Free For All Friday 11-7-2014: Get a bit competitive…
As you may have heard, but Noobvember is here and just getting warmed up. There’s another big event happening this month that you should take notice of: Movember. If you’re a male…and considering the results of my analytics of my site there’s a good chance you are…you should pay attention to this. Prostate cancer is a unique illness among men and it’s one that, if detected early, has a very good survival rate. The “early” detection window is small, however. The Movember movement seeks to raise money for prostate cancer research and raise awareness about it in general. This is done by people pledging not to shave during the month of November and grow a glorious mustache. If you would like to join in the mustache goodness and join Team GunNoob, head over to http://MOBRO.CO/gunnoob and get started!
We had one question this week:
Hey Noob, let me start by saying I am not looking to participate in competitions. Honestly even if i wanted to, I am a very long way away from anything of that sort. However, I am interested in the different shooting sports themselves. So my question is, how do you watch these events and find news about them? Are they on TV or is there some online presence where you can check them out? Beyond the program “Top Shot” on the history channel, I don’t know much about the different big shooters or regular competitions (or the rules that come with them), but I would like to learn and watch them if possible. Any suggestions? Thanks! -JD
I wish I had better news for you on this one. For the most part, shooting competitions haven’t really gotten the memo that this is the year 2014 and it’s very simple to broadcast things online. If you’re not wanting to stream live, it gets even easier. As such, their offerings are a bit lacking. They post highlight reels on occasion but, beyond that, the offerings are lacking to say the least.
The good news is that there’s a good chance you’re going to find competitions relatively nearby, whether official or unofficial. I can tell you from experience that visiting them live is far more fun than just watching them online or on TV even if it’s just a local competition. Check the events page on the main governing bodies for schedules and locations and check the calendars on local shooting clubs and ranges to see what’s happening in your area.
As far as the rules themselves, IDPA and USPSA have slightly different rules from each other. There are great resources on their site. For a great, high level look check out Julie Golob’s book “Shoot!” (reviewed on GN here). She gives a rundown on just about every type of pro shooting out there and is a great read even if you never plan on participating.
On that note, I would highly recommend giving it a shot (no pun intended). For the unofficial competitions and such, it doesn’t usually cost you more than a couple boxes of ammo and possibly a small entry fee (which usually is the same as the range fee and covers your range fee). It’s a lot of fun and, if nothing else, gives you a good test of your abilities. It’s a heck of a rush too.
Thanks for the questions!
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