Have thrown together a quick video of a few stages from the Western States Single Stack Classic. Would have loved to have been able to film ALL of the ladies, but we were squadded all over the range. : (
Maybe when I retire, I’ll be able to cover all competitors! The filming and video editing is so much fun, but not quite enough to make me want to not shoot!
Enjoy!
Kippi
Yes, the scope is missing off my gun and I have magazines wrapped endlessly around my waist! I’m counting in groups of 10, and could not tell you how many rounds a stage is, but could tell you how many reloads I have to do! I’m back to try iron sites again.
Never, ever having shot iron sites, strictly an Open class shooter for 16 years, in 2008 I thought I would try something new – a 185 Power Factor non-compensated firearm that left my hands cut and bandaged by the end of the competition.
Hmmmmm…. I think those Lady “Limited” shooters pulled a fast one on me. They make it look so easy!
Being stubborn and not always the brightest crayon in the box, I talked myself into it again this year. I may never become proficient with iron sites, but I told myself I was going to learn and understand how to effectively shoot them. Plus, it was time to try something different in this sport! This time, I chose to shoot minor which I felt would allow me learn how the sites function vs. how to hang on to my firearm.
Thanks to Joe Rini, who so generously lent me his “baby” 9mm M2I, and believe me, it IS his baby. Joe called me after every match I shot to make sure she was running top notch for me and to make sure I wasn’t having any problems, which I’m happy to report, I had absolutely no malfunctions. So, I must thank him for being so kind.
I woke up the morning of the match and honestly, did not want to shoot. It had been a tough few months leading up to the match, listening to the many jokes that I probably shouldn’t shoot iron sites, that some people are just meant to shoot Open only, and to stick with what I know. The last thing I felt like doing was proving them right! But, the stubbornness, with the assistance of my husband’s foot, booted me out the door and off we went. I was going to shoot it and prove them wrong!
Steve Horsman, Kyle Schmidt, and their staff put on an excellent match, as one would expect from the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club. Again, we were fortunate to have a wonderful squad with fantastic shooters from New Mexico, California, Alaska, my partner in crime, Doni, and my ever-so-patient husband, Russell … what do I line up WHERE??!!
The challenges presented to us were pesky plates that were way too far for iron site shooting, partial targets, drop turners, a partial bobber, clam shells, the Texas Star and the Rio swingers, slightly tuned down, thankfully. The stages were for the most part physical, very little standing around, and creatively set up for both the major caliber shooters and the minor caliber shooters to come up with a plan that works for them.
We had 11 challenging courses of fire, 260+ rounds and beautiful weather. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The WSSSC grew by approximately 40 shooters from the last time I shot it, and I suspect will become more and more difficult to get into, so mark your calendars for 2011.
Moral of the story, Ladies, if it doesn’t work the first time, try another way, and never listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t. We have many, many World-Class Lady shooters in our sport – ask them for help. I’m certain you’ll quite easily find it.
Congratulations to Sara Dunivin who finished an impressive 31st Overall, with Kippi Leatham close behind at 39th. I’d say one of these Lady’s would be a great starting point!
To wrap up, I would like to thank Scott Carnahan of Safariland (http://holsters.com). Safariland does so much for this sport and Scott has been absolutely fantastic. I love, love, love the gear! The Safariland equipment worked perfectly for me! I especially loved the drop down option for the holster. I’ll be using it again next year!
Eva Micklethwaite
2009 USPSA Area-2 “Open” Champion : )
Editor’s note: I’m so happy for (and proud of) Eva for having the perseverance to “prove her nay-sayers wrong”. She shot an excellent match and was much improved over her 2008 finish! I watched her shoot Stage 3, and she certainly looked like a SS shooter to me! I hope that Eva, the other ladies that shot the match, and hopefully a few more gals sign up for next year’s event! In closing, I extend my congratulations to ALL of the 2010 Western States Single Stack Women shooters:
1 – Sara Dunivin, 2 – Kippi Leatham, 3 – Lisa Munson, 4 – T.D. Roe,
5 – Doni Spencer, 6 – Maggie Reese, 7 – Kandi Blick, 8 – Eva Micklethwaite,
9 – Tabatha Averyt, 10 – Sue Little, 11 – Carol Mar, 12 – Denise Harrington,
13 – Toni Lucero, 14 – Sara Drake, 15 – Gail Drake, 16 – Allison Arnett
Woo Tom – Hope to see you next year, too!
Kippi
We’re on to a different match! Interviews with the sixth through eighth women of the 2009 USPSA Limited-10 Nationals…
8th Place – Kandi Blick
Law Enforcement, Military, & Civilian Firearms Instructor
WoUSPSA – Kandi, it was great being squadded with you at this year’s L10 Nationals. How many USPSA Nationals have you shot in total?
Kandi – 3 Nationals: 2008 Production, 2008 L-10 & the 2009 L-10.
WoUSPSA – You unfortunately did not get to finish the 2009 Production Nationals due to a DQ. Our hearts were certainly with you. : (
How did you regroup and what was your approach to shooting the second, Limited-10 match?
Kandi – What a learning experience! After all of the practice, mental game, visualization and all around prep, one doesn’t expect to DQ, so when it happened, I definitely had an emotional response. I did my very best to hold everything in until I was alone and then let go. Also, this was the first time I was fortunate enough to shoot in the ladies Super Squad, and so I felt even more pressure and the let down even greater. Wow, was I lucky to be in that squad. Everyone gave me so much support and great advice. It never crossed my mind that this had also happened to “those great shooters”! Of course, it got around to the other squads, and even more top shooters shared their own experiences. I want to personally thank everyone for their kindness and especially Kippi for taking the time to call me and talk right after it happened…thank you my friend!
WoUSPSA – So after all of that, how do you feel you performed in the match?
Kandi – Overall, my performance was what I expected, considering the circumstances and current skill level. I was VERY happy to finish the match! ; ) I love to compete and shooting with so many great shooters who have such a professional mindset about the shooting sports was real inspiration to my competition game. I definitely stayed focused on my personal goals and HAD FUN!!!
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Kandi – My favorite stage was the Texas Star stage! While I don’t necessarily agree that the “star” should be in a major match, because I don’t think it’s a fair piece of equipment to use to test skills across the board for all levels of shooters, it did crystalize very quickly gut reactions! I liked how the stage represented the gamut of emotions from “No problem to how the heck?” I liked the movement, quick shooting, moving targets, and of course the many options one could apply. I personally don’t get much chance to shoot stars throughout the year and so my anxiety level was higher. I probably asked more questions, and spent a lot of time watching other top shooters from other squads shoot it than any other stage. When I stepped up, I was slightly nervous, but I felt very focused and dedicated, with no doubt about my plan and it went off without a hitch. I felt great satisfaction with my performance at my current skill level. That stage helped me realize that I should be concentrating at that level or higher every time I step up to shoot and/or practice.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the rest of the stages?
Kandi – This year’s Nationals were more of a speed shoot than anything else. I would have liked to have seen more long range shots, standards, weak/strong hand shooting and different shooting positions.
WoUSPSA – Is there anything you would like to add about the match?
Kandi – I am very grateful to all the ladies who have been at this a long time. Thanks to all of my squad mates for your support and continued friendship. Randi Rogers…thank you for all of your help throughout this match. Thanks to the match staff and USPSA staff, and ALL of the sponsors! I couldn’t finish this without thanking my sponsor Safariland, Scott Carnahan, Captain of Team Safariland and the love of my life for his support, and to Mike Voigt who has truly helped my shooting game on a regular basis…thanks guys!
WoUSPSA – Kandi, thanks so much for your input and congratulations once again on your Top 8 placement at the L10 Match.
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WoUSPSA – Hi Diana! You’re a fairly new name to some of us. How many USPSA Nationals have you competed in?
Diana – This year was my first attendance.
WoUSPSA – Well, welcome! We hope you enjoyed your first Nationals! Did you have any goals for the match?
Diana – To watch the best of the game shoot, and have fun shooting the Nationals without caving from the pressure of a big match.
WoUSPSA – It appears that you didn’t “cave”. How do you feel you performed in the match?
Diana – For Open Division, I was very satisfied with my performance. As for Limited-10, I had my good, my bad, and my very ugly moments. All I can say is that I have complete new found respect for competitors who can trudge through two Nationals with the same accuracy and aggressiveness.
WoUSPSA – It does make for a long week. What stage ended up being your best?
Diana – Stage 13 “Making Extra Money”.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Diana – I have to pick the house stage (Stage 9, “Stand Still Bob”) as the best stage out of the whole match. My favorite stages have three things: required movement, swingers, and A LOT of walls. Who can beat that?
WoUSPSA – That was a fun stage … what did you think of the stages overall?
Diana – Since I started shooting in 2007, I’ve downloaded and taken a peek at Nationals stages (2007/2008). This year, the stages thankfully did not have too many rounds per stage (average was around 15-24 rounds). Though high round counts give the necessary high fun factor in some other Level II/III USPSA matches, I do not think they have a place in the Nationals arena. The stages gave competitors options (required in my book) in terms of routes and positions, plus there were always those white targets to keep us in check. Though I think the no shoots were a little overkill this year. : ) Overall, I couldn’t have asked for more in terms of stage quality for a 1st Nationals!
WoUSPSA – Did you enjoy being in Las Vegas, Nevada for the match?
Diana – Yes…Yes…and did I say YES? I told myself that this could be my first, and last, trip to a Nationals in Vegas, so I decided the day I landed at the Las Vegas airport to treat my credit card like it was a money tree. We did everything from buffet tasting at multiple restaurants, to going casino hopping (and getting a surprising amount from free slot cards), to seeing some awesome shows and sites. Even after a month and a half from the 11-day trip, we are still talking about it. Here’s a very short video clip of our Las Vegas/USPSA trip – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmTQerh4LDs
WoUSPSA – Thanks for sharing the video … it’s a lot of fun to watch! Anything else about the match that you would like to share?
Diana – I seem to be able to say some creepy time predictions on other competitors as they make ready. On one of the stages, in which most of the squad was getting times between 10 to 13 seconds, I jokingly told some other shooters that the next competitor coming up would get 9.59 seconds. I was off by about five-hundredths of a second…their expressions were hilarious!
WoUSPSA – Quite a knack, Diana, though I’m not sure I would necessarily want to know my time up front! ; ) Thanks for interviewing with us and congratulations on your Top 8 finish at your very first USPSA Nationals!
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6th Place – Maggie Reese
2009 USPSA Multi-Gun Open Champion
WoUSPSA – Congratulations on your 6th place finish, Maggie! What was your goal for the L10 Nationals this year?
Maggie – My goal for Nationals was to survive the match!! Having only competed in USPSA for two years now, it’s more about the race than the finish for me. Of course, finishing 6th feels pretty good, too.
WoUSPSA - 6th place is GREAT! How do you feel you performed in the match?
Maggie – Overall, I am happy with my performance. I really focused on having a deliberate and well-focused plan for each stage. I had very few penalties and I was happy with my overall accuracy. My goals for next year include entering and leaving positions more aggressively and pushing my speed without compromising my accuracy. Shooting with the Ladies in the first match really helped me to gauge my performance now and visualize what I want to become in the future.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Maggie – I didn’t know until you asked, but my best stage was stage 16. It started off with some tight distance shots and ended with the competitor backing up for two close range targets. This was a short stage with only 6 classic targets so where you did your reload was really crucial for L-10 here.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Maggie – Stage 12, Flipping Out, was my favorite. Out of all the stages, I spent the most amount of time figuring this one out. There were 6 metric targets and 5 pepper poppers, two with flip-ups. It was all about the timing here. What could you shoot while waiting for the steel to fall and the flippers to appear? Oh, and reload, and do it all from the squatting position! I had the biggest sense of satisfaction when I finished this stage knowing that my strong plan and execution paid off.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages, in general?
Maggie – Some people thought the stages were too simple or easy. They were also the same people who walked away with a lot of misses and penalties! I liked how deceiving things were and how competitors could be lured into making simple mistakes. For me, Nationals is about having a strong mental game to match your shooting ability. Some matches can be overly technical, others fast and easy. Each has its place, but it’s still about respecting the stage in front of you and keeping your focus all the way through. Overall though, I thought there was a good variety of skills and scenarios tested.
WoUSPSA – Did you like being in Las Vegas?
Maggie – I did enjoy being in Las Vegas. One, it’s close to home(!) and two, it wasn’t nearly as hot and miserable as I thought it would be (wink wink). The RO’s and staff did a great job of making sure water was available and everyone stayed hydrated. Also, I think if we can stay there for a few years, we can accumulate a lot of props and really build the match up.
WoUSPSA – Would you like to add anything in closing?
Maggie: I was extremely thankful for Women of USPSA’s coverage of Nationals. It was great for my family and friends back home to be able to track the match with updates and videos hourly! Thanks WoUSPSA!
WoUSPSA – You’re welcome, Maggie, and congrats again on your overall placement!
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Stay tuned for continuing coverage on the Limited-10 Nationals!
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
USPSA
