WATCH: 2014 USPSA Free State

I won’t lie. I miss living in Montana, but when you can get up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning and drive to shoot a crazy fun state championship it certainly helps. The United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Free State Championship was hosted by Mill Creek Practical Shooters in De Soto, KS and the courses of fire rivaled some of the sport’s best regional-level events. 

The Free State marked my last major match warm-up before I shoot the USPSA Nationals and I have to say it was excellent. My first stage was a 40-yard Standards. Just to add a bit more challenge, Mother Nature made it nice and foggy too. The demanding accuracy didn’t end there. There were plenty of zombies (headshots only), targets with hard cover and no shoots.

Of course, who could forget the 32-round steel stage with 2 Texas Stars and a spinning Polish Plate Rack? You’d think I have some sort of genetic advantage on that whirling cyclone of itty bitty steel considering my heritage, but once that thing started spinning I was toast. I now need one… or two.

My performance was a huge improvement over the recent Area 8 Championship and I jumped 17% in my scores. Even more exciting, I placed 2nd Overall in the Production Division. I have a long way to go to get back to winning form, but all things considered, I am stoked!

Now, the only bad thing? I was the only woman shooting in the match. This needs to change and I hope to work with the local clubs to help get more women out to shoot the matches in our area. So, ladies of Kansas and Missouri, come on out and let’s shoot!

As always, a huge thank you to my sponsors for their support! My gear for the competition: Smith & Wesson M&P 9L (stock) with Warren Tactical Sights, Rand CLP, ASYM 147 gr. Ammunition with Starline Brass, Rudy Project Ability, and Safariland ELS Production Rig.

I only brought one Midland XTC 400 with me so this isn’t a very fancy match recap, but check out the full video on YouTube.