A huge thank you to Paul Erhardt for sending us even more GREAT photos from the USPSA Area 6 Championships!
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 last set of interviews from the 2009 USPSA Limited-10 Nationals. Enjoy the read, as you get to know the BEST L10 Lady Shooters in the country a little better …
2nd Place - Julie Golob
9-Time USPSA National Champion, 2009 NRA Bianchi Cup Champion, 2009 Steel Challenge Production Champion, 2009 IRC Revolver Champion
WoUSPSA – You shot a very impressive match, Julie … Congratulations! That makes for back-to-back 2nd place finishes! Tell us how it felt to finish the L10 match knowing that.
Julie – Thanks so much! I am so proud to place second at both of these matches. The competition in these divisions is fierce!!! To think we have women who are sponsored and even some that are true pros, just shows how far our sport has developed. To place so high among these talented women is very exciting.
WoUSPSA – You shoot so many different types of matches throughout the year, ICORE, Steel Challenge, Bianchi, IDPA. What did you do differently to adjust to shooting a back-to-back USPSA Nationals?
Julie – Unlike many of the other shooting sports, USPSA really exposes how well a shooter moves. Whether it’s target to target transitions, set ups into positions or shooting on the move itself, conservation of movement is critical. To get ready for USPSA, I focused what time I had on these skills as well as my reloads. Shooting L-10 and Production with only 10 rounds in the magazine, I knew that how well I could consistently reload could make or break me on any number of stages. Finally, I chose to keep the same platform for both matches, Smith & Wesson M&P’s. Originally I had hoped to shoot the M&P in .40 for L-10, but after shooting with a tendon injury in the Production match, I felt I would perform better with my M&P Pro, 9mm minor. The back-to-back format is like a marathon for our sport. The key is to keep focused and take one stage at a time. It makes for a long, challenging week. At the same time it’s a lot of fun!
WoUSPSA – Wow, thanks for all that great info! What was your primary goal for the Limited-10 Nationals?
Julie – I like to set my goals for each match right at the beginning of my season. This year I wanted to place in the Top 3 Women at each of the events on my schedule.
WoUSPSA - Mission accomplished … good job! You and Randi both posted some amazing runs, back and forth. It was a lot of fun to watch. How do you approach each new stage when you have such close, tough competition?
Julie – Shooting neck and neck in a match is always tough, but so exciting at the same time. The competition in this match was fierce with a great showing of impressive women; Kay Miculek, Kippi Leatham and Randi Rogers, all multi-time national champions. In this situation, I try to stay positive and aggressive on each stage and tackle them one at a time. I pick my plan, remind myself to stay flexible and then do my best to shoot my sights.
WoUSPSA – So, how do you feel you performed in the second of the two events?
Julie – I am very happy with my performance in the match. I had a couple of sub-par stages, but also had a number of good runs too. Randi shot very well, and to come so close to the win shooting minor is something I am very proud of.
WoUSPSA – Can you give us a day by day account of your match?
Julie – Absolutely! The first day of the match I felt I was a bit “loose.” I shot some D’s and had a miss but in all I was pretty happy with my times. I knew I would need to shoot better points if I was going to stay in the running. With that in mind going into the second day, I really honed in on my front sight. It paid off and I made up some ground until my last stage of the day, Stage 2 – Timeout Again. I was so focused on getting my hits on the steel and swingers on this stage that I pulled a shot into one of the many no-shoots in the match. I earned one of those dreaded no-shoot/miss combos. My time was good enough that it wasn’t too catastrophic, but it certainly didn’t help my standings. The last day I knew that I needed to shoot strong. I pulled out all the stops and shot a solid match. My last three stages, I was able to move up nearly 25 points and I felt like this was the best last day I have had at a USPSA Nationals.
WoUSPSA – Did you know you were in contention going into the last stage? If so, how did that affect your performance?
Julie – Going into the last stage, I knew if I shot strong, I might have a chance for the win. I have been in this position before and I think having that experience was beneficial. The most important thing for me was to tackle the stage with everything I had. I didn’t want to leave the range with any regrets. Win or lose, I gave it my all and that’s what really matters.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Julie – My best stage result was Stage 7 – Spinnin’ Star. Texas Stars are always a challenge, but this one was spinning before you even got a round off! There was so much going on in this stage between the no-shoots, a critical standing reload and of course the star. I placed in the Top 16 and it was very exciting to post such a high score.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Julie – My favorite stage was Stage 1, even though it was arbitrated and removed from the match. This stage was only 12 rounds and that made every element critical, from the draw and first shot, to a well executed reload and a critical set up to see the final targets. Several no-shoots gave it high disaster factor and made it one of those stages that can really shake up the results. Stages like this are exciting to both shoot and watch.
WoUSPSA – Overall, what did you think of the stages?
Julie – I liked the stages. Many of them, at first glance looked very similar to the Open/Production match. The changes were subtle, but I shot several stages differently than I did in the first match. In a perfect world, I think it would have been neat to have an entirely new set of courses. With only a few hours to change things up after working long hours all week in the desert sun, the RO’s and USPSA Staff did a wonderful job. Like the Open and Production match, the stages were deceptively difficult and there were a significant number of no shoots and tough shots.
WoUSPSA – We appreciate your time and comments, Julie. Do you have anything you would like to add before we go?
Julie – I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of me coming back on the circuit. Your warmth and encouraging words mean so much. I am so lucky to have amazing sponsors and to be a part of the extremely talented Team Smith & Wesson. Thank you also to my partners in crime Kippi Leatham and Sharyn Cohen for working so hard to break ground on the Women of USPSA project. Your work to promote the women in our sport has my deepest appreciation. Finally I can’t thank my husband enough. Jumping into a full competition season and working with the challenges of caring for our 1 year old through it all haven’t been easy. His love, honesty, support and friendship throughout this year are greatly cherished.
WoUSPSA - Congratulations again on your successful season and your 2nd place finish at the Limited-10 Nationals!
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1st Place - Randi Rogers
2009 USPSA Limited-10 National Champion
WoUSPSA – You shot such a strong, aggresive match! Congratulations, Randi! Tell us how it felt to win the 2009 USPSA Ladies Limited-10 Title.
Randi – I think that I am probably more proud of this title than just about any other. It was such a challenge coming back from the Production match and shooting against so many talented and accomplished shooters. I feel honored to have won.
WoUSPSA – You shoot primarily production throughout the year. What did you do differently to adjust to shooting a major caliber pistol?
Randi – Well, funny you should ask. I actually did a really dumb thing. I went and had the grip on my G35 stippled about two weeks before the nationals. Well, the gunsmith did a good job, but when I tried to shoot with the stippling it was so rough that is tore up my hands. I practiced with it and my left palm and the fingers of my right hand were cut by the stippling. I ended up missing a couple of practices and having to wear band-aids during the Production Nationals. I know better than to change things right before a match, but knowing better doesn’t always stop a person. Take it from someone who knows, don’t change things before a major match!
As for shooting preparation, I just tried to alternate practices between my Production set up and my Limited-10. A lot of dry fire to get used to the different holster and practice to get used to the recoil. Fortunately, the G34, production, and the G35, Limited-10, are identical besides the recoil, so switching up wasn’t too hard.
WoUSPSA – Seems to have worked for you! Did you have a goal going into the Limited-10 Nationals?
Randi – My goal is always to shoot my best. I was lucky this time that my best was good enough to win.
WoUSPSA – You and Julie both posted some awesome runs, one after another, and often, you and Jessie are quite close when competing. How do you approach each new stage when you have such tough competition?
Randi – I always just try to shoot my game. Ultimately, I am competing against myself. If I am doing the best that I can do then whatever happens happens. I approach each new stage as the most important stage of the match. I try to disregard what my competitors do and remember that I am me and there is nothing else that matters. My goals are to hit the targets and be smooth. If I can do that, I am happy
WoUSPSA – And how do you feel you performed in the second match?
Randi – I felt that my performance in the match was adequate. I believe that there never has been and never will be a shooter who is happy about the way they shot. Each person feels that there is something they could have done better. It is the same for me. There are a couple of shots that I would like back. However, I am pleased with the results so I can’t complain too much. Shooting for me is a leaning process and I just try to learn as much as I can to make my shooting better.
WoUSPSA – Would you give us a day by day account of your match?
Randi – Well, I shot both matches, so after the Production match I was really determined to shoot better. On Wednesday, I tried to take it easy. I went and registered, and I went to the indoor range, where we shipped our ammo, to fire a few rounds. I shot groups and tried to get myself back on an even keel.
Thursday I shot late so I slept in and ate a big breakfast. My shooting on Thursday felt really strong. I shot stages 9-13. The stages were similar to the previous match which made the shooting a little easier. I didn’t make any mistakes on the first day.
Friday we shot early. I normally like to shoot early because it is easier for me to stay focused early. I had two no shoots and one mike on stage 16 and then I had a Mike on stage 2. Stage 16 was a couple of challenging shots that I pulled, and stage 2 I didn’t put enough shots on a mover. I think I had gotten a little too confident the first day and pushed too hard the second.
Saturday was my final day of shooting. I shot in the afternoon again and I was ready. I dry fired that morning and concentrated on staying relaxed and focused. It was a little nerve racking, but I held on and came out victorious.
WoUSPSA – Did you know you were in the lead going into the last stage? If so, how did that affect your performance?
Randi – I was pretty sure that I was in the lead going into the last day. For that day I just tried to shoot my sights and get my points. For the last stage I knew that it was close. I knew that I needed to get my hits, but I also knew that I needed to stay aggressive and not give up anytime. I wanted to be aggressive and I got a little too aggressive and popped a no-shoot, but I got the hit so it all worked out.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Randi – My best stage was stage 12, Flippin’ Out. I worked really hard on this stage because I had gotten a mike on it in the last match and I didn’t want to do that again.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Randi – My favorite stage was the Texas Star stage, stage 7. I like shooting steel and I thought it was fun and challenging the way they made the star spin.
WoUSPSA – So, what did you think of the stages in general?
Randi – Overall I thought the stages were OK. It is tough shooting a back to back Nationals because the range can’t change all the stages, but they can’t really leave them all the same either. I wish that there would have been more diversity and standards.
WoUSPSA – Do you have any comments you would like to add in closing?
Randi – I would just like to thank everyone for coming out and I look forward to seeing everyone again next year.
WoUSPSA – We’ll be there! Congratulations again, Randi, on winning the 2009 USPSA Limited-10 Nationals!
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That wraps it up for the L10 Nationals coverage. We have one more to report upon, the Limited Nationals, and there are quite a few new names in the Top-8! We’re excited to be bringing you their stories …
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
