Everyone needs something that challenges them outside of work and everyday life. A few years ago, I found that in competitive shooting.
To be honest, I almost never started.
I have ADHD, and I convinced myself this sport probably wasn’t for me. Competitive shooting demands focus, discipline, patience, and attention to detail. I kept thinking, “How am I supposed to quiet the noise long enough to perform?”
But somewhere along the way, I stopped worrying about whether I was naturally built for it and started focusing on getting a little better every time I trained.
This weekend, that work paid off.
I finished 11th out of 30 in Carry Optics and 24th out of 90 overall. More importantly, I finally made USPSA B Class.
What makes it meaningful isn’t the letter next to my name. It’s the moment that almost took it away.
On my first classifier run, I turned on the draw, lost my balance, and threw a mike on the very first shot. I knew immediately I had blown a huge opportunity. My overall classification percentage was sitting at 59.89%, and I only needed 56.6% on this stage to make B Class.
I had a choice. Dwell on the mistake, or reset.
At the last second, I decided to reshoot the classifier. Paid the extra $5.00s.
I remember telling myself: “Stop thinking. We’ve got work to do.”
I didn’t even turn my camera back on. This run wasn’t for social media. It wasn’t for anyone else. It was personal.
I stopped worrying about B Class. Stopped thinking about the missed shot. Stopped thinking about failing.
The only thing that mattered was executing the stage the best I could and trusting the training.
Grip. Target focus. Movement. One shot at a time.
When it was over, I had cut more than a second off my time and shot a 69% classifier run.
That run pushed me into B Class.
One thing this sport has taught me is that growth usually happens right after things go wrong. The people who improve are not the ones who never fail. They are the ones who can reset, trust the work they’ve put in, and keep moving forward.
Set goals that scare you a little. Put in the work when nobody sees it. And when things go sideways, don’t stay there.
Reset. Refocus. Go again. Next Stop... A Class by October