers?

 

[kindabitey]

I do it for the fun and fellowship. I've always had a need of some sort to compete, but never been
the "I have to win" type of personality. I do keep track of my scores to show myself a level of improvement
from match to match.

 

[distinguished]

I do it to relax and leave everything else behind. For me it is a great way to eliminate stress from all the day to day bs. I also enjoy being around good people and there are many of them in the shooting sports. Shooting is one sport that keeps you constantly learning and improving while you strive to improve. That quality translates well into how you approach other things in life.

Along the way, I have been fortunate enough to win some matches, go distinguished and achieve high master. I have made some good friends too. For me, the journey is the best part. Everything else is just frosting on the cake.

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

My match experience (Formal Events) is limited to some degree. - I've finished in the middle of the pack at an IBS 1000 yard National Championship, Finished second to last in a Florida State 600 yard event, and had held a world record at 2000 yards (Score) in E2K which has been bested by a Woman shooter. - Also have finished up in the middle at 1000 yard FCSA events. - I try to make it a learning experience by analyzing what I did and being honest with myself after I've shot a relay. - And I try to interact with some of the shooters at the match to learn from them. - My work schedule doesn't allow me to participate as much as I'd like to be able to unfortunately.

 

[jk80]

I'm just getting started in this type of shooting and hope to compete the first time this year. I know after being on this site I have an immense amount to learn, but if I go to shoot I always try to win and am pretty hard on myself when I don't. I shoot trap competitively and have done pretty well. I made it into our state hall of fame in 2014 and had to work hard to do it. Ive had shooters get aggravated with my competitiveness and ask me if I expect to win every shoot I go to. I've always tried to have that mind set of if I didn't think that way why was I there. It can be a lot of work and disappointment at times when you're your own worst critic and beat yourself up over not performing how you've come to expect. Hopefully I can make myself enjoy rifle shooting and keep the other attitude on the trap field. I golf too, so I sure don't need another sport to drive me nuts!! Lol.

 

[Retired Grunt]

I go for the comradery, but I am also trying to improve my skills.

 

[JMayo]

I have a good time. I'm loud and talkative. I surprise myself allot and I whoop and holler some. I congratulate others ...... loudly at times.

I'm competing against myself while competing against my "nemesis" .

Some say quietness is being "humble"
I say they are not enjoying themselves.
That "Manley" wall is bull chit.
Let's all be boys out playing with our toys.

I ask/talk to the top shooters & try to understand what they they do. As time has gone on I've developed a program of tactics, bits and pieces from my mentors you might say.

Top 5 is my goal. 1st is my dream.

 

[newbieshooter]

Additional comments:

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[jelenko]

I am mainly motivated to improve my skills and personal bests. Winning or placing in a match depends on who else shows up

I also just enjoy getting tight, centered groups - something about my need to have things in general well organized.

While practice is mostly to debug issues I'm having/improve my skills, it does provide a world away from the daily stresses.

 

[xswanted]

I used to shoot archery very competitively.

When I went to a shoot I expected to win, even at the national level.

I won many state shoots and placed wet well in a few national shoots but never won.

I got burnt out though. I wasn’t doing it as a career and it quit being fun at some point. It felt like work and I have since stopped shooting archery shoots all together. I still bow hunt but no leagues or formal shoots of any kind.

So on the rifle side of things, I go to shoots to improve and compete against myself. If I win so be it if I don’t I want to make sure I learned something. I always take time to reflect on the match and what I think I could have done better and what went well. However I don’t take it seriously enough to make it not fun.

I don’t want to burn myself out of rifles as well.

 

[Ccrider]

Interesting post. I never have shot a match bit plan to some day. The entire process is therapeutic for me. Making the tiny parts fit together perfectly.
For me, the goal is to do my best and to get better. If I am competing against you, my goal is to beat you. Period.

Easier said than done depending on the crowd. I am not a fan of participation trophies.

 

[LVLAaron]

So why do you compete

Because if I didn't my peers would make fun of me. I dont have a competitive bone in my body.

 

[Ccrider]

. I dont have a competitive bone in my body.

I think they have shots for that.

 

[JoeMcNeill]

I like to shoot. Use to be trap and skeet for target shooting and a lot of hunting. Picked up high power shooting when I lived in Ohio. When I retired (2011) and moved to a farm in Arkansas I stopped hunting and staring observing wildlife (have a lot) and picked up short range BR shooting. Traveled to a few out of state matches but found that I really enjoyed the local monthly club matches best. Unfortunately the monthly matches have stopped so I found a club that shoots RF matches weekly and started shooting those. I built a 100 yard range for informal shooting with friends from time to time. Just like to shoot!

JDM

 

[Shooter13]

I dont have a competitive bone in my body.

I'm calling BS LOL

 

[hoz53]

What about “the rest of us?”



When you go to a match are you thinking “I’m going to win this thing!” or are you going to see your fellow competitors and have a good time? I’m not talking about the “if I can place in the top 5” kind of deal.

For me the reality is I love to compete and that is just me, if we are playing marbles, drag racing, dirt tracking, shooting or playing basketball.

Sometimes I get lucky, but the reality is I’m not that good, some of the guys I compete with are world class shooters and if I’m so lucky to stumble into a top 5 or 1st place at a particular distance that usually means someone screwed up!

Some talk about equipment and my thought is “why handicap myself with inferior stuff” because the fact is most if not all have more range time, more experience and just more skill.

I love to compete and have a good time but I really like to shoot and the prep is, to me, part of the good time even though not as good as shooting

Wind reading is a whole different animal! And a topic for another day but I still think it is fun to hold on the 8 ring and watch it knock out the X! (or hit the 8 ring on the opposite side of the target!).

So why do you compete and where do you stand amongst your peers?

I just wish there was a competition to go to around here. Club matches would be fine. Id be out there. My main motivation is trying to improve my own skill/ability. Im competing against me but the other shooters give me a scale to grade myself against. there is skeet 20 miles from my house-- I may have to actually get involved.

 

[Shooter13]

These days I think Id be at the back of the pack no matter where im shooting.

NAW! Even us blind squirrels find a "nut" (win) ever now and then!

 

[wvlongshot]

It's all about doing better than last time. So for me I just watch the pros and try to improve my game.

 

[cw308]

I played a lot of baseball , I piched , played hard , good but not good enough for the majors , found out the hard way . Loved the game but when it got competitive , took some of the fun away. I love shooting , went down that same rabbit hole in reloading. , until I stopped at a load that shot pretty good and stayed with it and got back to having fun shooting. Should have done the same in baseball without blowing out my rotator cuff.

 

[hoz53]

NAW! Even us blind squirrels find a "nut" (win) ever now and then!

thanks-- I am old and deaf and blind and cant smell or taste. can still walk and pull the trigger though