2014 Battle in the Bluegrass Review

2014 Battle in the Bluegrass Review

Last year I shot three major events, one IDPA, and two USPSA, and my results were not exactly stellar. As I was making the 6.5 hour drive down to Kentucky on Friday I considered that last year I went to shoot, and because I thought it would be fun. This year, I was approaching the first major of the season with the attitude that I was here to compete, it’s a subtle change, but significant at the same time.

With an early, 5am start, my co-pilot, and I were down the range early. The Bluegrass Sportsman’s League is a sprawling outdoor complex at the end of some winding roads that made me feel as if we were going to go careening out of control at any moment. The benefit to arriving early was that we were able to walk all 10 ten stages, and I took copious notes on how the stage layout different slightly from the match book. I was able to see walls, look at angles, and build a preliminary stage plan for each and every stage. The other enormous benefit was being able to watch some of the Friday competitors shoot stages, and in particular it’s always good to watch Ben Stoeger shoot. I was shocked to hear him say that he had 2 “mikes” on the day. He mentioned it to Kozy as if it was an afterthought, and for him it was, a lesson that did not hit home for me until Saturday night.

The entire group headed out to City BBQ in Lexington where we were staying, and were treated to some mighty mediocre barbecue. Despite the great reviews, the end dish was nothing all the special. There was a an air of excitement for the match, but I also had a chance to see how calm some of the more experienced shooters were, while I know it was more than a “club match” to them, they were not too keyed up. After dinner we headed back to the hotel, and Kozy and I got some dry fire in the room, and he cleaned his gun up a little, and we called it a night feeling excited for the match.

We were up before the sun on Saturday, a little dry fire, some breakfast, and it was time to hit the range. The match itself was fairly wide open, only eight partial targets, and I don’t believe there was a single no-shoot target out there. For the first match of my outdoor season it was a good set-up, nothing terribly challenging. Nothing that I felt I could not handle. In the back of my mind I kept thinking that there were a lot of “hoser” stages, but while there was nothing extremely complex, there were some long shots, and some stages that rewarded those who shoot accurately on the move.

The match director, and the R.O.’s were great. Professional, accurate, and they kept everyone moving. Our squad was short a few people so we kept moving fast. Despite how I initially thought the stages would be, I found myself not shooting as well as I wanted to. Last year just shooting was the reward, and this year I had some expectations for myself that regrettably I did not even come close to. Personally, I let some mistakes get to me, and I compounded them by thinking I could actually make-up for them on subsequent stages, which led me into an ever deepening hole of my own making. I know better, I’ve had plenty of advice that oftentimes I can be my own worst enemy. I paid more than lip-service to that advice, but for the first time, I really understood it. It was on a long walk from Stage 10, to Stage 1 and 2, where we were to finish that I got back on my game, and proceeded to shoot my best stage of the match. I don’t get into what would have been, but here and now, that’s a mistake I won’t make again.

Post match we drove to the clubhouse, and got to visit with some of the sponsors, and let me tell you, the sponsors donated over $24,000 in prizes, so it was great to visit with them, and it was nice to know that Automatic Accuracy and Bayou Bullets, both products I use, were sponsors there. When called to the prize table, I tried to take a piece of firewood, but was denied, and that’s when I finally felt like I’d completely shaken off my mistakes. There will be plenty of time to break down the video, and learn from the match.

Despite being exhausted, we went out to Saul Good in Lexington, and had some Fried Chicken and Belgian Waffles with Maple Syrup. I don’t want to think about the calories, but what an amazing good meal! My trip was complete. I spent the 6.5 hour drive home on Sunday just enjoying the scenery, and thinking about some of the good stuff I did see. I watched Ben Stoeger shoot a couple of stages, and I learned just watching him, I saw Matt Mink shoot a stage, and I saw things differently that I had approached them. As usually, I watched the amazing shooters in my own squad, Les and Kozy, and saw how they worked. I actually felt prepared for the match ahead of time, and no matter how I did, I’m walking away a lot better for the experience.

Considering how good the stages were, the mid 80’s weather, the R.O.’s, and the reasonable drive, I’ll definitely be making Battle in the Bluegrass a regular match. Next year I expect to do better, but I’m already looking forward to the town, and the match.