I came, I saw, and I kicked some ass today. I knew what was on the line today, and I knew that I had just over 5 months of work invested into reaching this goal. I did not want to let down my friends, my family, or myself. I knew I had absolutely all of them pulling for me, so I admit I felt the pressure, but not in a bad way, I did not let things paralyze me, I rose to the occasion. Wednesday the 19th, I let a dumb mistake beat me, and I did let the pressure get to me, and it was me imposing a non-existent pressure that day. I could have imploded, but I did not.
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| Les Rewards Me With "My" Patch For the Effort! |
Match Scores
Today I came in looking to shoot only 4 of the 6 classifiers that we were going to run, because that would keep my best scores still on my sheet. For a quick run down, here are the scores that I shot today:
Steely Speed VII: 4.85 Hit Factor (57.18%)
El Presidente: 7.349 Hit Factor (71.62%)
Tight Squeeze: 3.338 Hit Factor (33.95% Below Classification, will not count...whew....)
Madness: 5.8939 Hit Factor (67.27%)
So, when the next run is done in April, here are the last 8 classifiers that I will have, bottom will be the oldest, top the newest:
57.18**
71.62**
67.27**
45.25 *
72.27
57.45
71.62
42.92 *
* Denotes the lowest 2 in my current 8, so they will not count.
** Denotes Practiscore estimate, not an official USPSA number.
That equates to about a 66.24%.
Not only will I have my card, but I'll have earned it with a little room to spare. This won't be me just squeaking into "B" class. Even with a "Practicscore adjustment" I should be just fine. I'd also caught a little flack from a couple of people that I "gamed" the system, by throwing my bad classifiers, and zeroing them out. However, the 71.62, is from 2/5/14, and since then I have zeroed one classifier, so those are 7 of my last 8 classifiers, with the 42.92 from January. This was a non-gamed, true earned "B" card. Straight up, I did it!
I'll be proud to get my "B" card, and I know that I've done a good job with classifiers, and it was only this week that I really put together a full match. I still have a lot of rough edges to grind, and consistency to build. I'm going to have good matches, and I'll stumble at times, but I've got the foundation, and the confidence to build on where I am at. I'm at the bottom of the "B" heap, and I have plenty of hard work if I want to be competitive here (which I absolutely do). I'd like to push and get competitive by this summer, and look to earn my "A" card by the end of the year. The fastest jump in level I can make, I've done, it's easy to learn fundamentals, and the road is going to be a lot harder and slower, but I'm committed to doing it.
I owe huge thanks to a lot of people, and I'll save the big thanks for the day my card is in hand, but I'll touch a few people right now, today. Linda and Lauren who stood by me, encouraged me, and let me do it, even when it was time away from them. My training partner Dave, who pushed me hard, who stood by, and was a voice of reason and encouragement from day 1. I only wish I could have done as well by him as he has done by me. I hope he knows I'll always be his fan! Terry for really introducing a newbie to the sport, but also providing the swift kick in the ass that I need from time to time. From "Mah' biscuits are burning", to dubbing me "turtle" he's been an amazing friend. Yeah, he was a voice of reason and encouragement, and I know I'm better because I've shot in his squad and listened to his feedback all season. Kozy who has come over countless times to fix my press, or to cheer me up, or to give me a little "off the record" training, or perspective, plus he was the guy who came a running when I hit my head, to watch Lauren, and get me into an ambulance. His wise counsel, intensity, and drive are all things I admire, and could not have done without. Finally, the mentor, the Zen Master, Les. I don't know where to start, he started with a lump of poo for a shooter, and he taught me fundamentals, he put up with my bullshit. He did not give me too much flack when I switched from the PPQ to the CZ, even though I know that had to test his patience. Les gave me a lot of tools to improve, he did not just work on my shooting, he taught me, and worked into the mental game, and God knows, I had all sorts of stubborn issues there. The man is an amazing teacher, and a great friend.
With friends like that, people who I'd give the shirt off my back for, any of them, I hope that they know, and can celebrate this little win for themselves too, and know that not only I'm grateful, but that it would have been impossible without them.
No time to rest on the accomplishment, but I will enjoy it for today at least. Tomorrow I'll be back in the basement dry firing, Tuesday I'll be practicing at Alpha, and the march will go on.
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| Tonight we relax |
-Honey Jack
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