MGM Ironman 2014: I’ll Be There

This June I will be competing at the MGM Ironman 3-gun challenge in Parma, Idaho. I’m very excited to be going, and hope you’ll follow me through the 5 months of preparation before then.

Why Compete? Because I love to shoot, and testing myself alongside professionals scares the piss out of me. I want a challenge, and have no doubt that this will do it. From what I understand I will be the first shooter there to compete using a Tavor, and I’m excited to see that gun grow beyond an exotic bullpup into a widely accepted rifle platform.

Why Blog About It? I know too many other shooters who want to try competitive events, and don’t. I’m hoping that my coverage can give them a better idea of what’s involved, and encourage you to get out there and try it! That, plus I love discussing gear & techniques of any kind. This is something new for me! I’ll be chronicling my progress in the 3 Gun category of this blog.

So Are You a Gamer Now? Far from it. Adventure camping is still my favourite past-time. I’m hoping to spend just as much time in 2014 using NVGs under the stars as I spend at shooting events. To get an idea of my balance: I own seven backpacks, and only three pistol magazines. That’s going to have to change, but not too much.

I Owe Thanks To: The MGM Ironman is a big event for me, and I have lots of people to thank for getting me to a place where its within my grasp. Special thanks to Angelo Brewer from FLIR, who emailed me all through the event last year telling me I should shoot it. Also thanks to Dwight, Werner, Ken, Paul, Steve, and all the staff at Vortex Canada who’ve had me on their Field-Staff team for the past 2 years. I also owe a thanks to Zahal.org for keeping me stocked with all kinds of Czech and Israeli gear while supporting my various projects over the past year. Similar thanks to Adam Bekar at A3 sports, who’s encouraged me to haul Tasmanian Tiger packs and load-bearing equipment into the Rockies on a regular basis. A big thanks to all the people at ITM Instruments and Scout Basecamp who keep me busy during the week. Thanks to the talented people at IWI US and IWI Israel who have helped me with every question about the Tavor platform as my knowledge and skills grew alongside the rifle. Another thanks to James Bachynsky and Norm Hamilton from the Calgary Shooting Centre, who call me first when cool things show up on their doorstep. I should certainly thank Nathan Cook and the National Firearms Association for creating the Gun Owners of Canada Forum. My girlfriend Jessica deserves lots of thanks and praise for putting up with rifle parts strewn across the living-room and reload drills during movie nights. Finally, and most importantly I owe a huge thanks to the shooting community around me: everyone who says hi at the range, reads the blog, comments on youtube, or posts in the forums. You guys are cool cats, and I’m honoured to have you as an audience.