tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82761198469240245682024-03-06T03:00:00.371-05:00Beauty Behind the BlastA.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-83932686357435513012017-08-01T07:49:00.002-04:002017-08-01T07:49:26.258-04:00There Is No Crying in ShootingThere is no crying on the range. We've all heard that take-off from the line in A League of Their Own. It's the tough girls' (and guys') battle cry to "harden the f up," "suck it up, buttercup," show no weakness.
And I don't think that's quite right. Tears show up on the range for good, even necessary, reasons, and we shouldn't deny or try to stop them all the time.
The work of learning how to A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-16185697941146834192017-03-21T17:40:00.000-04:002017-03-21T17:40:18.922-04:00Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian (AAR)After action reports, AARs, for training classes are often written in the immediate aftermath, even before the student has finished unpacking and doing their laundry. I like to wait a little longer to let what I’ve just learned settle in my head a little, and so I can really pick out the details that make a particular class shine.
That strategy seemed especially appropriate for the class I took A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-272978880665932372016-10-12T21:41:00.003-04:002016-10-12T21:41:44.480-04:00Every Girl Should Learn How to Shoot - Part 4 of 4Read part 1, part 2, and part 3 first if you haven't already.
And as I said, I’ve found some of the best people in the world by being around firearms. It’s not all kittens and rainbows, but the best here really are the best. Let me share a little of my piece of the community with you.
At one of my local monthly matches, a regular competitor is a police officer who I have seen show up straight A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-36243410720700901422016-10-12T21:33:00.001-04:002016-10-12T21:53:29.512-04:00Every Girl Should Learn How to Shoot - Part 3 of 4Read part 1 and part 2 first if you haven't already.
The complicated web of laws and rules relating to carry, the heavy responsibility of choosing a potentially lethal self-defense tool, the difficulty in finding a gun to carry, figuring out how to carry and conceal it, and getting confident enough to shoot it well were almost enough to make me swear off concealed carry. After all, I got into A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-12564523514058822822016-10-12T21:25:00.002-04:002016-10-12T21:42:56.245-04:00Every Girl Should Learn How to Shoot - Part 2 of 4Read part 1 first if you haven't already.
As shooting became a more serious hobby, I became increasingly aware of the legal and political implications of my new weekend activity.
Although I was having so much fun shooting, I had to be discreet about gun ownership at work and among friends. Guns were, are, polarizing and have only become increasingly so in this post-Sandy Hook, post-Virginia A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-54854582863273053672016-10-12T18:39:00.000-04:002016-10-12T21:42:29.380-04:00Every Girl Should Learn How to Shoot - Part 1 of 4In July, I was honored as the keynote speaker at the Women's Concealed Carry Fashion Show in Columbia County, NY. I went through my history as a shooter in order to figure out what I wanted to share with the audience, then realized that my journey was the story. And this is how my journey started:
Every girl should learn how to shoot.
That’s where I started my firearms journey almost ten years A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-84617518861750157422016-05-05T10:56:00.000-04:002016-05-05T10:56:02.653-04:00Things I Learned in Gun School - Advanced Competition Pistol with Op Spec TrainingOne of the most transformative experiences in my shooting career was taking Practical Fundamentals with Operation Specific Training. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of some really excellent classes over the years, but the lightbulbs that clicked on for me in Practical Fundamentals changed the most basic ways in which I thought about the problem of shooting a pistol well: trigger management.A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-18613283306106050942016-03-19T21:13:00.002-04:002016-03-19T21:13:32.589-04:00Why Women Shoot Slow - A ResponseOver at Women Carry yesterday, my friend Tammy posted some theories about why women shoot slow...or at least slower than men. Women and their relative ability behind a gun is a topic I've been thinking about quite a bit as I work through my own journey to understand the craft of shooting. Many of the points Tammy brings up are correct in my experience, but I want to discuss them a bit from my A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-25612979363161496412015-09-14T09:57:00.002-04:002015-09-14T10:16:45.368-04:00Happiness and Satisfaction
I have been thinking some recently on how we frame our wins and losses on the range, match or otherwise. Very often, we are dismissive of or disappointed in our results, but in a way I'm not sure is productive either for ourselves or for others.
"I had a terrible match; I only [won by a little, came in top 3/5/10]."
"I was all over the place today, couldn't do better than a [some size] group atA.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-55946855693881123752015-05-21T22:12:00.001-04:002015-05-21T22:12:50.890-04:00A Very Quiet Bang
My friend, Tracy Hughes, issued a dry fire challenge this month to the members of the League City A Girl & A Gun Club chapter, where she is the facilitator (among the many hats she wears!). The challenge is simple: one full month of dry fire, six days a week. She's even provided a helpful graphic with each day's prescribed exercise.
I'm really excited by Tracy's challengeA.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-521892864382829542015-03-26T13:34:00.000-04:002015-03-26T13:34:07.834-04:00Hi There - A Few Personal Updates, and Some Thoughts On Range Safety
I'm sorry for the radio silence here. While I've been able to post shorter tidbits fairly regularly over on my Facebook page (where you really should go for more timely news and posts anyway) and even my new (relatively) Instagram, the longer and more thoughtful stuff that goes here has taken a backseat to some developments in my professional life both at my day job and as a shooter.
My A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-87088508081819776962014-10-08T18:53:00.004-04:002014-10-08T18:53:53.645-04:00Still Alive and Kicking!To my five readers:
I continue to dry fire religiously, and shoot tons of matches. 3-Gun and USPSA have taken over my schedule this summer and fall. Please check out my Facebook page, where I post my less rambly thoughts, and my YouTube channel, where I post match videos. Very soon, I hope to be announcing some very exciting news, and it will break first on Facebook.
See you on A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-74994887099607004732014-06-18T19:55:00.000-04:002014-06-18T19:55:04.778-04:00Integrity
If you're a competitive shooter who hasn't been living under a social media rock, you've probably heard at least rumor of a USPSA Range Officer who is being called out for allegedly adding to and subtracting from stage times shown on shot timers at major matches. If you're following the various Facebook discussions, you'll likely know that I've contributed my two cents. Given the many electrons A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-69002902457886549942014-05-23T20:26:00.002-04:002014-05-23T20:55:05.831-04:00Mille ViaeI recently spent several days with Kathy Jackson while she was in town to teach a few classes. While Kathy is a defensive shooting instructor and scholar and I have been focusing my time and mental energy on almost purely competitive shooting, we still find plenty of common ground. My heart is in shooting on a timer, but keeping my hand in with other shooting disciplines exposes me to A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-13036917787590473732014-03-28T22:52:00.002-04:002014-09-07T21:48:18.244-04:00You've Decided To Shoot A Match - Now What?Last weekend, I had the honor and pleasure of being part of the instructor staff for A Girl and A Gun Women's Shooting League's Second Annual Training Conference. While I spend a good deal of my time at the Conference on the range, one of the classes I was most excited about teaching didn't directly involve shooting at all. It's about an important topic, and one that got a lot of A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-35933773051992457622014-01-03T22:18:00.000-05:002014-01-03T22:22:21.918-05:00FBC Tactical 3-Speed Belt SystemI have a love-hate relationship with gear. While I believe that the right gear will prevent a lot of frustration, much like having the right tools in the kitchen make for better food, it can be confusing to figure out what's worth the (sometimes lots of) money. Last month, I said on Facebook that I only recommend products I personally have evaluated or use. That's one of the reasons I will only A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-79295615380788806922013-11-28T10:20:00.000-05:002013-11-28T10:20:23.193-05:00ThankfulnessOverall, it's been a great shooting year for me, both on the range and off. I have a lot to be thankful for, and perhaps a few things that you might appreciate too.
The IDPA program that I co-direct has been growing: a big match for us in 2012 would have been around 50 shooters. This month, we hosted 75. I'm delighted to be bringing a smoothly running match with interesting and challenging A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-52872793712181309962013-11-10T20:57:00.001-05:002013-11-10T20:57:28.189-05:00Closing Out 2013November is when the shooting season has or will slow down for most of us, after the fall frenzy of national championships and before the winter fun of SHOT Show and the IDPA Indoor Nationals.While my season isn't bookended by any of those (yet!), I generally shoot a bit less in the winter too. We don't stop running our monthly IDPA club match over the coldest months, and one of my favorite clubsA.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-87436090517236378972013-09-05T12:07:00.000-04:002013-09-05T12:07:32.815-04:00The Sisterhood of ShootingWhile I don't avoid my identity as a woman shooter, it's not a perspective I've focused on here because I believe a lot of the beauty in shooting is not gendered. That said, this community is where I've found some of my best female friends and, indeed, sisterhood, which is why I invited my good friend, Tracy Hughes, to help capture what it is about getting together on the range that makes us wantA.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-56212136741242599372013-08-31T10:34:00.000-04:002013-08-31T10:34:02.150-04:00The Purple ZebraI've been shooting my beloved LWRC M6A2 AR-15 for many years in both CQB-type and longer-range events, but in the last year a number of factors combined so that I could build myself an all-custom AR. I call her the Purple Zebra because, well, you'll see in a moment. First, I'd like to thank the biggest supporters I had in putting together this beautiful rifle, in no particular order: the guys at A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-26168147409015114232013-08-12T21:11:00.002-04:002013-08-12T21:11:20.858-04:00On Dry FireI believe strongly in dry fire, more so in the last year or two than ever before. While I've improved steadily since picking up my first gun and slightly faster since I started shooting competitively, dry fire has made my gains come even more quickly and dramatically. Some of my dry fire routine is very focused, based on books and posts from various top shooters and working a particular set of A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-72406665023965439072013-05-21T21:46:00.000-04:002013-05-21T21:46:21.201-04:00On Classifications, Competitions and WinningOne of my early posts here was about shooting your own match and finding the "win" that matters most to you. At some point, moving up in classification or winning matches becomes important or at least interesting to many of us. I believe these are important goals even if we aren't interested in "being competitive" for the sake of bragging rights.
Classification is not just a way to compare A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-46892560757012491202013-04-28T16:03:00.002-04:002013-04-28T16:03:23.338-04:00It's Not Enough To Take Just One ClassWhile I shoot year-round now, the "start" of my season is the same as for many other people - early spring. From my last post, you know that I kicked this year off with a (ahem) bang, at the A Girl & A Gun National Conference. Just a few weeks after, I had the fantastic opportunity to host and assist with a Cornered Cat Defensive Handgun for Women class. An interview published A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-48507728591191495742013-03-31T20:40:00.000-04:002013-03-31T20:40:23.425-04:00Working the RangeIf you've shot or observed even one match, or watched some match video on YouTube, you're probably already aware of the most visible staff: Safety/Range Officers. While they're an important part of the shooting sports, they're part of a much larger team, including a team that isn't just there for match days. In an early post, I talked a bit about the work that goes into just one one-day A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8276119846924024568.post-76240606743739976712013-03-05T08:38:00.001-05:002013-03-05T08:38:14.547-05:00The Winter of My 1911Many shooters, competitive and recreational, take a break during the colder and shorter days of winter. Even for those of us who don't shoot at outdoor ranges, the holidays and other obligations often make it tougher to get out to the range between October and March. While I don't shoot as much over the winter as I do in the spring and fall, the match I co-direct does run year-round as A.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08196614819905340623noreply@blogger.com