Get It Done Eve

Get It Done Eve


Tomorrow is the big day for me, it's the MISS Classifier match. Six great classifiers in one day, time for me to earn my "B" card. Doing the math, I will shoot 4 of the 6 classifiers, so I don't start to drop 70's, and maybe 2-3 will count. I could earn my "B" card with a three runs of 53%. That's 3 runs that are 7% lower than the 60% I need for my card. That means a couple of things, it means I've done a good job of earning some higher classifiers to give myself some breathing room, and it means that I can just shoot. No pressure, no stress, just go and get it done. I'm not looking to squeak by, let's do it right.


Today we went to Alpha, and it was a big crew doing some shooting for four hours. Kozy was up there already working, so he shot at the beginning, Les was up for a hour plus, Linda, Dave, Herb and even Tom Palmer and his wife worked into the session. I had hoped to see all 6 classifiers, but we only shot 4, two of which I suspect I will not even shoot tomorrow, so I'll have to shoot two completely cold. Sure, that could intimidate me a bit, but earning my "B" card to me, means that I should be able to deliver a solid classifier without practice. I should be able to trust my skills and ability to deliver.

Here were my El Pres runs:

5 Alpha
6 Charlie
1 Delta
44 Points
1.82 Draw
2.17 Reload
7.50 Total Time
5.87 Hit Factor
57% (C Run)


9 Alpha
3 Charlie
54 Points
1.76 Draw
1.93 Reload
7.35 Total Time
7.35 Hit Factor
71.6% (B Run)


6 Alpha
5 Charlie
1 Delta
46 Points
1.94 Draw
1.90 Reload
7.13 Total Time
6.45 Hit Factor
62.9% (B Run)

All of those are going to be acceptable, but I know what I can do. They key, as always, will be no misses, no deltas, all Alpha's, and Charlies. My draw is fast enough, my reload is fast enough, and I shoot fast enough, so just see my front sight, get hits, and kick some ass.

My Steely Speed VII runs were not what I expected. Last time I did this, I had a 61%, that has since fallen off my record, so I know I can hit the 5.89 second time I need, but I only did it one time today in seven runs. All runs had at least one miss, and no run was worse than a 55%. To me, this means that I really need to be fundamentally sound, and not lose that front sight, acceptable sight picture is not good enough. Linda actually had some outstanding runs on this classifier, consistently lowering her times to where she shot a couple of "B" level runs, and six of her seven runs were above her "C" mark. She's going to do just fine with this one.

So, here are the classifiers, and the mark's that I need for tomorrow:
(All scoring assumes 90% of possible points)

El Presidente  (60% 6.156 Hit Factor in 8.77 Seconds)
Steely Speed VII (60% 5.09 Hit Factor in 5.89 Seconds)
Close Quarter Standards (60% 5.72 Hit Factor in 18.89 Seconds) ***
High Standards (60% 4.79 Hit Factor in 22.55 Seconds) ***
Tight Squeeze (60% 5.90 Hit Factor in 9.15 Seconds)
Madness (60% 5.26 Hit Factor in 11.98 Seconds)

For that those that don't know, Hit Factor is simply points shot divided by time. Alphas are worth 5 points, Bravo 3 points, Charlie 3 points, and Delta 1 Point. A Mike is -10, and a no shoot is -10. That's the Production "Minor" scoring.

So, tonight? I'm going to do my dry fire routine of about 45 minutes, load some ammo, and enjoy the night with the family. I'm not going to over pressure myself, or work myself into a tizzy, if I get too tight, then I'll shoot poorly. I'm going to relax, and trust that all the practice and work I've done in the past 5 months will pay off tomorrow. Dry fire tonight is going to just keep me sharp.

I will get up early tomorrow, and do 30 minutes of dry fire before we leave for the match, and that's just going to focus on my front sight. I keep an eye on that tomorrow, I'm going to reach this goal of a "B" card. It's funny though, Kozy posted something on Facebook the other day, it was a picture that said "Work hard so one day your mentor's become your rivals." I was watching Les today, and I want to be that good. I'm not saying I'll ever be a rival, or that I'll be able to commit to the work it would take to reach that level, but this "B" card is just a step, it's not a destination. I love this sport, I'm glad I'm able to do it and compete, and that my friends and family support me. One step at a time, and tomorrow I'm going to get one goal completed, and then enjoy it for a little bit, before I jump back onto the treadmill, and set some goals worth working even harder for.