I'm going to be shooting a lot in 2014. Big goals, and it's time I get a real major match experience. Last year the Illinois State IDPA match was a little taste, Area 5 was a much bigger taste although I was out 13 seconds and about 15 rounds into the match, and the Wisconsin Sectional was my first real experience, and it was not a good one.
This year I'm breaking the tentative schedule down into matches I'm definitely going to shoot, matches I will probably shoot, and then some big ones to fill out the calendar. I'd like to shoot 8-9 major matches, plus as many outdoor club matches as possible.
Definite:
Battle In The Bluegrass (April)
Area 5 (June)
Probable:
Indiana Prod/SS....(March)
Arkansas Sectional (May)
Ohio Sectional (May) (same weekend as Arkansas)
Michigan Sectional (August)
Possible:
Great Plains Sectional (July)
Iowa Sectional (September)
Area 3-Nebraska (July/August)
Area 4- Arkansas (August)
Wisconsin Sectional (September, same weekend as Indiana)
Indiana Championships (September)
Area 2 -Arizona (November)
IL Sectional IF it happens.
Not on the list is Nationals in September in St. George, Utah. That's definitely on my list in the probable category, it's the biggest, and the best, and you will test yourself against the best shooters in the world. If I want big match, that's about as big as it gets. However, it means I'm gone from home for a week, have hotel, air fare, and associated costs. 30 stages though in 5 days. For the overall cost I could probably shoot 2 more Area matches.
So, some picking and choosing on what to shoot. I'd like to shoot one major without my "security blanket" of friends, and prove to myself that I can stage plan, and execute on my own. That's a key element of preparing for Nationals where I understand neither Kozy or Les will be going. Linda is hoping to shoot two major matches this year so she can get her first experience, and those will have to be summer matches when Lauren is not in school, one early, one late.
Nationals is the big concern, if I end up investing in the match, then I need to go down prepared, which may mean less matches in the days leading up to it, and more practice to round into top form. I'll have to discuss this with Les and Kozy and get some advice.
I'm excited at the prospect of a heavy schedule, practice, and club matches. What I don't want to do is suffer burn out, so I do want to leave some down periods where I can walk away for a week or two, and just enjoy the summer with Linda and Lauren, and all the other good stuff in life.
Live fire Tuesday/Friday. Wednesday MISS Match, Sunday The WIIT.
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