Squad started on Stage 4, so that's where I'll start.
Stage 4:
I had a pretty decent plan on this stage, and I came out with the idea of being fast. This was the first, and only magazine issue I had. I went to reload, and the bullet looked like it did not feed properly, and that cost me some time, I kept my cool and finished the stage with the right mindset. Hits were sub par, which was an ongoing theme, so I won't keep mentioning it.
Stage 5:
Again, a good plan on this stage. I made a key mistake, I had to take extra shots at the mover, and was trying to figure the count in my head as I was reloading out of the port position following the "mover" sequence. I blew right past a target without engaging it, and I realized I did it, but figured it was better to take the penalty than run back around and get it. Dumb mistake. Nice work though on getting the mover!
Stage 6:
As I post a Top 20 Production finish (60+ shooters) I had trigger freeze on the 5th shot of my 2nd string, and doing it while on a bouncy bridge was a challenge. Once that thing started moving, it was hard to stop, so this is slower than I did it at Alpha, but it was a degree or two harder.
Stage 7:
This was a fun hoser stage. My mistake here was getting lost. I got to the 5th target on the 2nd magazine, and could not remember if I needed to shoot it or reload, the correct answer was shoot it, and reload for the last target. I got the right answer but lost a second or so on that, and plinking the steel on the last angle and having to re-load cost me a little more time.
Stage 8:
Yes, I put one thru a no-shoot. I think I could have gone faster, you'll notice my cadence picked up as I went, and I don't think the last shot was a challenge, it was a smart plan for me, and I liked it. I'd run that the exact same way, I think, if I had to run it again right now.
Stage 9:
I had a mike, and believe it or not, it was on the close target, not the far one. I was about 1.2 seconds behind a limited shooter on our squad (Ralph Lopez) who I think is an excellent shooter. I can live with that since I had to reload and he did not. Do that one again, and I don't miss. Good plan, good cadence, I'll execute better next time.
Stage 10:
You had to reload after 2 paper targets, so my plan was draw to the 3rd target since it was fairly open, and I could execute that quickly, hit the 4th, and then the steel. Knock out the reload, hit the 3rd target, and then the close target, that was a tough shot, and I did not need all the extra shots, but took them when I saw I'd thrown my second shot just into the black at left.
Stage 1:
While I was having some struggles, this was my best stage of the day. As of this writing 9th in Production. Good hits, good plan, good execution, I left this stage feeling like I shot my best. There are some things I could do better going forward, I could have done the middle targets on the move faster, I had a miss on a popper on the right side, and took a 3rd shot on the last clamshell target that I did not need. I won't say it's nit picking, you should aspire to always do better, but I was satisfied this was the best I had in me when I shot it.
Stage 2:
The idea was that you would have to deposit the hand cuffs into the tray on the barrel before the last shot, most shooters just ran over and dumped them, I tried to save the step, and had them hooked around my pinky, and I shot with them. My miss on this stage was the first target, first shot, the handcuffs bothered my shot, and I knew it, thought I was low left or off, should have taken the make-up. The rest of it was reasonable.
Stage 3:
A train wreck is what this turned into. I had 7 misses on this stage alone, as many as I had in my last major match total. I still think I had a good plan. The difference between this stage and the other stages, is that I was thinking so much about "my marks" and where I had to be, and go to shoot, than I completely and totally lost my front sight. What made it worse is that I only realized it when I got to the "barn" ports and had to shoot steel, when I did that, I knew then that I'd never had a sight picture for the majority of the stage.
Full Match Video:
I summarized the match in Part 1, so I won't do it again. I'll simply say that what I need to fix, is fixable. The match results won't be pretty because of how badly the few things that went wrong truly went wrong. The train is not off the tracks, I'll continue to work, and get it back on track, because I learned so much from this match that I want it to matter. Area 5 is in a few weeks, and even with everything else going on, I'm going to get out there, hammer the practice, and do my best to put it together, and leave Area 5 saying that I put forth my best effort.
Bonus Match Coverage:
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| Linda Stage 7 |
As a super bonus, here is Linda's match video for her first major. I know she is not happy either, but she should be. She learned what a whole match day is all about, and how it's more than just shooting. She's as hungry for success as I am, and a competitor in her own right, I know she'll work because she wants to be at her best as well. I'm super proud of her, and love her like crazy! I really enjoyed being able to share the match experience with her!
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