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!
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!
Coverage of the final USPSA Handgun Match of 2009 – The USPSA Limited Nationals. To follow are interviews with the women who finished sixth through eighth …
8th Place – Elizabeth Polovina
WoUSPSA – Liz, You’re fairly new to the USPSA Nationals. How many have you competed in?
Liz - This year was my second Limited Nationals and my first Open Nationals.
WoUSPSA – Well congratulations on your Top 8 finish! What was your goal for your second match, the Limited Nationals?
Liz – My goal for the Limited Match was to go and have fun (and hopefully do well.) My focus this year was on Open Division. I had started shooting Open this year just after the Area-6 Championships and hadn’t touched my Limited gun until the week before the Nationals. Unfortunately, I had a lot of gun problems that caused me to stop shooting on one stage and zero two others during the match. On the second day of shooting, I switched to my backup gun and then I was able to go out and have fun and shoot well.
WoUSPSA – That can be so frustrating … Aside from the equipment malfuntcions, how do you feel you performed in the match?
Liz – I felt as though I could have performed better. Unfortunately, having that many gun malfunctions with my SV put a damper on my spirits. It’s hard to keep a positive attitude and shoot well when your gun is not working properly. On the second day of shooting, I switched to my backup SV and it ran flawlessly. The confidence came back and I started having fun again. I had a lot of support from my squad, especially from a few of the guys who offered me their backup guns. They all supported me through my frustration and helped me with my gun problems so I could keep me shooting.
WoUSPSA – That’s great to hear … there are so many good people in our sport! Describe your best stage, and why you think you did well.
Liz – My best stage was Stage #7, Spinning Star. I think I did well on the stage because my gun worked flawlessly and everything about the stage went smoothly; Engaging of the targets, activating the star, shooting the star one for one and my reload. Everything was just very smooth!
WoUSPSA – Sounds like the perfect stage run! In general, what did you think of the stages?
Liz – I enjoyed all the stages. I think they were a lot of fun to shoot. Definitely a change from what we saw in Tulsa the year before.
WoUSPSA – Liz, Feel free to add any comments about the Limited match that you remember as interesting or noteworthy.
Liz – I met alot of great people at the Nationals this year and everyone on our squad was great. We all had such a good time and I was quite excited to be asked to sit on an Arbitration Committee. This was a first for me and definitely a great experience. I definitely am planning on returning next year to shoot the Nationals again!
WoUSPSA – We love to hear that, Liz! Congratulations again on your 8th overall finish!
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7th Place – Gail McLean
WoUSPSA – We haven’t heard from Gail, but hope that she has time to respond to our interview questions. If she does, we’ll update her answers here. Gail, congratulations on your Top 8 USPSA Limited Nationals finish!
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6th Place – Jenny Chu
2009 Silver Buckle – High Lady Champion
WoUSPSA – Hi Jenny! We know you’ve been to the IPSC World Shoot in Bali, but how many USPSA Nationals have you competed in?
Jenny – This is my second Back-to-Back Nationals. I had a “blast” shooting back-to-back both years, competing in both Limited and Open divisions. While Open is my preferred division, I do enjoy the challenge of switching to iron sights once a year just for the Limited Nationals.
WoUSPSA – Only once a year? Very impressive performance … What was your specific goal for the Limited nationals?
Jenny – My goal was to win the Limited Nationals, who doesn’t want to accomplish that? =P In all reality though, I wanted to concentrate on and execute the basics throughout the whole match (staying focused, watching the front sight, shooting a clean match), but found that my discipline only carried consistently through the first day and became more sporadic for the other two days. It wasn’t that I failed in my goals, it’s more so that I allowed the temptations to overtake them at times, falling into speed traps and reverting back to my Open style of shooting.
WoUSPSA – Were you at all nervous?
Jenny – Funny you ask … I’m ALWAYS nervous before every match. The night before any match, I have a hard time sleeping. Red Bull Sugar Free before a match is a must : ) !
WoUSPSA – Might have to try that … ; ) Describe your best stage, and why you think you did well.
Jenny – Stage 12: Flippin’ Out. I was able to execute my plan without any unforeseen incidents and utilized my time well to attain good scoring hits. The many possibilities in engaging this stage made for a fun and challenging stage that I shot well and felt good about. I had a few good stages, but this one stands out as giving me the best sense of accomplishment.
WoUSPSA – Describe your most difficult stage, and why it was difficult for you.
Jenny – Stage 7: Spinnin’ Star. I shot the star out of order and ended up with the worst conceivable scenario. The last two plates swung as a quick pendulum back and forth, it was crazy! I lost concentration and was unable to complete the stage as my troubles compounded – bringing the weight of the gun and available ammunition into play as well. I think I went through over sixty rounds… I was ultimately surprised that I had the sense to engage all the targets I had planned to shoot after the star beforehand, and then return to shoot the remaining plates. Even though I normally don’t have any issues attacking a Texas star, this one left me a little embarrassed (and tired) that I shot it so poorly.
WoUSPSA – The “spinning star” can be very humbling … What did you think of the other stages?
Jenny – Straight forward but not! As with many of the larger (Area and above) matches that I’ve attended, the stage setups appear to be very straightforward and simple even though they all presented hidden challenges if proper planning wasn’t established and executed. Stage designs where multiple plans can be executed are the pinnacle of great stages, it takes considerable forethought and always leaves a competitor wondering if theirs was the best “plan”. All in all, the stages presented good challenges that left lots of room for shooter error; most definitely a fun and challenging match!
WoUSPSA – Thanks for chatting with us, Jenny, and congratulations on your 6th place performance at the Limited Nationals!
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Stay in touch for continuing coverage on the Limited Nationals!
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