I just finished my first major 3-gun match. I feel so good about all of it. Ever since the Keith Garcia class in April, I have been dry firing daily, and live firing (at least) weekly. A lot of preparation went into this match for me, and I am beyond excited.
The morning of our first day, we had to show up an hour early to register, so Sean and a fellow Vortex Shooter, Joe Farewell decided that it would be best to load all the gear up into our car a good half hour before we had to leave.
Joe had a small rental car, and parking at the match is limited for competitors, so we decided it would be beast to share a single vehicle. Somewhere in the loading process, Sean closed the back of the SUV and locked the keys inside in the process.
(Keep in mind, we are all dressed and ready to leave).
The silver lining to this terrible situation, is that Joe is a vice detective back in Florida, so naturally he knows how to break into vehicles. Between Sean using his fancy Emerson Knife to pry the passenger door open, and Joe sliding his shoe string (with a slipknot tied in the middle of the string) into the inside of the door, he somehow got a grip on the lock and was able to pull it up, giving us access to the car.
Amazingly enough. We all made it to registration on time, and we shot the rest of the match without having to break into our own car again.
The first day I was dealing with getting over my first experience with “major match nerves.” But by the second and third days I was much more relaxed and able to shoot closer to my ability. The rush of the whole thing almost seemed to be too much, but I loved every second of it.
I want more!
I am humbled to be associated with so many great companies. Safariland covering my match fees was unbelievable. Vortex Optics, Gargoyles Eyewear, Dueck Defense, Heckler & Koch, 5.11 Tactical, Breda USA, and HK Parts all deserve so much thanks for what they’ve done to support me, Sean, and the shooting sports. Oh, and Emerson Knives, because without their massively strong knives, we probably would still be back in the VRBO parking lot waiting for a locksmith.
(More m
atch footage and videos to come soon).
Alysia Shoots 