(Image taken by John Holbrook @thrumylensjbh on Instagram and http://www.thrumylens.org/)
Have you ever been to Indiana? This was our first time going to Indiana and it happened to be for the 2020 Area 5 Steel Challenge Championship. This would be my second major match where I shot my JP GMR 15 Ultralight, Glock 34 Gen5, and Volquartsen Scorpions. I wanted to get a B class at this match with my Carry Optics.
We stopped only an hour from the range to get some sleep in before we shot on Friday afternoon. After we woke up the next morning we all ate breakfast, got ready for the match, and then started our way to Riley Conservation Club.
Once we arrived at the range, we got everything ready and went to go see everyone. We ate some amazing lunch and then made our way down to Showdown. Bridget and I were shooting our JP Rifles GMR-15 as our PCCI and PCCO. I had an awesome time shooting with the McCoy’s and Mr. Brian! I shot a 79.39 with PCCO and 87.99 with PCCI. With my PCCO I placed 2nd out of 12 in Master Class, 3rd out of 11 in Lady Category, 11th out of 52 overall in the PCCO Division. With my PCCI I placed 2nd out of 4 in Lady Category and 4th out of 15 overall in the PCCI Division.
For Saturday morning, we shot our Volquartsen Scorpions in RFPO and RFPI. The Scorpions ran amazingly and I was able to knock 9.35 seconds off of my best RFPO time and 3.07 seconds off of my PFPI time. (Going off of personal best shot at tier ll or above matches.) On Saturday afternoon I shot my Glock 34 Gen5 for the Carry Optics Division. This was my second time shooting my Glock at a major match. The first time was at the Georgia State Steel Challenge Championship in March. I shot a 157.14 in Georgia and lost 14.32 seconds off my time at this match, where I shot a 142.82. I’m overjoyed with how I performed with my pistols at this match. I placed 3rd out of 31 overall in the RFPI Division and 2nd out of 4 in Lady and Junior Category. With my RFPI I placed, 1st out of 10 in Master Class, 2nd out of 13 in Lady Category, 2nd out of 10 in Juniors Category, and 6th overall out of 64 in the RFPO Division.
On Sunday morning I shot my RFRO and RFRI. I was hoping to get into the 60’s with my rimfire rifles. Even though that didn’t happen this match, I’m still very happy with how I shot my rimfire rifles! I shot with my Steel Target Paint team members Bailey, Steve, and my sister along with Devin, Tristan, and the McCoys. I had a great time shooting with my squad! I shot a 72.36 with RFRI and a 74.70 with RFRO. With my RFRI I placed 2nd out of 8 in the Lady Category, 2nd out of 7 in the Juniors Category, 4th out of 12 in Grandmaster Class, and was 4th out of 38 overall in the RFRI Division. I placed 3rd out of 16 in the Lady Category, 4th out of 10 in Junior Category, 10th out of 78 overall in the RFRO Division.
At the end of the match, I ended up with 31 personal best out of 56 stages!
I was finally able to meet Hanna and Andrew Davies and they are amazing people and shooters! It was awesome to see everyone again! The staff and RO’s were super friendly and the food was great! I’d like to thank all of the sponsors for making this match possible. As well as the Match Director, staff, and RO’s for putting in all of their hard work. I hope that everyone is staying safe! See y’all soon!
Emily Cunningham 