Youth Competition???

[pipman]

Hey all. My 9yr old daughter has been shooting for a few years now and has mentioned about getting into competition shooting. I haven't really taken her too seriously, thinking it was just a phase like dancing and soccer were. However since attending the NRA this weekend she is pushing it even more. The only problem is I have no idea where to start. I've tried to look up info online but so far everything I've found starts at age 12.

I was hoping someone could help me out and give some direction of what is around for her age group. She is more into either pistol or 3 gun type events. Basically something fast paced. She doesn't do as well with long range marksmanship type shooting. Is there even anywhere we could go to observe others her age in action so she can see first hand and decide if she really wants to try? She has seen plenty of TV shows and YouTube videos, but that's nothing like seeing it in person. We live in Indy but are willing to drive if necessary.

Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Pipman

 

[GNRPowdeR]

HHRP Steel Valley could help you start bridging the gap, as could Friday Night Steel @ MCF&G

 

[cakelly1962]

South Central hosts a USPSA match Sunday in Freetown. Spectators are always welcome. And yes I've seen her age shooting USPSA. Limited Minor would be a good place to start. Less reloading. Like GNR posted above Friday Night Steel at Marion County Fish & Game would be good also.

 

[pipman]

Thanks for the input. Would any of those be able to use .22 or are they air? She has a 10/22, 15-22, & SR22 as of now. She wants a 22/45 with a Pac-Lite barrel, but I want to hold off on getting it for her especially if she cant use it in any competition s yet.

 

[Snizz1911]

For USPSA/IDPA club matches .22 LR cannot be used. However for Friday night steel or Steel Challenge matches 22 are very popular. You might also look into an Appleseed event if they want to work on marksmanship training with rifle.

Sorry I can't get much more in depth as I don't have kids and never looked into youth programs. It may also be worth looking into a class from Coach. He does beginner pistol and intro to competition classes, very worthwhile as fundamentals and safety is heavily covered as well as preparation of what to expect at a competition.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

Steel Challenge is probably the best place to start, fast paced and exciting but simple enough for a beginner. Bring out whatever guns she likes and all the mags you can find and I'm sure they will find a division for her. I'm gonna try and hit as many steel matches as I can this summer and she is welcome to use my gear if she wants to try a variety of stuff.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

She has a 10/22, 15-22, & SR22 as of now.

All three of these are fine to use in the Steel Valley and the FNS matches. If you have two mags for the 15-22, she should be fine... The others, I'd suggest at least five "standard capacity" mags. You will encounter five or six hits per Stage and shoot each Stage three times. The shooter may change mags during their turn, but may not load mags during their turn.

If you have any specific questions about Steel Valley, I'm the match director. If you have any specific questions about FNS, I've been attending for two years and used their setup as the foundation for my Steel Valley match.

 

[Bcampbell]

There is a steel challenge match this sat "5-3-14" at the Riley conservation club. Their matches are ran very efficient and most importantly SAFE and kid friendly. I've got extra magazines for a 10/22 or M&P 15/22 if needed .
Brian

 

[pipman]

Mike Elzinga - I appreciate the offer, I think we are going to try to join MCF&G and make it to some Steel matches. Maybe we'll run into you.

 

[pipman]

There is a steel challenge match this sat "5-3-14" at the Riley conservation club. Their matches are ran very efficient and most importantly SAFE and kid friendly. I've got extra magazines for a 10/22 or M&P 15/22 if needed .
Brian

Unfortunately I'm going out of town Saturday for a week for work or we would definitely check it out. Thanks for the offer, we have several mags for each, but not sure if we have enough.

Pipman

 

[pipman]

Thanks for the info everyone. We will definitely check out some of the steel matches. Her Girl Scout meetings are held at Camp Dellwood right behind MCF&G, but I've never been to shoot there before. Will have to join and check it out. I'm also interested in learning more about HHRP Steel Valley. Thanks again everyone!!

 

[millsusaf]

In addition to steel matches there is a Ruger Rimfire match coming up in June at Atlanta Conservation Club. It is .22LR pistol and rifle match. As a match director and RO I would recommend you get the rule book, read and understand the rules, go over them with her (especially range commands and safety issues) then take her to the range and practice, practice, practice, including range commands and safety.

You both will be pretty disheartened if she were to get DQ'd and sent home her first time for some safety violation. Both of your experiences will be much better if she is more relaxed because she understands what is going on and what to expect. Additionally she will be much happier with her performance as a result of practice.

Rimfire Challenge | National Shooting Sports Foundation

 

[pipman]

In addition to steel matches there is a Ruger Rimfire match coming up in June at Atlanta Conservation Club. It is .22LR pistol and rifle match. As a match director and RO I would recommend you get the rule book, read and understand the rules, go over them with her (especially range commands and safety issues) then take her to the range and practice, practice, practice, including range commands and safety.

You both will be pretty disheartened if she were to get DQ'd and sent home her first time for some safety violation. Both of your experiences will be much better if she is more relaxed because she understands what is going on and what to expect. Additionally she will be much happier with her performance as a result of practice.

Rimfire Challenge | National Shooting Sports Foundation

Thanks for the info. Actually I have been showing her videos of competition shooting and teaching her about the commands and what they mean and how to react. I was going to get her an airsoft gun to shoot in the backyard for the mai. Purpose of going over commands and ensuring she acts safely. I know she can, but with stress of competition I want to make sure she stays on top of her game, like you said she doesnt need to be DQ'd for something she knows knows better of. When I get back from my business trip im gonna take her to a FNS match so she can see it in person and then get her some extensive range time before she starts competing. Shes shot for years, just not in that setting. The next problem is finding ammo..... ive only got a few boxes of .22 left. That will probablg be the hardest part of all of it. Lol.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[downrange72]

I think south central has a steel match next Saturday

Friday Night Steel is the 2nd Friday of the month. Also, have a 4th Friday match during the warmer months

 

[singlesix]

Thanks for the info everyone. We will definitely check out some of the steel matches. Her Girl Scout meetings are held at Camp Dellwood right behind MCF&G, but I've never been to shoot there before. Will have to join and check it out. I'm also interested in learning more about HHRP Steel Valley. Thanks again everyone!!

While we would love to have you as a member just to be clear you don't have to be a member to shoot Friday Steel at MCFG. Next match is on the 9th, be there before 6PM, 6PM is the safety meeting and you must attend in order to shoot.

 

[pipman]

Well just an update on this. We made it to MCF&G yesterday to check out FNS. It is definitely something that both my daughter and I would love to try out. She was full of questions both there and after we left. Some of which I wasn't quite sure of. There were groups of shooters at each station, but the groups seemed to be diverse between rimfire, revolver, carbine, etc... I assume you don't group up based on what you are shooting, if now how do you group up? Basically I was wanting to know if I was shooting 9mm and she was shooting .22 would we be able to be in the same group? She'd be more comfortable that way. I seen in the rules that 5 magazines were the minimum requirement. It seems to me though that some folks only had 2-3 magazines. Is the 5 a strict minimum? I do understand the fact that if you run out of ammo then you get max points. We'll more than likely be at the FNS in two weeks. We're both looking forward to it!!

 

[GNRPowdeR]

People "squad up" simply by handing their sheet to an RO.

The five mags is a strong suggestion. If you run out of loaded mags before you've completed the course of fire, you will receive the max time for the remaining strings of that stage. And... I was one of those running last night with only three mags due to a severe hardware malfunction issue... Two of my non-factory mags experience a loss of base plates while shooting my first stage / first string. I only had five mags at the beginning, but completed the match with the remaining three factory mags.

 

[pipman]

People "squad up" simply by handing their sheet to an RO.

The five mags is a strong suggestion. If you run out of loaded mags before you've completed the course of fire,

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. We were the three that came in around 7 and looked out of place. lol. We just wanted to bring my daughter to watch first and let her see if its something she really wants to try. She's pretty excited to go back and do it herself now. Time to go out and buy some mags and ammo I suppose.