I love the Bianchi Cup! I fell in love with this match from the moment I took my first shots in US Army black and gold. It challenges and humbles me. It teaches me something new every time I compete. In the action shooting sports, it is the one event on the circuit where the results aren’t solely based on competitors shooting against one another. There is an opportunity to achieve perfection – a 1920 (score).
The Cup’s main sponsors truly step up. Support is led by the premiere sponsor, Midway USA. Thank you Larry and Brenda Potterfield for your personal dedication to this match! I was also extremely proud to represent Smith & Wesson a major sponsor. It was exciting to see our logo at the S&W Plate Event, range officers shirts and on every competitor’s shooter number.
The NRA Competition Division has worked very hard to breathe life back into the Bianchi Cup. Suffering from declining numbers over the years The Cup is back in a big way. This year there were 60 first-time shooters compared to what has been a fraction of that number in the past. The NRA’s talented photographers and bloggers were on scene to capture all the action and fun. Of course, a big thank you goes out to the match staff for working long hours to make the event possible.
There are four events at the Bianchi Cup, each 48 shots. The Practical features a weak hand shooting string and shots from 10, 15, 25 and 50 yards. The Barricade event requires competitors to fire from behind both the right and left sides of a barricade. The distances for this event are 10, 15, 25 and 35 yards. A bank of six, 8” falling steel plates make up the Plate Event. Shooters must successfully shoot strings from 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards. Finally the Moving Target Event exposes a target that travels a distance of 60 feet in front of the shooter for only six seconds at each pass. Arguably one of the most challenging events in the match, shooters do their best to aim for the 4” X-ring at the 10, 15, 20 and 25 yard lines.
Montana weather and sorting out issues with brand spanking new guns made my preparation for the match a bit challenging this year. Open Division firearms have so many metal parts bolted on them that it can be a significant challenge to get these guns up and running. My new blasters were finicky and because of reliability issues I struggled on the Practical and Plates. Despite the disappointing finishes, I was extremely happy with my Mover where I only dropped one shot outside the 10 ring with a score of 478/480.
This was the first year I used a “stick shift” mover base on my gun with an Aimpoint Micro. I have to say I am thrilled with the combination. The crisp, clear red dot and light weight of the Micro really help keep the weight down on an already heavy gun. The ingenious Warren Moore of Protocall Design crafts a unique scope base that adjusts the optic on the shroud to allow for target lead. The whole set up made me feel more confident than ever going into this match. Steadfast reliability of the Micro and solid construction of the mover base helped me to post my best practice runs this year.
Unfortunately my final score reflected one of my worst Bianchi Cup performances, but was still high enough to place second woman behind the talented Jessie Abbate. Jessie showed potential last year with her 4th place finish and shot a great score to claim the win. Vera Koo had a commanding lead going into her final event and was on pace to shoot a record female score, but after a rough run at the Mover, I slipped past and Vera placed third. Vera competes as a both a lady and senior. She has won more Bianchi Cup titles than any other woman in the match’s 30 year history.
I also witnessed some amazing feats of marksmanship. In the Metallic (Iron Sight) Division, Rob Leatham’s final event was the Mover. The sport’s “Great One” had a fluke jam at the 25 yard line. His first shot landed in the middle, a 10, but then there was a dreaded click. Rob’s blazing fast reflexes allowed him to clear the malfunction and fire off two quick shots just as the target slipped out of view. A ripple of awe went through the crowd gathered to watch Rob shoot. When the target next appeared, his shots could be seen – 10, 8, 10. AMAZING!
This year my teammate Doug Koenig tried something new and competed for the Aggregate Title (Open and Iron sight scores combined). Using a stock Smith & Wesson DK 1911 in 38 Super I had the chance to watch Doug shoot the Plates with this gun. The 10 and 15 yard lines seemed effortless as the steel fell methodically between the start and stop buzzers. When he moved back to the 20 yard line I was shocked to see that, while all the shooters on the line prepared to hit prone at the blare of the start signal, Doug stood patiently. Tink, tink, tink, tink, tink, tink! Doug knocked plate after plate down at both of the 20 yard strings. He duplicated the performance at the 25 yard position – a CLEAN Plate Event, all from the standing position! WOW!
Of course, the battle on the Mover is one that seems to host the same cast of characters each year. Bruce Piatt and Doug Koenig are always in this showdown as two shooters who consistently shoot clean up to this point in the match. It’s a pressure cooker with a large crowd of onlookers and so much on the line. Doug was first and kept all his shots in the 10 ring. His final match score was 1920 – 179x. It was the first perfect score posted this year. Bruce was next and drilled the X-ring pass after pass until he shot a dreaded 8 leaving Doug with the only 1920 in the match!
There were plenty of highlights after the main event on Saturday. I watched S&W Champion Jerry Miculek engage the crowd with his showmanship and deliver super fast runs in the Production Shoot Off. Kenda Lenseigne tried her hand at the sport in the Celebrity Shoot Off against country music singer Mark Wills. Kenda is an OVERALL World Champion in Mounted Cowboy Action Shooting. In an exciting match up, she defeated Mark for the win. Jim Shepherd of the Outdoor and Shooting Wires also made time in his busy schedule to shoot in the Press Shoot Off against Yamil Sued, Smith & Wesson’s Match Photographer. Yamil took the win but Jim certainly held his own! I had the pleasure to meet mother and daughter team Gwen Cox and Paige Eissinger representing the Women’s Outdoor Media Association. I LOVED the fact that Gwen shared that she recently learned to shoot for the first time in her 70’s. Her words, “You can teach an old dog new tricks!”
At the Saturday night awards ceremony junior girls ROCKED it. I was so proud of my Smith & Wesson teammate Molly Smith for giving Bianchi shooting a try. Molly was the youngest competitor in the match but also won two awards as a New Shooter in Production. The charming Tiffany Piper of New Zealand shot her way to claim the Junior Cup. It’s exciting to see these young women on the range and inspiring others to give shooting a try.
Without a doubt the highlight of the match for me was the opportunity to hear Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Donald “Doc” Ballard speak. Bianchi Cup Coordinator Tom Hughes gave an introduction of Colonel Ballard’s heroic deeds, saving the lives of seven Marines by diving on a live grenade in Vietnam. Tom also shared a wonderful story. When he received confirmation of the Colonel’s attendance he called the Marine Corps Shooting Team and asked its Team Captain if any Marines would be attending the Bianchi Cup. To honor the Medal of Honor recipient, he replied with “Sir, we will send seven.”
Colonel Ballard’s speech will forever leave an impression on me. He celebrated our patriotism but closed by stating that we all have an obligation to our children. As patriots and believers in our Second Amendment Rights it is our duty to ensure that America’s youth understands the importance of pride in our nation and protecting our freedoms. It was a fitting message with Memorial Day just two days away and a perfect end to the Bianchi Cup
Editor’s Note: Sorry for the delay in posting … I dropped the ball on this. I wanted to share Julie’s coverage of the NRA Bianchi Cup with the Women of USPSA. Her story is genuinely touching and enjoyable. Congratulations, Jessie, Julie, and Vera on your Top 3 finishes! We would love to hear about your matches, too. Send us a blog post if you have time! ~Kippi
Area 6 doesn’t disappoint. Hosted by the South River Gun Club, the competition has always been top notch. Honestly, this match could be a national level championship. There are certainly enough competitors. A whopping 384 shot the match!
The event started out with 12 stages, but Stage 4 – Bridge of Death was thrown out. That still left 11 challenging courses of fire with plenty of props, steel and moving targets. This was a tough match with targets that could be seen from multiple positions and moving targets with critical activators. The fun factor was still high though with a good blend of short and long courses of fire.
There are some matches where you see just a handful of women on the range. Not the case with the Area 6 Championships! At the helm, Cindy Noyes was once again the match director. There were women working at every level from Chief Range Officer Beth Wingfield and 15 lady range officers to 7 women serving roles in Stats and Registration. Thank you ladies for all your hard work!
I had the pleasure to shoot with two other women in my squad, Randi Rogers and junior shooter Tierani Hendrix. I have enjoyed competing with Randi many times, but it was the first time I had a chance to meet Tierani. The NHL Atlanta Thrashers sponsored a stage where competitors had to activate a swinging target with a hockey stick. An ice hockey player, Tierani showed just how handy she is with a hockey stick on Stage Five – “Face Off.” She activated the swinger and grabbed her gun from the table with perfect timing.
I also had a chance to catch up Jessie Abbate and Tori Nonaka as they scoped out the stages before their Saturday shoot times. Fresh off teaching yet another successful Babes With Bullets(TM) Ladies Action Shooting Camp, Kay Miculek and Lisa Munson stopped by for a quick hug and hello. I also had a nice visit with Tammie Bordwell after meeting her at the USPSA Nationals last year. (Click here for a our interview with Tammie on her first nationals.) Katie Harris took the time to introduce herself early Friday morning. Katie is another talented young shooter in Production Division. I just love seeing all the junior females participating in the sport!
I wish I could have stayed to meet and chat with the rest of the women at the match. I encourage you to take a moment, like Katie did, to introduce yourself to another lady shooter. Strike up a conversation with your fellow female competitors about their match. It could lead to a wonderful friendship. Celebrate the success of the talented and very special women who compete in our sport!
There’s been plenty of coverage on the first Area Championship of the year. Check out Women of USPSA on Facebook for links and in depth ladies results! In closing, a huge thank you to Match Director Cindy Noyes, Area 6 Director Charles Bond and the hard working range officers on another fantastic Area 6 Championships.
Check out these photos taken by Marla Hendrix (Tierani’s Mom) and Paul Erhardt with many more posted to DownRange.TV.
Randi Rogers concludes her daily coverage of the Smith & Wesson US Steel Shoot National Championships…
Good Evening Ladies! Today is the third and final day of the US Steel Shoot. The last shot has been fired and our goodbyes have been said and nothing is left but preparing for next year.
The ladies shot awesome today! On our squad we had Jessie Abbate, Kay Miculek, Sarah Irish, and myself shooting Open sighted firearms. We also had Tori Nonaka shooting Limited. It started out a little rough, but by the end everyone had completed an excellent day of shooting.
To see the final scores please visit http://www.ussteelshoot.com/2007MatchInfo.htm. My unofficial memory, as flawed as it may be is; Jessie Abbate came in High Lady and Lady Steel Master. Kay Miculek came in second Lady. I was able to capture third lady and second overall in production.
Unfortunately, there weren’t enough ladies to complete all the categories so the lady scores were lumped together. Hopefully, next year we will have enough ladies to recognize each category.
In the juniors categories we had lots of winners. Tori Nonaka won the Super Junior category, which is 16 and below, and Ashley Bolda came in second. James McGinty won Junior Open centerfire and Junior Limited centerfire, Sonny Morton was second junior Open and Limited, and Cody Tucker was third Junior Open and Limited. Sarah Irish was fourth Junior Open and Junior Limited. It was such a pleasure to see all of these talented young people learning and growing our sport. I hope to see many more in the future.
There were also many juniors that competed in the rimfire categories.
Again I would like to thank all the match staff and I look forward to seeing everyone back next year. Until next time. Shoot Straight Everyone!
Thanks again, Randi and congratulations to all the winners! Check out the Women of USPSA Facebook page for more results posted later this week.
Randi recaps Day Two…
Good Evening Ladies. Day two of the S&W US Steel Nationals is in the books. Today was another beautiful day. High 70 temperatures and sunshine all day. It was a great day for shooting.
During day two of most Steel Challenge matches is reserved for iron sighted firearms. Competitors competed in Limited, Production, IDPA classes, and revolver classes. Some competitors also shot their open sighted firearms if they were sharing guns or had other scheduling issues.
There were many ladies out on the range today. In the Limited Category Jessie Abbate and Sarah Irish were battling it out. Sarah who is only 17 years old was also competing for the juniors title. For Production there was myself and Tori Nonaka, also a junior shooter. Shooting Open, Ashley Bolda a junior, fought hard battling her way through a migraine. There were also a couple of ladies from Jamaica!
The shooting started out a little rough with our squad on Smoke N’ Hope, but smoothed out quickly. Jessie Abbate gave us all a show by completing four smoking runs on Speed Option. Tori Nonaka was holding her own by shooting three excellent runs on Outer Limits! I enjoyed shooting Showdown, and Sarah had some excellent runs on Roundabout. Ashely’s best stage of the day was her last, Five to Go, she really hunkered down and shot great.
All the ladies shot well and they look forward to shooting again tomorrow. The last day will be for the open sighted firearms. We are all looking forward to a good day and a strong finish. Keep your fingers crossed, the weathermen are predicting rain, but hopefully it will hold off until afternoon.
There were also several junior boys. Trevor Koenig, who I believe is only 11, was shooting on the men’s super squad with his open gun. Sonny Morton shot his limited gun today, and Cody Tucker brought out his Open gun today as well. It is great to see so many young people out there!
Tomorrow I will have the final results and be sure and let you know who all wins what.
We look forward to hearing the results, Randi. Best of luck to all competitors on the final day!
Continuing coverage of the Smith & Wesson US Steel Shoot National Championships with Randi Rogers…
Hello Ladies! Today is Friday March 26th, 2010 and the first day of the US Steel Nationals is in the history books. The day dawned beautifully with a few clouds and a comfortable temperature perfect for shooting. There was rain Thursday night, but everything cleared up by this morning. A few spectators braved the mud, there were several media representatives and a baby alligator even made an appearance, but stayed safely in his pond.
In steel challenge competitions, competitors have the option of shooting the match multiple times with different firearms. Most competitors choose to shoot a rimfire category, an iron sight centerfire category, and an open sighted centerfire category. This will allow them to compete for the title of “Steel Master”. The first day of most steel challenge competitions is reserved for the rimfire categories.
There are several different rimfire categories. There are iron sight .22, open sight .22, iron sight .22 revolver, and open sight .22 revolver. During competition today I saw many different kinds of rimfire firearms. There were Brownings, Smith & Wesson 41’s, conversion kits for 1911’s, conversion kits for SigSauers, and revolvers too. Not only that, but several companies, such as Tactical Solutions, sell aftermarket barrels. The possibilities are almost limitless.
Just like any shooting match the shooting was top quality and the competition was fierce. Several ladies competitor participated in the open rimfire category. I saw several ladies shooting for the Open rimfire category. On my squad there was myself, Jessie Abbate, and Kay Miculek. That is not even including the juniors.
Our squad started on Smoke N’ Hope and ended on Five to Go. We were able to shoot through lunch and finished about two o’clock. The day started out with everyone trying hard and working to do their best. The most difficult part of the rimfire event is that rimfire firearms are prone to malfunctions. For the most part everyone had a good day and the firearms and ammunition worked well. Kay Miculek shot an excellent score on the stage Showdown and Jessie Abbate shot the most amazing Roundabout I have ever seen. I think that my favorite stage today was Outer Limits. I shot three good runs right from the get go and got to play on the fourth! Scores were not posted when I left the range this afternoon but from what I have heard the unofficial winner was Jessie Abbate! Way to go girl.
However, the tightest competition I saw was in the Junior Girls Open rimfire. On my squad along there were three very beautiful and talented young ladies; Tori Nonaka, Ashley Bolda, and Sarah Irish. Each girl shot great! Ashley and Sarah were both shooting guns with Tactical Solutions barrels and accessories beautifully with their pink and red guns. Tori was shooting an S&W 41 with a Bully barrel. The competition was fierce, and I will let everyone know who won as soon as the scores come out.
There was also plenty of competition in the Junior boys categories as well. I saw three excellent juniors at the shooter’s meeting. Cody Tucker, Sonny Morton, and Trevor Koenig were all there preparing to take on the world. From what I saw today the future of our sport is in good hands.
Congratulations to all those who competed in the rimfire event. Tomorrow will start the centerfire events for most competitors. For those shooting an iron sighted centerfire and an open sighted centerfire the iron sights will compete tomorrow. This will include Limited, Production, the IDPA categories, and the iron sighted revolvers as well. The range was open for practice after the match and I saw several great competitors sharpening their iron sight skills. I look forward the shooting tomorrow is promises to be great.
Finally, a BIG thank you to all the match staff, especially Derek Janowicz and Mike Calloway. We couldn’t compete without your help and support and we are all very grateful.
Stay tuned for more from Randi as she continues to cover the match for Women of USPSA!
We couldn’t be more excited to have a day-by-day account of the Smith & Wesson US Steel Shoot National Championships through the eyes of the talented Randi Rogers. Not only is Randi vying for four titles (Open, Production, Open Rimfire and Steel Master) she has also graciously offered to keep us posted on the latest from the match. Thanks, Randi!!!
Here’s her first update:
Hello Ladies! Today is Thursday March 25, 2010 and competitors are gathering in sunny Titusville, FL for the US Steel Nationals for some fast paced competition.
The Smith & Wesson US Steel Nationals is the national competition for the Steel Challenge Shooting Association. For those who aren’t familiar with Steel Challenge, each of the eight stages consists of 5 steel targets of different sizes and distances. Each stage has a “stop” plate that must be shot last. Seven of the eight stages are shot five times with the competitors lowest four times being kept for score. The final stage is shot four times with the competitors fastest three times kept for score. A miss is worth three seconds, and the fastest time wins the match. Final round count for the match is a minimum of 185 rounds.
If you have never shot any Steel Challenge matches it is a great sport to look into. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing the ding of the steel plate after you hit it. It is also an easy sport to get into because you can compete with a rimfire handgun. This also makes it great for juniors of all ages.
The regular match starts tomorrow with most competitors shooting the rimfire event. There are four rimfire categories; iron sight .22, open sight .22, iron sight revolver .22 and open sight revolver .22. Today there were several competitors out on the range practicing and working out last minute bugs. So far the ladies I have seen are Jessie Abbate, Tori Nonaka, Ashley Bolda, and Kay Miculek. It looks like competition is going to be fierce this year!
Tomorrow I will be shooting the Open Sight .22 category. Wish me luck and stay tuned for more info!
Thanks, Randi! Good luck is on its way and best wishes to all the competitors in the match.
This is our final piece on the Women of USPSA at the 2009 Limited Nationals. To follow are the interviews with the two best Limited lady shooters in our country ….
2nd Place – Lisa Munson
2009 USPSA Single Stack National Champion
WoUSPSA – What a finish at this year’s Limited match, Lisa! What was your main strategy going into the second half of the week?
Lisa - After finishing the Open Match in a disappointing 8th place, I was looking forward to getting my beloved limited gun back in my hand to try to redeem myself.
WoUSPSA – Who did you have your eye on in terms of the competition?
Lisa - I knew Jessie was going to be tough to beat. She’s had an awesome year! Congratulations Jessie!
WoUSPSA – Yes, she has, but you haven’t done too badly yourself! After you won the Single Stack Nationals, you didn’t shoot much. What was going on?
Lisa – Since returning from Bali (World Shoot XV) last year, I’ve been in recovery mode trying to get over a bad case of tendinitis in my right arm. Instead of shooting, I thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful Northwest summer by hiking in the mountains and growing a garden…nothing can beat a home grown tomato!
WoUSPSA – That sounds wonderful and challenging, too! How do you feel the lack of range time effected your outlook throughout the year?
Lisa – What an up and down year! I felt I shot pretty well at the Single Stack Nationals, even though I took so much ibuprofen just to get through it, that my liver will never forgive me! I still hoped to do well at the Open and Limited Nationals. Although, as the saying goes, “You reap what you sow”, and since I hadn’t fired more than 4,000 rounds in practice for the entire year, it really wasn’t too surprising that my performance wouldn’t be my best.
WoUSPSA – Can you tell us about your match?
Lisa – Day 1 got off to a rocky start. On the first stage of the day I had a mag fall out of my gun, costing me time, plus two misses that I never called…ouch! Had a mag fall out on yet another stage (what the heck?)! Finally isolated the problem; one magazine had a rounded edge on the mag release cut. I was really struggling just to have a good stage and to find some consistency.
WoUSPSA – Did the second day go better?
Lisa – Day 2, unfortunately, was just a continuation of Day 1; only without the magazine problems. Too many misses, I think I had 8 at this point. I was getting pretty demoralized. I continued to soul search… I thought I was seeing my sight… I didn’t feel like I was pushing for speed. I just wasn’t sure what the problem was…or how to fix it.
WoUSPSA – That can be so frustrating. How did you approach the last day of competition?
Lisa - After having shot so poorly for an entire week (Open and Limited match), I was DETERMINED to figure out what I was doing wrong. All I had left was to go back to basics. Really “SEE” my sights and “call my shots” — no more sloppy shooting…focus. Be smooth… smooth is fast. Finally, things started improving. I won 3 out of 6 stages, and finished 2nd on 2 others. So what had I learned? I didn’t have enough “visual patience” to really “see” my sights and “call my shots”. A few hundredths of a second is the difference between a hit, or a miss.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage and why did you do so well?
Lisa – My best stage was #8, “Paper, Paper”. I took a different approach to the stage than the other ladies on the squad. I was able to shoot one target moving, while the others chose to shoot it static, cutting almost a full 2 seconds off the time.
WoUSPSA – 2 seconds is huge … great run! Was there any stage that you had an especially hard time with – other than having magazines drop out of your gun?
Lisa – I had a difficult time with stage #9,”Stand Still Bob”. Part of this was purely psychological. I had a very bad run on this (similar) stage in the Open match, and I let it intimidate me. Quote: “Whether you believe you can or can’t – you’re right”.
WoUSPSA – … so true! What about the rest of the stages – what did you think of them?
Lisa - The stages actually seemed more difficult in the Limited match than the Open match. More no-shoots and partial targets.
WoUSPSA – Lisa, we really appreciate you talking with us. Do you have any comments you would like to add before we go?
Lisa – As always, it was a pleasure to shoot with the other ladies. It’s a wonderful sorority that we have. Great competition and good friends, what a terrific combination!
WoUSPSA – Congratulations again Lisa on your great comeback and placing 2nd at the USPSA Limited Nationals!
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1st Place – Jessica Abbate
2009 USPSA Limited National Champion, 2-Time USPSA Back-To-Back Nationals Champion
WoUSPSA – Hi Jessie, thanks so much for talking with us! Now that you have had some time to take it all in, how does it feel to have won your 2nd Back-To-Back USPSA Nationals?
Jessie – Now that all the dust has settled, winning two Back-to-Back Nationals has finally sunk in, and it still feels somewhat surreal! They are two titles I am very happy and proud to have earned!
WoUSPSA – It’s quite an accomplishment … Congratulations! Going into the 2009 Nationals, what was your strategy for the consecutive matches?
Jessie – I knew going into the Back-to-Back Nationals, that it would be a long week. It’s hard enough to stay on top of your game every day for one match, much less two matches in a row. I made sure that I stayed focused while shooting, and that I stayed rested when I wasn’t. It was a test of mental and physical skills as well as shooting, and I feel like my training paid off!
WoUSPSA – Which women did you think would be your toughest competition in Limited Division?
Jessie – Going into the Limited match, I knew that Lisa Munson would be a strong competitor, having shot with her before. But the one lady I wasn’t sure about was Tasha Hanish. I had never seen Tasha shoot, until I shot with her in the Open / Production match. She as well was a tough competitor, but I enjoyed shooting with both ladies. They are outstanding shooters, and pushed me throughout the Limited match.
WoUSPSA – We assume you have a strict training regimen. Can you briefly explain for us?
Jessie – I usually shoot year round, but the level of training changes throughout the year. Realizing that that level of intensity is hard to maintain constantly, I start focusing on the upcoming match about a month or two out. The rest of the time, I work on fundamentals, and other basics just to make sure that all skills stay fresh.
WoUSPSA – Did you know you were in position to win your second back-to-back National going into the last day / stage? If so, how did this affect you?
Jessie – When the first match was over, I was ecstatic that I had been successful in winning the Ladies Production title. I knew that my competition was strong, and that there would be no room for mistakes. I shot hard and stayed focused, and in the end finished with a clean match. That gave me the strength and confidence to continue on for the Limited match.
Going into the Limited match, I knew that the opportunity to win the Back-to-Back title was present. I enjoyed the thought of it, but didn’t allow it to get in the way of what I needed to do. The ladies were just as competitive in the Limited match, as they were in Production. Continuing to focus on the stage at hand, and shoot each stage to the best of my ability, I was successful in the Limited match as well.
When it was all over, and I could take a breath, it finally sank in that I had just won the Back-to-Back Nationals, again! It was the perfect end to a great season, and a title I am very proud of owning.
WoUSPSA – Would you describe your match performance for us?
Jessie – Sure! I was happy with my overall performance throughout the Limited match. On the first day I had a miss, which I didn’t handle very well personally. I made it through the first match without any misses or penalties, so I was not happy when I had one the first day. But, I used that to help reign everything back in, and I paid more attention throughout the rest of the match.
WoUSPSA – Describe your best stage, and why you think you did well.
Jessie – My best stage for the Limited match was stage 5, “Which Way?”. You had to move in and out of tight positions, and shoot through small slivers between walls, but it was still what I considered to be a speed course. Not having to reload in the middle of the stage definitely made my time faster than in the Production match, but I still shot the stage the same way. I was happy with how it turned out the first time, and also the second time!
WoUSPSA – Double stage wins, too … that’s terrific! As a member of Team Glock, do you think it’s advantageous being able to train with a team?
Jessie – My teammates and I train together quite a bit, and we do push each other to be better shooters. I have learned a lot from training with them, and only hope that I have helped them in some way as well.
WoUSPSA – Congratulations again on winning the USPSA Limited Nationals, Jessie, and on your 2nd Back-To-Back Nationals win! Enjoy your well-deserved off season!
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Well, that’s it for our coverage of the 2009 USPSA Back-To-Back Handgun Nationals! We hope you have enjoyed hearing from some of the Women Of USPSA. We want to once again congratulate ALL of the lady shooters that competed in each of the five events. We cannot wait until next year, as we, too, have had fun gettting to know the top women shooters in the USA a little bit better!
We have more articles already slated for 2010: 2009 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals and the 2009 Desert Classic / Area-2 Match, just to name a few. If you are a Woman of USPSA and want to send us a story on a match you shot (or any shooting-related story for that matter), shoot us an e-mail (info@womenofuspsa.com). We would love to hear from you and post your article right here!
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!
5th Place – Carrie Jamrogowicz
Women’s Production Champion at Area 1, 2 & 3
WoUSPSA – Congratulations on your Top 5 finish! What was it like to compete for the first time on the Ladies Super Squad?
Carrie – It was a pretty neat experience. I am used to being the only female on my squad, if not in the whole match, so shooting with a whole group of talented lady shooters was a lot of fun.
WoUSPSA – What were your goals for this year’s Production Nationals and how do you feel you performed in the match?
Carrie – My main goal was to try to relax and have fun. I know I shoot better when I can relax. It was my first time shooting on the ladies’ squad, and my first match wearing a sponsor logo, so I was expecting to be nervous and distracted, and I just wanted to keep that to a minimum. I was happy with how I did on ten of the stages. I didn’t necessarily place well on ALL of those, but I can say that I did the best I can do at this stage in my shooting career. I had ammo troubles that resulted in a zero score on one stage, and the other five, I just wasn’t able to keep my head in the game. Overall, I placed where I’d expected to.
WoUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Carrie – We started on stage 9, which was a shoot house, and I was glad for that because I was nervous enough already, at least this way I’d know no one but the RO could see me if I did something goofy. : )
I think we shot four stages that first day, and once I got the butterflies out of my system, I was able to settle in a bit.
The second day was kind of a bummer for me. The first stage of the day, stage 13, was actually my best stage of the match. Stage 14, though, I was the first shooter on the squad and I was super nervous, got a little mixed up and made some mistakes. I tried to let it go and focus on the next stage, but then I had an ammo problem and zeroed that stage.
Day three, we started on stage 1, where I hit a no-shoot and didn’t see it; stage 2, I hit a no-shoot, and did see it, but couldn’t decide whether to make it up or not…. this was where my teammate noticed a pattern to my mistakes and pointed it out to me. I was able to fix it, and didn’t hit any more no-shoots that day, or on day four!
WoUSPSA – Can you describe your best stage, and why you think you did well?
Carrie – My best stage was lucky number 13, where I placed 50th, with 70% of the stage winner’s score. It was actually the stage I was worried about the most, because there were targets you could see only from certain positions, and there were a lot of wide transitions to go with that, which is a good opportunity to completely miss a target if you’re not careful. I think I did well just because I spent so much time thinking about it, and really had my plan down pat.
WoUSPSA – What was your most difficult stage, and why it was difficult?
Carrie – The most difficult one for me was the one immediately following my best stage. I had to go first on stage 14…. I had a plan, but didn’t think it through enough, and it failed. I didn’t have an alternate plan, got flustered and tensed up and made mistakes.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages?
Carrie – They were challenging for me, because instead of long shots (which I am pretty good at) there were lots and lots of no-shoots (which make me nervous). The props were fairly simple, compared to other big matches I’ve shot, but I think they did well enough with what they had to set up a variety of challenges for us.
WoUSPSA – Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations once again on your Top 5 Finish!
>4th Place – Dianna Liedorff
2nd Woman at the 2008 USPSA Production Nationals
WoUSPSA – Congratulations on making the Top 8! As a law enforcement officer, do you find that competing in matches like this one helps you hone your skills for work?
Dianna – Absolutely… I believe that a match can put similar stresses on you that you might experience in the real world. Training my mind to think through the stress has to be beneficial. The amount of time I’m behind a gun improves my skill set and gives me the confidence to win the fight with my gun if need be.
WofUSPSA – What were your goals for this year’s Production Nationals and how do you feel you performed in the match?
Dianna – I really wanted to beat Randi!!! I had improved and actually prepared for this Nationals, so I was hopeful I could give her a run for her money… But she’s improved too!!!
WoUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Dianna – I can, but it’s painful! I started on the fast, “simple” stages and I bombed them. I’m a field course girl, and I have no confidence in the shorter, faster stages. By the fourth day, I had the field courses and I was a happy girl!!!
WoUSPSA – Please describe your best stage, and why you think you did well.
Dianna – One of the field courses… The one with the window that was activated with the foot pad. I just feel more comfortable with the field courses and it was the 3rd or 4th day, so I had settled down a bit.
WoUSPSA – What was your most difficult stage, and why it was difficult?
Dianna – The speed courses ate my mental lunch.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages?
Dianna – I thought the courses the year before were a bit more challenging. This is my second nationals, so I don’t have a lot to compare to!
WoUSPSA – Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations once again on your Top 5 Finish!
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3rd Place – Randi Rogers
2008 USPSA Production Champion and IDPA Ladies National Champion
WoUSPSA – Congratulations on making the Top 8! Going into this year’s Nationals, how did you prepare to defend your 2008 Ladies Production Title?
Randi – To prepare for this year’s nationals I practiced a lot. The 2009 shooting season was pretty busy for me. I would practice about 2-4 times a week and I shot as many local matches as I could. I would also dry fire on any day I didn’t practice and just tried to work on all the basics.
WoUSPSA – Competing in so many different shooting sports throughout the year, how do you think it affects you in USPSA?
Randi – I think that competing in many different sports is good for a shooter. Cross training keeps me excited about all the different sports. If I work on one thing too long I tend to get bored and don’t try as hard. Changing things up keeps me excited and it’s challenging, making me want to work that much harder.
WoUSPSA – What was your goal for the Production Nationals?
Randi – My goal for the Production Nationals was to to shoot my best. I had hoped that shooting my best would result in a win. At the 2009 nationals I didn’t feel like I shot my very best, and the results reflect that.
WoUSPSA – Who did you feel would give you your greatest competition?
Randi – My teammate Jessie Abbate is an incredible shooter and I feel that she is a great benchmark to compare to.
WoUSPSA – This is the one USPSA match that both you and your teammate Jessie competed against one another. Do you find that there is more pressure to do well when shooting against one another, especially as the defending national champion?
Randi – I always feel pressure. It doesn’t matter who I shoot against or what match I am at. My goal ultimately is to do the best I can. It doesn’t matter if I am shooting against one person or one hundered, I still feel pressure. I just try to shoot what I can shoot, after that the chips fall where they fall.
WoUSPSA – How do you feel you performed in the match?
Randi – I don’t feel like I shot my very best at this years Production Nationals. I had a bit of bad luck, I let it get to me and I made some mistakes. Every time I think I have learned it all the range gods remind me that there is no mastering the sport.
WoUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Randi – I arrived in Las Vegas on September 11th. I went to registration and went out to the range to look at the stages. For the most part I thought the stages looked good. Saturday September 12th was the first day of shooting. I shot early on Saturday. It was warm in Vegas, when we woke up it must have been 80 degrees. We started on stage 9 and shot through 12. The first stage was a little rough for me. I had a mike on the bobbing target in the back. Stage 11 was also a little rough for me. A popper and I had a little disagreement. I had some drama associated with that and because I wasn’t focused on my shooting I had another mike on stage 12. After the first day things got better. I shot the rest of the match clean. Overall I thought the stages were really good. I had a good time and did my best. It was a long four days but I learned a lot and took those lessons into the next match.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Randi – I had a couple of good stages at the Production Nationals. Stage 16 was my best overall score. I was 26th overall on that stage and everything went well for me. It wasn’t my very best stage but another stage I did well on was stage 7 with the star. I only had one pick up shot on the star and it just felt really smooth for me. It was also a kick to shoot!
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Randi – My favorite stage was the star. It was challenging, exciting, and a little bit scary. I like a good challenge.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages?
Randi – Overall I thought the stages were ok. I have shot three nationals and I think this year was third place in all those years. It might have been me but it seemed that all the stages were similar in nature. They all seemed to be mid range round count, there was never very much movement, and there was hardly any decisions. They were all very straight up which makes it pretty easy to shoot, but I personally enjoy the challenge. I was disappointed to not see standards or any hard cover. I think standards are important, especially one handed and I feel they should be included at a national match.
WoUSPSA – Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Any comments you would like to add?
Randi – I would just like to say that if you haven’t come to a nationals for whatever reason everyone should go. You don’t have to be top level shooter to enjoy the challenge and unique experience of shooting a national championship.
WoUSPSA – Congratulations once again on your Top 3 finish!
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!
USPSA
