Posted: 10/7/2008 10:26:57 AM EDT
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There's a thread in GD about Pine Wood Derby. Everyone is giving advice to the OP about how to best build the car. The thread is dripping with macho competition. I thought it was kind of sad, so I made a post about my PW Derby car, complete with pic. I was raised without a strong emphasis on sports and competitiveness. My parents always taught me that the end goal was to have fun. Winning wasn't what mattered to them, just as long as I enjoyed what I was doing, and was wanting to do it. Now, I suck at sports, and am honestly sickened sometimes at America's 'Soccer Mom-ness' with forcing their kids to be so damn competitive. Anyway. My point is, I have been feeling off this year. I've been sucking at my shooting matches, and trying to 'get better' and such. I was actually at the point at the end of August that I was going to quit, and maybe even sell off some of my 'competition guns'. But, that thread made me realize that it's all about having fun. So, now I'm looking forward to Higginsville with a new mindset. I just want to shoot. Can I shoot without a score sheet? |
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I don't think you can shoot without a score sheet, but you can do what I do and pretty much ignore the score sheet. My personal rules of shooting competition, in order of importance, are: 1. Be safe 2. Have fun 3. Make friends 4. Try not to screw up on reloads Be competitive, but be competitive within yourself, at a level that is healthy for you. Don't compare yourself to others overly much, because honestly, you don't know that much about them. This is a life lesson, not a sportsmanship lesson. Example: The guy at work who gets paid way more than you do because he's always there and working hard, and you try to be like him so you can get a pay raise and be at his level? Yeah, he HAS to work those long hours to pay child support to his ex for the two kids he never sees. The divorce happened because he was always putting in extra hours at work to get promoted, so he didn't pay enough attention to his wife, who eventually left him for a greaseball with a used Harley because it was "exciting." So, when you find out more about his life, it turns out you don't really want to be him, and your competitive drive to emulate him isn't well-founded. |
I have my multi-time winning Pinewood Derby car here on my desk at work.  Unfortunately time has taken a heavy toll on the old girl as the plastic wheels were so embrittled that one slight contact with my desk top and they had to be glued back together. But I can still see the modifications made to the wheels so that only the center rib made contact with the track (to reduce rolling resistance), along with the belly full of steel BBs that were initally loose but in later years were glued in place as they changed the rules due to my unbeatable win streak. |
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I am a firm believer in the benefits of healthy competition when you are young. You are going to spend your whole life competing. Whether it is competing for a promotion at work, competing for a parking slot, or competing for the last piece of birthday cake. If you raise kids to believe winning and competing isnt important, you are doing them a disservice. You are setting them up for failure in the long run. Notice I said "healthy" competition. Im not saying push them to the breaking point. They need to be taught that having fun is important, but winning is the most fun of all. My .02!! |
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Healthy competition is always good. Not wanting to loose is a good motivator. Even the Chiefs win a game every now and then. I want my daughter to know winning and loosing. I don't like the "everybody wins" movement. A lot of the people you see being pushy or over competitive probably have insecurities that drive them to overcompensate. Or they could just be dicks. As for the competitions, I look at them as nothing more than practice. Am I attempting to be the next big thing in IPSC or IDPA? Hell no. Am I attempting to gain practical experience of "possible" real world situations? Yes. It allows me to get very familiar with my gun and my equipment. So, when we are invaded by moon men from Europa who just happen to be shaped like the USPSA target...I can guarantee I can put two holes somewhere in A or C. 
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don't give up your goal of "competing", what is your goal?, to win every match? beat your ffriends? or just shoot clean with no mises. understand that the guys you see winning at most matches and the guys that have that ever elusive master rank worked hard for them...........how many hours a week do you spend dry firing, how many rounds of real practice did you shoot last month? winning on the score sheet is hard work and takes lots of work (at least it does for me) i get to shoot 3-4 club matches a month and several sectionals and at least one area match a year. i give up lots to do this and work lots of extra hours. that is what it takes for me to compete. but you know there are lots of people that shoot 1 club match a month, never really practice and they are competing. having fun and playing a great game. the guy that shoots 100 bullets a year and is to scared to come out and really play a game..he's not competing. the bottom line is competing is different things to many different people. if you want some help in shooting let me now, i'll do what i can to help you
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That's me. I have always just competed against myself...can I shoot a bit faster next time, cleaner, etc? I do shoot accurately, and I rarely hit no-shoots or get other procedurals. I'm just slow. I described myself as a one-armed musket shooter once....heh. I can't seem to get faster, even though I feel like I am shooting more accurate, drawing and moving better, etc. I am often shocked when I see the scores, and there I am waaaaaaay down there.  It just seems like everyone I shoot with is so much faster than I am, and they don't practice any more often than I do (that I know of). I've thought about taking some competition orientated classes, but as mentioned, they're not really cheap and/or close. (And, this year, I got into motorcycles, so that has sucked up a lot of my extra time and money.) But, my focus now is to just go shoot and have fun again. It's a heck of a lot more fun than just plugging holes in paper! And, I get to hang out with a bunch of cool guys. I don't think I'll do CMMG's big match next summer though. It's pretty expensive to do, and requires time off work. An awesome match, and I'm glad I participated in it twice now, but I could put that time and money into something else...I might just focus on Higginsville and/or Tri-county matches next year. |
Here's mine:  Basic. Carved with Boy Scout pocket knife, sand paper, and model spray paint. |
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Each person competes for different reasons. For some, like many of you have stated is to compete against yourself, to get better at your craft for your own reasons. For some it's the love of competition. The ritual, the practice, the sacrifice and reaping of the benefits of said sacrifice. I am competetive by nature. I was always taught the value of sportsmanship, but always do the best you can. In a competetive environment there is NO shame in loosing, there is only shame in not trying. My dad always used to say "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right". "Right" to you may be to hone your edge and feel the pressure. Or it may be to fine tune your abillity to draw in 1.2 seconds from your carry rig to defend your life. Either way, do it 100%. These club matches are great practice. Shooter has told Poly and I on an occasion or two "Practice right!". Don't half-arse it. Each practice should have a pourpose, and sometimes that pourpose SHOULD be to blow off steam and have fun in a safe, and LOUD environment!  Just my .02 |