I’m slowing getting back into the swing of things. Not quite 100%, but I remind myself daily that a lot happened to me over the last year. I want to thank all my family, friends and sponsors for all their support and kind words!

I have been able to shoot a couple matches this year. Superstition I had a real hard time, however ended up 3rd Tactical Lady, behind 1st place Katie Harris, and my teammate Dianna Leidorff. These ladies shot an amazing match! After all was said and done, Katie drew Di and myself to shoot with her for the 1st Lady Jr 3 Gun Nation shootoff. We kept our heads in the game and ended up winning it!! Congrats again to you ladies!

My next match was Industry Masters. This match is a ton of fun, not a lot of pressure, and for a good cause. NSSF raises money for The First Shots program by putting on this match. Companies can put on side shoots to help raise additional money for First Shots as well. FNH USA’s side match was a 3 gun shoot, which kept us very busy between our own competition. But proved to be very lucrative!

A couple weekends ago we shot Rocky Mt 3 gun. Which has been one of my favorite matches since starting 3 gun! This year proved no different. Always new challenges, excited stages and a chance to see friends! I pulled off a couple real good stages, which helped me take 1st Limited Scope Lady.

Just wanted to take time to thank all the sponsors, shooters, match staff and spectators for making 3 Gun so much fun!!!! See you soon!

As some of you know I have been out of the shooting sports for almost a year.  After taking my second Tactical Lady National Champion, in 2010, some medical issues started to arise.  I tried to ignore it, and blow it off as nothing.  I couldn’t decide if I was hot or cold; and not my moods.  I was getting tired more often.  Then the nausea, lack of appetite and headaches started (and no, I am not, and was not pregnant ).  I missed both handgun nationals that I worked so hard to get into, since I didn’t do as well as I would have liked the year before.  And as I was laying in bed getting text messages from my friends; Jessie Abbate and Julie Goloski Golob; I knew something was wrong with me….but I didn’t know what.

A week later my husband, Mark, came home.  As I was laying on the couch in pain, he looked puzzled as to how or what he could do.  I called my doctor and made an appt, with instructions that if the pain and nausea didn’t get better I was to go to the Emergency Room.  A couple of hours later, that’s exactly what we did.  And what they found……A big fat NOTHING.

Mark left town, as he does for work, and came back a couple of days later.  Mark was going to run our son, Daniel, to Jui Jitsu, so I went to hang out with my mom.  I was still in a ton of pain and losing weight; I couldn’t eat.  I had no energy, and spent a lot of time in bed or on the couch (yep, even when it was just me with the kids).  I knew whatever was going on, wasnt going away….  I took my pills and went to lay down.  30 mins later I crawled up my moms stairs crying hysterically, whatever was wrong, was getting worse and radiating into my back.  Mom called Mark and ran me into the Emergency Room once again.  This was 10 days after the first visit.  They couldn’t control the pain, they ran a ton of tests….walked into my room and said “you have a severe kidney infection, I don’t know how we didn’t catch it before with as bad as it is.”  Next thing I know I have an Internal doctor admitting me into the hospital for emergent surgery the next day.

That was just the beginning of my “fun”, and break from the shooting and show season. 

So what was wrong?  My ureter tube connection at my bladder was closed.  They had to stick a thin wire in to bust it open, so they could stick the smallest stent possible in to allow the infection to get out of my body.  I was already feeling better, but still not normal.  2 more stents in and out later, and we realized there was more of a problem than we thought….

After having one of my stents out, they sent me to do a renal nuclear scan to see how much damage was done to my right kidney.  Turns out, I have 65% function on my left side, and 35% on my right….it’s suppose to be 50/50.  During that scan, they found out my right kidney also wasn’t getting the nuclear dye out of my kidney, it wasn’t filtering…  My ureter tube had closed again.

After all that fun, we thought we were finally done in March of this year.  Last stent in and out, time to start shooting again.  I went to Superstition in pain, nausea; but ready to start making a come back.  My poor team and husband and to keep helping me up at the end of the courses, grabbing my guns and gears as fast as they could so I could go sit.  I was in a ton of pain, and didn’t know why.  All I could think of is Not Again!  The RO’s, Match staff and shooters were amazing and very helpful.  The 3 Gun Nation guys knew I wasn’t up to my par, but I would do anything to help them out.  So I put on my smiling face, and did the best I could.  After taking 3rd Tactical Lady by only 17 points, I knew I hadn’t lost too much.  Then, Katie Harris drew my name to be in the first 3 Gun Nation Lady Jr shoot off.  And with our hard work and determination, Katie, my teammate Dianna, and myself won the very first shoot off!

After the match I found out I had a UTI.  This is not good, I should be done with this.  I spoke to my urologist and he was worried.  I had to go speak to my OB/GYN as well.  In May of this year, a week and a half after Mark and my 5 year anniversary, I had my ureter cut and reimplanted into my bladder, and a total hysterectomy (except one ovary).  So folks.  Now you know why I have been MIA, sounding sad and so excited to be coming back.  It has been 8 weeks today!!!!!  I am feeling better than I have in over a year!  I am walking 3.5 miles 3 days a week, and wanting to run.  I get tired easy, but don’t have near the pain, no nausea….no worries! 

So to end a very long blog, and answer everyones questions; YES, I’m back.  I will be at Industry Masters this weekend, hanging with my amazing team and others in the industry.  Right after that is Rocky Mt 3 Gun!  Now I may not have all my strength and energy, but I will give it my all as I always do.  Thank you everyone for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.  Your friendships have meant the world to me, and have made me stronger in the interim!

It’s been a while since I have been able to sit down and update everyone on our progress; as a team, mom, family and shooter.  Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about.

The family is doing great.  Mark is officially an employee of FNH USA as the West Coast sales manager.  FNH has been so good to us, that we are excited about this new endeavor.

The kids are wonderful. Daniel is playing baseball and wants to learn karate! Lexi is almost completely potty trained, is doing swim lessons and just got signed up for Tiny Tots Ballet/Tap.  Can’t wait to see how they do. 

We have also taken the next steps in our kids education and decided to home school.  This will give us the freedom to travel with the kids, as well as be in control of their learning.  All this is new to us, but we want what is best for them!!

My Family!

Keep checking in, as I will update more posts as events arise and pictures are sent to me!! 

~Love, Tasha ~

Another amazing match put on by the local folks here in Arizona.  The match is held in Mesa at the Rio Salado Sportsman Club.  This year they decided they wanted to have some fun with the shooters, and oh did they ever. 

On stage 7 there were only 8 rifle targets, easy right.  HA, these targets were sensor targets that would only go down if you hit them twice.  To make it even more interesting, these targets were set up in 2 target arrays at 4 different distances.  From the first box/prop you saw 6 targets, from 50 yards to 150 yards.   The trick, these targets were set up on a timer, they would pop up one target per array at a time.  The other targets were from a box that you had to run to…..no big deal there!!  It was a lot of fun. 

On stage 9, they decided it would be hilarious to see how people could shoot from a parachute harness while pulled up at an angle against a prop.  LOL, I wish I had pictures to post, we all looked funny.

As usual the match was great, and we all had a lot of fun. 

This was also the first match for the filming of FNH 3 Gun Nation, brought to you by Surefire.  The film crew was worn out after 3 fun-filled days of shooting.  With over 100 competitors signed up for 3 Gun Nation, we finally got down to our last 8 shooters for the shoot off.  Check out www.3gunnation.com for videos and details!

Since being with FNH USA I have had an amazing opportunity to learn while going to different events and shows. 

Acusport

This year I worked the Acusport booth as well as signed autographs at the SHOT Show booth.     

I enjoyed learning from all of the sales reps, as each person had something different and new to teach me.     

SHOT Show

SHOT show is always an amazing experience.  The team hung out in the booth and helped pull groups of people to get autographs and look at product.  Our team is amazing like that, very friendly and savvy!  We love it!    

I was able to meet some very cool people this year, between my meetings and running around.  

Elaine, Steven Seagal, and myself

Here are pics with me and Mark Wills, then Elaine, Steven Seagal and myself.     

Mark Wills and myself

While at the SHOT Show FNH had a range day for all the vendors and media who were interested/invited. It was a long cold day out at the range, but we all had an amazing time. The team even got to go shoot some of the guns that FNH sells that we probably would’nt have been able to shoot any other way. 

After that day ended FNH had a party downstairs at the Platinum Hotel that we stayed at. There was good food, music and a lot of people there. The team enjoyed themselves immensley. Not to mention getting the opportunity to meet the main bosses who flew in from Belgium. It is an honor to have met Louis and the team and learn from them as well! 

Awesome FNH Team

I know its been a while since I have updated. Cool things going on in the wonderful world of FNH USA and super busy with the kiddos. 

Last year was my first year shooting the FT. Benning 3 gun match. For those who do not know, the match is held in Ft. Benning, GA.  It is run by our very own AMU shooting team, and what a wonderful job they did!  I must say it is an amazing and challenging competition. 

There are not many matches out there that you start hanging from a parachute harness and have to release yourself before even getting to a gun.

A new adventure for myself, and something I really enjoyed, was riding in the Striker to the surprise stage.  Their surprise stage consisted of hanging out in a brick building until your name is called on deck to shoot.  You are then taken out of one room to another and told what your start position is.  After that  you proceed through a door, look at a target telling you how many of what kind of target are in that room, and try to find them.  

I had my own issues at this match… borrowed guns, ammo, and my husband was in Ga, but south hunting.  Although I did not have my best match, I had a lot of fun and learned a lot from those around me.  I can’t wait til next year!! 

A couple of my bestest from the range! Congrats Di on your win!

The first annual Inaugural Handgunner was held this last weekend at the Ben Avery range, hosted by the Deer Tribe Rod and Gun Club.  The match consisted of 5 of the original handgunner stages; sudden death, color blind, pesky poppers, dominos and tombstones.  There were 4 squads; 3 limited and one open.  We started shooting at 8 am and were finished with the match, shoot offs and prizes by 3.

The match was amazing, Bob and Gunny did a lot of work with the help of many other club members to get this match going.  They were able to lock in a couple major sponsors for this match, and plan on getting many more for next year.

Many thanks go to the Deer Tribe Rod and Gun Club members, Smith and Wesson, SGC USA, Hi-Viz, Sierra Bullets, as well as many other sponsors!!

Mark took top overall Limited, and overall limited in the shoot offs.  I had to make a major come back in the shoot offs to take 3rd overall open.  For some odd reason I kept drawing Angus Hobdell and Nick S. for my contingents at each stage…..so I didn’t get as many points as I would have liked.  However, we had a great time and are looking forward to next year.  hoping to help get some more sponsorships and get more women and some juniors out there to shoot!!!

A big shout out goes to Paul Miller for all that he did to keep this match alive.  Thank you!!!

Well I can say I finally did it.  I have my first Nationals win under my belt!!  I’ll have some pictures to post soon!

Multigun Nationals took place in Boulder City, NV, October 22-25, hosted by the Desert Lakes Range.  There were 12 stages, 2 being long-range rifle stages, (ranging from 125-450 yard), stage 1 included pistol as well.  I mention those stages first because they were my favorite.  These two stages alone brought up my confidence in my multigun shooting ability. 

The remainder of the stages consisted of a pistol/shotgun stage, 2 all pistol stages, a rifle/shotgun stage, 2 stages with all 3 guns, a rifle/shotgun stage and a couple other variations.

Our squad of shooters were amazing!  There were a range of shooting abilities within our squad, as well as a variety of personalities.  The diversity made the three days of shooting a blast!  The RO’s were very helpful and friendly throughout the entire match.

The FNH crew decided it was more cost-effective to rent a house for the 4 days that we were there.  We had a blast, cooking breakfast, ordering pizza, and just hanging out without all the fuss of the casinos.  Don’t get me wrong, we hit the casinos at least 2 of the nights….only because we wanted to!

Thanks to everyone who made my first national win a great one!  My husband and family for supporting me along the way.  My sponsors for being there and taking a chance on me, thanks for allowing me to enjoy the ride!!!  The RO’s, match staff, families, sponsor, shooters and ranges for making our matches possible.  Kudos to all!!!

Big Congrats to Ms. Maggie for her first Nationals title as well – Top Open Female!!!

Ahhh a week in Vegas, most people would think of this as fun and expensive.  Well…It was!! 

We shot the USPSA Back to Back Handgun Nationals for the first time this year.  The match was located at the Desert Sportsman Range in Las Vegas, NV over the dates of September 19-27.  It was 4 day of Open/production Nationals and 3 days of Limited/Limited 10 Nationals.  We shot both Nationals on the ladies super squad and had a blast with every one of them (including our 2 guys, Billy and Mark). 

The match was 16 stages that were slightly altered the day in between both matches.  Each stage was completely different from the next, all posing different obstacles to challenge your skills.  I believe there were only 2 stages that you faced the targets and drew from your holster. 

While getting ready for the match we had to make a few last-minute alterations and gun decision.  I had to borrow an open gun from my FNH USA sponsor Tommy Thacker.  His STI 38 super-hybrid-comp pistol was set up very nicely, and obviously well used.  It took me a couple days to get used the long trigger and a c-more sight again, but by the last day I knew where I needed to be.

For the Limited Nationals I used the new FNH USA/STI prototype limited gun.  This pistol is a 40 calibers, standard frame and slide.   Nothing to fancy about the gun, but it is set up in a way that can be used for those with practical and tactical needs. 

I did not shoot up to my par, which was disappointing but partially expected with the minimum amount of practice I was able to do.  It was awesome being back out on the range shooting with all the handgun shooters I hadn’t seen in quite a while.  It has been great spending the last couple of years at home with my kiddos (which is my main job), but even better being accepted back out on the range!

Jessie Abbate won High Production and limited Lady, she was in our squad both times and was amazing to watch shoot.  I was never able to watch Megan shoot, who won high Open Lady, but I hear she is incredible as well.  Top Limited 10 lady was won by Randi Rogers, who rocked quite a few of her stages to take a hold of her win!

Thanks to all the range staff, match staff, RO’s, sponsors and shooters for making this a memorable match!

 

DPMS Tri-Gun Challenge was held August 20-23, in ST. Cloud, MN.  The match was held the Del-Tone/Luth Gun Club.  The match consisted of 10 stages overall; 1 3 gun stage, 4 shotgun, 2 pistol, 1 rifle shotgun, and 2 rifle pistol.  The match was suppose to run over 3 days, however, some of us players were pushing and got through within the first 2 days. 

Stage 1, all shotgun, upstairs

The DPMS staff were awesome in facilitating our needs and taking care of all the stats and RO’s.  The match was very exciting and challenging. 

Challenging how you say….well, have you ever had to shoot while sitting in an outhouse?  Or better yet, while laying in a front bucket of a construction truck?  Probably not, but that is what these individuals thought up for the match.  Better yet, how many times do you actually get to go shoot up a house with a shotgun, including running upstairs (see picture above)?  Probably not very often.  So as I said, the match was exciting and challenging.

I would like to thank all the RO’s that work every single match there is.  Without you, things wouldn’t get done consistently with every shooter! 

Thanks to the match staff for taking time out of your own busy schedules to make these matches go smoothly! 

Team FNH USA @ DPMS Tri-Gun

Team Leupold @ DPMS Tri-Gun

Finally, to all the sponsors for donating time, money and prizes for all of us die hards!  Last but not least, to my sponsors for taking a chance and enjoying every minute of it!!

Team Leupold @ DPMS Tri-Gun