IDPA Match

This past Saturday I shot in an IDPA in Spartanburg. I am classified as a Marksman, which is the lowest class there is except for novice. I usually finish near the bottom of my class because I am slow. I cannot seem to force myself to shoot faster.

I don't know if it is because I spent all those years as a police officer either being taught or teaching others that there is a lawyer attached to every bullet out of your weapon, or I an just getting old and slow. I do know that my friend George keeps telling me I can move faster because the targets aren't going to shoot back at me. He usually says that after I have been really slow doing a building search scenerio. I know that I treat them as the real thing and search and use cover and "slice the pie" like I taught all those years at DKPD.

Here are some short videos of my friends Mack, George and myself on one of the stages. This was a really simple stage so I did well. It is 15 shots on three targets. Because I was shooting a 1911 I had to reload twice. The first part was shooting two rounds on each of three targets, then a manatory reload, then two more on the three targets, then come back with a head shot on each target. I will never be competitive. I don't have the inclination to do all the practice required, nor do I want to develop the bad habits that this type of competition brings to the real world. However, I really do enjoy the matches and it really is a decent way to your skill level from completely deteriorating. I keep telling my friends that I am just there to keep in practice in case I need to repel boarders.

Starting my blog.

This is all new to me. I am always way behind the trend. As I understand it, hardly anyone blogs anymore. It's all Facebook, Tweeting, texting, and probably a ton of other things I know nothing about. In fact I had to get Becky to get me logged in just a few minutes ago.

I decided to give this a try so I might let my friends know what is going on in my and my family's lives.

Last week Becky and I had our grandson, Eli, up here for a few days. We had a great time. We visited local places that we hoped would be fun for a four year old.
We were a little concerned that Eli would become homesick and we would have to take him back to Atlanta before the weekend. Not to worry. We must have been good at the grandparent job of spoiling grandchildren because when we told him we were taking him home on Friday, he said he didn't want to go home and wanted to stay with us from now on.

I think he misses not being the center of attention now that he has twin sisters, which he certainly was the days he spent with us.

Of course when he got home he was very glad to see his mom and dad. The look on his sisters' faces when they saw him was something I would die for. They must have missed their big brother.

We are going to St. Louis soon to see our other set of grandchildren. We won't get as much time with Trip, the six yr. old, because he started the 1st. grade today.
(They go to school year round in his district) It seems like only yesterday that Amy brought him home from the hospital. At least Quinn and Webb will be home all day for me to spoil.

I have an IDPA match this Saturday. I'm pumped. I've missed that last couple of matches. Even though I still shoot local cowboy matches and three gun matches, my favorite is IDPA. I am certainly not a "competitor" in any of the shooting disciplines, but I enjoy the matches and the comraderie I share with other shooters.

Well, I guess I will call it quits for now.
Take care and God bless.