2006 IDPA National Championship and RoadtripSeptember 20: My cameraphone arrived yesterday. Rumor has it the Nationals will be in another state next year, and I'll be squading with some exceptional shooters, so it's time to switch cell-providers and upgrade my phone. Now I'm chasing the sun to Memphis on U.S. 78 from Birmingham via Tupelo; then crossing black water, picking up I-40, and gliding on 32psi to Little Rock: 550 miles, 10 hours, 51.5 mpg (QuikTrip). September 21: To rest up, I spend a warm and windy day at Pinnacle Mountain State Park and take some pictures, including the all-time worst of a Bald Eagle soaring above the summit:  That night at the reception, Horace and Claude swap stories with Bill and Joyce Wilson:  One story makes me wonder if there's an IDPA stage that can demonstrate the advantage of a tactical reload over a speed reload. (Note the absence of the ever asocial Capel.) September 22: Squad 21 shoots in the afternoon. It has stopped raining, but humidity and mud remain (and I appreciate Cherokee's sodded ranges all the more). The squad has 11 shooters, most from Smith & Wesson, with 5 Masters. Here's Jerry Miculek, ESR Master and Champion, on the move in a Subway Surprise (Stage 18) with CSO "Iron Mike" Webb tracking:  September 23: Squad 21 starts the morning off with Stage 1, Nationals Standards, a mere 42 rounds. We shoot in groups of three; I'm in the last group, with Jerry M. on my left and S Dave on my right; tell me again how I got on this squad? Then we move to the next bay of stages, which turn out to be my favorites. With CSO Craig Buckland presiding, Jerry has Enough of Stage 2, kicks over a car, and finishes with a flourish of support-hand shooting:  The mud is not a factor this morning. A chilling rain starts up, but we get to the fourth and final bay before it becomes steady. Jerry and I are in the first group, so we finish early and stand around in the rain, pasting. I ask him about his late father-in-law, James Clark, and we talk about Clark Long Slides, welding, and astounding feats of bullseye shooting. The match ends. September 24: The SOs are recognized at the award ceremony (my apologies to those I couldn't squeeze in, two of whom will be hosting next year's Nationals in Pennsylvania):  This was the 10th Anniversary Nationals. Seven of the 18 stages were taken from the 1999 -- 2005 matches. It was a tough match. The average SSP/MA score was 270: If this corresponds inversely to the average SSP/MA classifier percentage of 92.5, then only 15 of those 22 were shooting above the Master 85% cutoff, down some from the 4-out-of-5 the previous two years. The round count increased to 269 from last year's 224. While both matches had 18 stages on paper, reading the fine print reveals the number of stages increased to 24 from 19. Surprisingly, 2005 had more long stages (5 v. 3 over-twelve rounders). This year, the emphasis seemed to be on 2 shots, 2 shots, 2 shots, etc.; thereby shortening the stages somewhat, though perhaps at some expense of the IDPA style as well. In any case, I would like to see either larger squads or smaller bays. Splitting us into mini-squads of 3 or 5 just leads to nonstop pasting, less time to prepare, and fewer photos. The shooting would be even more enjoyable. Now the weather has cleared up and cooled down, and my roadtrip continues westward on Arkansas 10:  Last modified: 10/14/2006 |