Fredericksburg USPSA Wounded Warrior Match

After mostly recovering from the trek to shoot the North Carolina Sectional on Friday, I was up early Sunday to take in the monthly Fredericksburg Practical Shooters USPSA match. In a stark contrast from the warm temps of North Carolina a couple of days prior, Sunday morning dawned cool and wet. At the scheduled match start time a steady rain was falling. A vote was taken among the shooters and it was decided if the rain didn't stop by 10:00AM, the match would be postponed until Monday, the Columbus Day holiday, since many folks had the day off. By the appointed time it was still raining, and we were all checking the radar on our phones. It looked like there might be a break coming, so the decision to postpone was delayed. Fortunately by 10:30 the rain stopped and the match proceeded. I was very happy with that decision since I was working on Monday. I was looking forward to shooting this match as it would probably be the last USPSA match for me this year.

Match Directors Alan and Vince had pulled out all the stops for this final match. They apparently went way into the back of the Conex containers and found all sorts of moving targets. Unfortunately, complex targets setups can lead to complex problems. Some squads were delayed on several stages by prop malfunctions. That, and the delayed started made for a long day, but everyone seemed to take it in stride and enjoy the opportunity to shoot the variety of moving targets. I suspect, and hope, we'll see these props again next year now that there have been some lessons learned.

On Stage 1, "Down The Beaten Path," there was a stomp plate that activated a drop turner, and at the same time on the opposite side of the course, a clam shell with a target that was quickly covered by a no-shoot except for the head area. There was no way I was going beat both targets, so a head shot was required on the second target. Stage 2, "Annie Get Your Gun" incorporated no-shoot targets placed in front of, and behind, the poppers, exposing only the "head" area of the steel.

Stage 3, "Hide 'n Seek" had  several movers, along with some longer static shots. A popper activated  swinging no-shoot target arrays in front of two static paper targets. I ended losing some time waiting on the targets to be exposed. Stage 6, "Shake It Up," had perhaps the most unusual prop set up. Hitting a popper on one side of the bay exposed a popper on the other side, which in turn activated a triple-target swinger which was shot through a small port in a wall. The original plan had a door over the port that was also activated by the swinger. That malfunctioned, so "in a sign of sportsmanship" we were asked to not shoot the triple-swinger until it had been activated.

There were a total of 8 stages in the match; 7 field courses and 1 classifier. (Flicker photo album here.) I was mostly happy with my performance. As usual I finished about in the middle of the pack, with stage finishes ranging from 8th to 24th on the 7 field courses, and claiming 85.60% of the match points before penalties, and 79.01% after accounting for some no-shoots and misses.

The Match Directors wanted to create a memorable match to close out the season. Despite a few issues, I think they were successful. It was an exciting and challenging match and I'm glad we managed to get it in despite the threatening weather.

This match was also the annual fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. Shooters paid an additional $5.00 entry fee, as well as any optional donations. The extra entry fee was matched by the Fredericksburg Rod & Gun club. In total, $796 was raised for this worthy cause.

Stage 8: Mirror Mirror

Evening Parade, Marine Barracks Washington

We took a trip to DC this weekend to see the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington. The Barracks, also known as "8th and I", was established in 1801. It is called the "oldest Post of the Corps." The Evening Parade consists of appearances by the U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, along with Alpha and Bravo Companies, which make up the ceremonial infantry units of Marine Barracks Washington. Alpha Company includes the Silent Drill Platoon.

The Evening Parade is held every Friday during the summer. And although free, the tickets are hard to come by, as they are reserved almost as soon as they become available. Thanks to the persistent efforts of a friend we were privileged to attend last Friday's event. After driving to Northern VA to meet up with the ticket bearer we took a long subway ride into the city. After dinner at a local restaurant and pub, we made our way over to the Marine Barracks. The streets around the Barracks were filled with uniformed Marines and members of other branches of the Armed Forces. We even saw uniformed personnel from other countries. Also attending were many veterans groups and other heroes sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. The current Director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, was introduced as a guest of honor.

It wasn't long after we were seated that we noticed the U.S. flag flying over the Barracks was different. This flag consists of 15 stars and 15 stripes. (Video.) This is the flag of our Country as it appeared from 1795-1818. Also known as the "Star Spangled Banner Flag", the Marines are permitted to fly this version of the flag on the Fridays of the Evening Parade. The only other location allowed to fly this flag is Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

The Marines are justifiably proud of the historical significance of both the location and the mission of Marine Barracks Washington. The Evening Parade is an impressive display of precision and pageantry. I encourage anyone who is able to make the effort experience this historic, and patriotic event.

July USPSA Match

The Fredericksburg monthly USPSA match was held on Sunday, July 3. This match also marked one year since my first USPSA match, also at Fredericksburg. One hundred and seven shooting enthusiasts turned out for a fun and challenging day. While the morning started out overcast with a light rain, by the time we started shooting the sun was out and shining brightly. By mid-day the temperature reached 97°, which added to the challenge, but didn't detract from the fun. The match consisted of 7 stages with an interesting variety of layouts. There were fast "run and gun" stages, as well as stages with some long shots that required careful aiming.

Stage 1, which was the last stage our squad shot, was a "simple" setup with just 5 targets spread in a wide arc across the bay. Unfortunately that was my worst stage of the day, proving that the deceptively simple stages are not always so. I was pretty tired and worn out from the heat by that point, which may have contributed to my poor performance.

Stage 2, the first stage we shot, was a typical run and shoot stage. Likewise with Stage 3, which also included some steel poppers in addition to the paper targets. The stages require several reloads and quick movement between shooting positions. I had my best results on these two stages, placing 12th and 15th out of 41 shooters in the Division, respectively.

Stage 4 was the classifier. I was pretty confident going into this one as I've been practicing strong hand only shooting, and the stage required 6 SHO shots. I ended up pegging a No Shoot nonetheless. Stages 5 and 6 were two more fun field stages with lots of movement, shooting through ports and around walls. Stage 7 required the shooter to stand on a suspended platform and shoot at steel and paper about 20 yards downrange.

Besides a great day of shooting, the match was also a fund raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. Shooters donated a little extra with their entry fee, and the Fredericksburg club matched the shooters' contributions. The Black Creek Steel Shooting Club also donated $500, bringing the total raised to around $1850. Fun times and a worthy cause.

The match was a great way to celebrate the Independence Day holiday. I posted a video from the match here for your entertainment.

Stage 5

Blue & Gray Supports the Wounded Warrior EOD Foundation

Blue & Gray Brewing is a proud sponsor of the Rappahannock River "Polar Plunge," organized by the Wounded Warrior EOD foundation.  The  plunge will take place on at 9:00AM February 12th. All registrants receive a free Blue & Gray Brewing Co. Polar Plunge 2011 "Now That's A Cold One" pint glass.

The Wounded EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Warrior Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that provides assistance to our Wounded EOD Warriors and their families in the form of financial relief. The resources provided by the Foundation to the wounded and their families are above and beyond the budgetary constraints of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information on the Polar Plunge, and for registration information see the event page.