Climbing our way up the results ladder from the Limited Nationals. Read on for interviews from the talented women who finished 3rd through 5th ….
5th Place – Lily Chung
2007 Golden Bullet Championship – High Lady
WoUSPSA – Hi Lily … How many USPSA Nationals have you competed in?
Lily – I have competed for 4 Open Nationals and 1 Limited National.
WoUSPSA – Well, congrats on your first Limited Nationals finish! As primarily an Open shooter, what was your goal for this match?
Lily – I was hoping I could get to 60% overall, but I guess I need more practice…
WoUSPSA – It can be tough to shoot our “classification” percentile at a Nationals. How do you feel you performed in the match? Were you nervous?
Lily – I was pretty relaxed when I competed. I was a little bit too conservative - since I wasn’t comfortable with my Limited gun – for the first and second days (I hadn’t shot Limited for 2+ years).
WoUSPSA – That’s a long time – uncomfortable … understandable! Describe your best stage, and why you think you did well.
Lily – Stage 4 was my best stage, Start, Swing & Finish. I dropped 3 points only (on a 29 round stage) and it was the fastest time I was capable to shoot.
WoUSPSA – Wow, what a nice run, Lily! Can you describe your most difficult challenge during the match?
Lily – I don’t have confidence on my long shots with my Limited gun at all. I took forever to aim.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages in general?
Lily – I think the stages were pretty straight forward. They just had a lot of traps – close distance partial targets with no-shoots. Either it made you shoot too slow or you fell into the trap and tanked the no-shoot.
WoUSPSA – Thank you so much for talking with us, Lily. Congratulations again on your 5th place Limited Nationals finish!
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4th Place – Carina Randolph
2004 USPSA Limited Nationals Ladies Champion, 10-time Area-4 Limited Ladies Champion
WoUSPSA - Hello Carina … We know that you didn’t have much opportunity to shoot this year. How many matches did you compete in leading up to the Nationals?
Carina – Life is what happens when you’ve planned something else. I had planned to do much more shooting this year but between work, volunteer projects, and family activities, not to mention the shortage of components, it just didn’t work out that way. I did manage to attend two local USPSA matches and one steel match before leaving for Vegas.
WoUSPSA – You looked comfortable and “ready” to shoot the match. What did you do to prepare even without having the trigger time?
Carina – I have a habit that I developed a long time ago when I first started shooting, I visualize. Most nights as I am lying in bed, I pick a stage that I’ve shot and I run it in my head, practicing it perfectly. Every now and again, I also play a little mental game where I see how long I can visualize a perfect sight picture (very useful by the way in the dentist’s chair). Since breaking the shot is a subconscious/autonomic activity, I figure it can’t hurt to reinforce what proper sight alignment should look like.
WoUSPSA – Great mental exercises … How do you feel you performed in the match?
Carina – I think I’d describe my performance as consistent. For most of the match, there wasn’t anything stellar or stupid. I shot good points and my times, while not the fastest, were sporty enough to keep me in the top 5. My goal was to shoot each stage the best that I could. That’s actually what I strive for at every match; to run the perfect stage. That doesn’t mean winning the stage with the highest hit factor though. It means shooting the stage flawlessly for the given skill level I have at that time.
WoUSPSA – Describe your best stage, and why you think you did so well.
Carina – Time Out Again, Stage 2, went well for me. The whole stage flowed smoothly and I let the sights dictate the cadence. I actually have less apprehension over “Tarzan” or “windmill” swingers that I do “regular” swingers just because they do go so fast. At my level, it’d be extremely hard to get two shots on the target in a single pass. So instead, I let the swinger pass once to find the A-zone, then I line up my sights and as soon as I see the swinger emerge, I break one shot on each pass. This technique always works well for me. Granted on this stage, I did take an extra shot at each of the swingers. However, I didn’t need them…three hits a piece. Hmmm…I think I just learned I should trust myself more.
WoUSPSA – Three hits on each of two swingers … a beautiful sight, I say! Please describe your most difficult stage, and why it was difficult.
Carina – Ah, the Spinning Star, Stage 7… it not only ate my lunch but bullied me out of my lunch money beforehand. It wasn’t that the Texas star was so difficult. I see them quite often. No, what bit me was fatigue and the reshoot bug. On my first run, I was having some trouble with the star, but as luck would have it, I hit one plate and two fell off – range equipment failure, automatic reshoot. Since I felt calm and still focused, I opted to reshoot immediately, determined to get the star shot in the correct order. As a matter of fact, I was SO focused on nailing the star that I forgot I had planned to shoot the partial target through the same port; welcome to one failure-to-engage penalty and two misses! The loss of match points was enough to bump me down from second place to fourth. In retrospect, I should have opted to drop down one or two places in the squad rotation. This was the second to last stage for us in the ladies squad, late in the afternoon. I was tired and I hadn’t been managing my food intake well. I’ve noticed that brain fade happens more frequently when I’m hungry. But honestly, the stage wasn’t difficult. The real difficulty for me was letting go of this stage before shooting the next and very last one for the match. I’ve been fortunate enough to watch great shooters first hand for a few years now and that is a quality they all possess; the ability to recover quickly from adversity. This is an area I want to improve upon in my game.
WoUSPSA – Yes, that was painful for all of us to watch, Carina! : ( You had been shooting so well. What did you think of the stages in general?
Carina – I thought there was a good mix of target arrays. There were lots of pace changes from wide open – go as fast as you can – targets to hard, tight partial targets within a good number of the stages. I like those challenges. There were also some 180 degree challenges that I was not so fond of.
WoUSPSA – Do you have any memorable notes that you would like to finish with?
Carina – I’ll remember this match as a lesson about my mental game and setting my level of expectation. I knew that since I had limited time to prepare, that it would be unreasonable to push myself hard. Because I put no pressure on myself to do well, I paradoxically had a good match. It was a huge boost to my confidence level to realize that I could pull the skills out, dust ‘em off, and still run a good race.
WoUSPSA – Congratulations once again on a good match and your fourth place finish, Carina! We appreciate your time.
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3rd Place – Tasha Hanish
2009 USPSA Multi-Gun Tactical Champion
WoUSPSA – Great to have you back shooting pistols, Tasha! As someone who competes in a lot of multi-gun events, what was your approach & goal going into this year’s Limited Nationals?
Tasha – Thanks! My goal for this year was to place in the top 3 for Limited Nationals. Although I shoot a lot of multigun, it is done with a limited gun. So I felt I was still getting the practice I needed to feel confident with a limited gun. My approach was to slow myself down and get more As.
WoUSPSA – Do you think multi-gun events are advantageous to your performance at the USPSA Nationals?
Tasha – Yes, they are. I still shoot my limited gun, so it helps me with the foundation I need. In multigun you have a lot of different starting positions, so you have to do a lot of practice picking up your gun and sometimes loading from those positions. There are not as many reloads in multigun with a pistol, but when there are, it’s just like in a handgun match. Either way, you are using the same skills with your handgun at each event.
WoUSPSA – You took some time off to raise a family. How does it feel to be back in full swing?
Tasha – I am so grateful to be back. I missed all of my friends out in the shooting world. I love having all the support from the men and women alike welcoming me back. It’s been a little more time consuming, as well as a challenge managing my time, but in the end it is so worth it!
WoUSPSA – Please describe your performance at the match, day-by-day.
Tasha – Day 1, I was still working out the jitters from Open Nationals. I kept it slow and consistent and felt I did well. A couple of the stages I felt I did better with my Limited gun than I did with my Open gun.
Day 2 was a nerve wracking day. I did not finish the day out well due to some delays in my shooting. However, I had a great time and appreciated the support from everyone.
Day 3 was a better day. I really pushed myself that day to continue my placement in either 2nd or 3rd for Limited. I focused on my sites and did not allow myself to go slower because of it. It helped me clinch 3rd!
WoUSPSA – Which was your best stage and why do you think you did so well?
Tasha – My best stage was stage 10, Get Your Gun. You started sitting on a chair with a table in front of you – 2 targets to the left of the “V” shaped barricade, 3 in the middle and 2 on the right side. I calmed myself down before the stage and told myself to concentrate on “As”. I had a faster time than with my open gun, and down fewer points. I held it together and focused on my shooting and nothing else.
WoUSPSA – Yes, you were very smooth on that run. Were there any stages you had difficulty with, and if so, why?
Tasha – My most difficult stage was stage 2, Time Out. After coming off a major delay, I was very shaky and nervous. I had a game plan that went down hill as soon as the timer went off. I had a hard time focusing on my sights and had to make a standing reload at the end of the stage. It was a fun stage and would have loved to try it again, just for fun!
WoUSPSA – Thanks for talking with us, Tasha! Would you like to add anything before we go?
Tasha – I remember all the support from the women, we had a great squad and had a lot of fun. The ROs and match staff were very pleasant to everyone and made the match run very smoothly. It was a great week!
WoUSPSA – Congratulations once again on your top-3 finish, Mrs. Hanish!
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We have one more set of Limited Nationals interviews to publish … stay tuned for coverage on Jessica Abbate & Lisa Munson!
Wrapping up our coverage of the Top 8 Ladies in the Production Division, here are our interviews with Julie Golob and Jessie Abbate.
2nd Place – Julie Golob
5 Division USPSA Ladies National Champion
WofUSPSA – You’ve taken some time off to start a family. Congratulations! We are so happy to see you back on the range with gun in holster. Are you glad to be back?
Julie – Thanks so much and yes, definitely glad to be back! I am so fortunate to have been able to work with Team Smith & Wesson even with taking the time off. In that way I still felt connected to the shooting sports, but I really missed competing and spending time with shooters. What a great bunch of people!
WofUSPSA – With a family, a full-time job and a shooting career in full swing, have you had any challenges re-adjusting to your practice sessions and matches?
Julie – Challenging is a great way to describe it! Before I had my daughter, I had almost single-minded dedication to my season and shooting goals. Now I feel as if I am juggling between so many aspects of my life – shooting, work and motherhood. I have a whole new respect for Kay (Miculek), Kippi (Leatham), Carina (Randolph), just to name a few of the women who have balanced being moms with winning. With less time than ever to train, I’ve learned how to be more focused when I am at the range. I enjoy every aspect of shooting even when my performance may be off. I’ve learned to multi-task in ways I never did before. In the end I find it extremely rewarding and I feel so lucky to be able to do so many things I love.
WofUSPSA – You’ve had an amazing year already, winning 3 major championships to date (NRA Bianchi Cup, IRC, & Steel Challenge Production Division). Congratulations! Tell us how it feels to win so many events, so quickly after having taken nearly two years off?
Julie – Being able to win 3 major titles this year is absolutely thrilling. Honestly, I didn’t expect to do so well coming back. I had goals to be in the Top 3 of every event, but in the end if that didn’t happen I didn’t want to be too hard on myself. Whenever I got down about where I felt I needed to be competitively, my husband was always there to support me and to say the right thing to keep it all in perspective.
WofUSPSA – You do so much to promote the shooting sports, especially women in the shooting sports. How do you feel when you see some of your teammates improving and excelling at the matches?
Julie – I am so proud of all my teammates (male and female) and it is exciting to watch them excel. For the women, Kay Miculek and Annette Aysen are certainly no strangers to the winner’s circle. Carrie Jamrogowicz, Laura Torres-Reyes and Molly Smith are newer to shooting and in just a short amount of time have proven they are contenders. The number of women shooting at such a high level just helps to invigorate the sport and for me is very inspiring.
WofUSPSA – Competing in so many different shooting sports throughout the year, how do you think it affects you in USPSA?
Julie – I love to compete in different shooting sports. I think it helps me to become a better shooter all around. That said though, other than Single Stack Nationals and the Mile-High Showdown, I didn’t shoot any other big USPSA matches this year and only one club match at the beginning of the year. That brought a little anxiety into play going into Nationals. I didn’t feel totally prepared for the specific skills I knew I would face. To some degree it is like riding a bike, but at the same time when you jump back on you can expect to fall over a couple of times.
WofUSPSA – What was your goal for the Production Nationals?
Julie – My goal for the Production Nationals was to place in the Top 3.
WofUSPSA – Who did you feel would give you your greatest competition?
Julie – The field of talent in this division has exploded in the past couple of years. Jessie Abbate has hit the shooting world by storm and has had a phenomenal two seasons. Randi Rogers has carried over her amazing talents from cowboy as well. There are up-and-comers like Carrie Jamrogowicz and Dianna Liedorff posting great scores too. There is no room to slack off and it’s exciting to see women performing so well in this division.
WofUSPSA – How do you feel you performed in the match?
Julie – I felt I did very well in the match. I faced some challenges with an injury and all considered am very happy to have clinched 2nd place against some really great lady shooters.
WofUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Julie – Day One I felt like it was my very first nationals all over again. I had giddy, nervous butterflies the whole day. Between the nervousness and flinching from a tendon injury I racked up some penalties right off the bat. I finished up the day with 2 misses, a no-shoot, some D’s and slower times than I would have liked. Day Two was definitely my best day and I really felt dialed into the gun. I posted some of my best runs this day. After the second day though and the frequency of shooting, I really struggled. In the end I ended up with 10 penalties. On paper it was probably my worst nationals ever, but all things considered I am so happy with where I finished.
WofUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Julie – My best stage was Makin Extra Money. I was the high lady on this stage and was only 1.69 seconds slower than the Stage Winner’s time, Robert Vogel.
WofUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Julie – My favorite stage was also Makin Extra Money. I really enjoy stages with intense position work. This stage really forced you to be smooth and know exactly where you need to be at every point. It also had a great mix of hard and easy targets. You constantly had to shift gears.
WofUSPSA – What did you think of the stages?
Julie – I felt the stages looked very simple at first, but they were deceptively difficult. I personally like a standards at the Nationals and a bit of a mix in round count with smaller speed shoots and larger field courses. In all though, I think the staff did a wonderful job working with the venue and what they had available.
WofUSPSA – Thanks again for taking the time interview with us! Is there anything you would like to add?
Julie – Thanks to USPSA and all the Range Officers and Staff for another successful national championship!
WofUSPSA – Congratulations on your 2nd Place finish!
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USPSA Ladies Production National Champion – Jessie Abbate
2009 Steel Challenge Multiple World Champion & Back-to-Back USPSA Ladies National Champion
WoUSPSA – You’ve had an amazing year! Congratulations! Tell us how it felt to win the 2009 USPSA Ladies Production Title so decisively.
Jessie – Winning the USPSA Ladies Production title was a great start to the week of Back-to-Back Nationals. I knew that my competition was strong, and that there would be no room for mistakes. I trained hard, and stayed focused on the match, and was successful.
WoUSPSA – Competing in so many different shooting sports throughout the year, how do you think it affects you in USPSA?
Jessie – I think each discipline I compete in, in some way helps me in the other areas. All the training, and techniques transfer to other shooting sports, and I feel like it makes me a more versatile shooter.
WoUSPSA – You shoot primarily Limited and Open throughout the year. What did you do differently to adjust to shooting a Production gun and 10 rounds?
Jessie – Transitioning to Production was an easier shift than what I thought it was going to be. I spent more time dry firing than I usually do, since I wasn’t used to reloading without a mag-well, but it was like reuniting with an old friend!
WoUSPSA – What was your goal for the Production Nationals?
Jessie – My goal for the match was to do my best! It sounds simple, but sometimes less is more.
WofUSPSA – Who did you feel would give you your greatest competition?
Jessie – The two ladies that I knew would push me throughout the match were, my team mate Randi Rogers, and Julie Golob. Randi and I have spent a lot of time training together this season, and especially in preparation for the Nationals. I saw firsthand some major improvements that she made throughout the time we have been training together. Randi’s accuracy and consistency is second to none, and I knew that I would have to bring my A+ game! Even though Julie was transitioning back to a full competition schedule this year, her experience and list of extensive match wins makes her a top competitor and a true threat wherever she goes. With both of these extremely talented ladies vying for the same title, I knew that a stellar match would be what it would take to be victorious.
WoUSPSA – This is the one match that both you and your teammate Randi competed against one another. Do you find that their is more pressure to do well when shooting against one another, especially with Randi as the defending national champion?
Jessie – Competing against Randi at the Production match did add a little more pressure than normal. She and I train together quite a bit, and I had seen such an improvement in her shooting this past year. Randi is a strong competitor and very passionate about shooting, just as I am, so I knew it would be a race all the way to the end!
WoUSPSA – How do you feel you performed in the match?
Jessie – I was very happy with my performance at this match. Being able to walk away from a National championship with a clean match, was a feat I had not yet accomplished!
WoUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Jessie – Day 1: Day one of the Nationals started early that morning, and we shot stages 9-12. For me, the first stage of any match, whether it’s the Nationals or a club match, always makes me a little anxious. So what I try to do is just see the sights and let them dictate the speed. After the first stage is under my belt, I’m ready to go! Stage 10 & 11 were quick low round count stages, but they were still very “setup” intensive. I had to make sure that my footwork was spot on, so that I wouldn’t over shoot a position, and insure that my set ups were exact. The last stage of the day was almost a combination of all the aspects from the previous stages. It was a medium level round count stage, but incorporated no-shoots, steel, and barriers. Again, having smooth transitions from position to position was important. I was happy with my performance thus far. I think I hit every reload, I felt smooth and consistent, and every stage went according to planned.
Day 2 & 3: The second and third day of the match, I shot stages 13-16 and 1-5. Day two, consisted of heavier round count stages, and a lot more movement throughout each. I think stage 14 was my favorite for day two, and stage 16 was one that made me pay extra attention! Starting downrange, you shot three arrays of targets accompanied by no-shoots, with one array at approximately 17 yards. Then you made a mad dash up range, to finish off with two more target groups, also accompanied by no-shoots! As Day three rolled around, I was pretty comfortable with my performance. I didn’t feel like I had made any mistakes that would be detrimental, maybe just a few fumbles here and there. Starting on stage one, gave me a good straightforward stage to start the day off with. Finally, as we get to stage four, the only thing I wanted to do was to get all my hits!! It had multiple swingers, surrounded with no-shoots and hard cover, topped off with small and low ports to shoot them through!! But, when it was all over, and I walked downrange, I was happy to see that I had called my shots correctly!
Day 4: Finally, the last day! Going into the last day, having an idea that I’m ahead, and knowing that so far I have a clean match going, added a little undue pressure. All I wanted was to finish it the same way I started it; focused! I didn’t want all these thoughts to cloud my ability to finish the match to the best of my capabilities. I never think of what’s at stake until it’s over, otherwise I’m focused on the wrong thing. With stages 6-8 left to shoot, that included a spinning star, more swingers and movers, and of course no-shoots! It wasn’t a day that I would be able to just coast through. Each stage, just like the rest, I would have to shoot my best! But at the end of stage eight, after I “unloaded and showed clear”, I realized I had just shot my best USPSA match ever, and it was at the Nationals!
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Jessie – My best stage as was stage 11, “Quick But Not Easy”. The stage consisted of four pieces of steel, two USPP’s and two PP’s, and four metric targets. I started on the left side of the barricade, and engaged the PP with three rounds. Having watched some of my competitors shoot, I saw that the steel was not falling easily with the rounds we were using. After the PP fell, I could then engage the USPP that was behind it. I then moved to the right side of the barricade, and engaged the poppers in the same manner. After a quick reload, I moved to the center of the barricade and engaged the four paper targets in through the window. I ended with a total time of 10.19, and an 8th overall finish for the stage.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Jessie – Stage 12 was my favorite stage for the Production match. The way the stage was laid out, it forced lateral movement, and shooting between dividers. You could see targets from multiple positions, and it allowed the shooter to shoot it how they were most comfortable. I had found a way to shoot the stage that eliminated a reload, but forced me to shoot an array of steel and targets with no shoots, with only one extra round at one point. It was a fairly quick stage, but precision still played a major part. Fortunately, I made my shots count, and didn’t need my one extra round!
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages?
Jessie – I thought the stages for the Production match were well written. They presented a good challenge, but were easily executed, and production friendly.
WoUSPSA – Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions! Congratulations once again on winning the Ladies Production Title!
Another video up! Here’s a montage of just some of the many amazing performances at the 2009 USPSA Limited, Limited-10 & Revolver Nationals. Enjoy!
The USPSA Handgun Nationals for 2009 are complete. The back-to-back events were hosted by the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. The second o f the two National Events crowned champions in Limited, Limited 10 and Revolver categories. Congratulations to our new National Champions!
2009 USPSA Limited Champions are:
Jessie Abbate & Ted Puente
2009 USPSA Limited-10 Champions are:
Randi Rogers & Dave Sevigny
2009 USPSA Revolver Champions are:
Annette Aysen & Cliff Walsh
What happens when you combine Steel Challenge, Bianchi and USPSA? PRO AM! The Pro Am, hosted by the US Shooting Academy in Tulsa, OK, is an all steel event. Shooters face arrays of steel targets in run-n-gun stages with predetermined “par” times. The number of steel shot down on the stage after the end buzzer sounds = the competitor’s score. Unique to this event, the Pro’s are those shooters who have finished in the Top 10 Overall of any USPSA Open/Limited/Production Nationals in the last three years. Everyone else is classified as an Amateur and is ranked based on classifications in the various action shooting sports.
Ten women competed in the Amateur Limited Division (with some big names in attendance)…
- Reigning USPSA Ladies Limited & Limited-10 National Champion – Jessie Abbate
- 2004 USPSA Ladies Limited National Champion – Carina Randolph
- First and Only USPSA Five Division Ladies National Champion – Julie Golob
In a field of 160 amateur competitors, Jessie had an impressive performance. She finished 6th Overall and 2nd A Class easily claiming the Ladies Limited Title as well. Julie Golob earned 2nd Woman and finished in the Top 20 Overall.
Rounding out the Top 5 Ladies:
- Jessie Abbate – 179 Plates
- Julie Golob – 167 Plates
- Carina Randolph – 153 Plates
- Diana Leidorff – 147 Plates
- Tammy Sharp – 131 Plates
Traditionally an iron sight only match, this year competitors were allowed to compete with their open guns. 76 Amateurs, 4 of these women, competed in the Open Division. Julie Golob opted to shoot her Limited gun again and placed an impressive 26th overall against open blasters. She also finished 2nd behind Open Ladies Champion Jessie Abbate. Jessie was not only top lady, but also placed 1st in A Class and finished a stellar 3rd Overall! With this double win, Jessie confirmed that when it comes to shooting steel, she is not only a dominating force in the women’s category, but is a top contender against the men.
USPSA
