High winds with ice pellet storms. For me, that was uncommon for the Boomershoot but not the worse I have experienced at the Clinic so take it as it was. The winds we had offered an excellent opportunity to practice our wind doping and we learned our lessons and gained some confidence that we could stay on top of such winds well enough to hold IPSC size steel targets as long as we could see them. Such conditions were extreme but I doubt anyone will forget the experience or more importantly, how the Clinic shooters dominated these conditions. I am sure firing in 25 – 30 MPH winds and ice pellet storms will be something the shooters won’t soon forget.
Eugene Econ
Boomershoot 2008 Precision Rifle Clinic After Action Review
[I remember seeing a young woman at the clinic who had arrived from Austin just the day before. She was bundled up in winter clothes and the only skin exposed was part of her face which was getting pelted with ice pellets. I asked her, “Are you having fun yet?” She said she was. At the time I thought she was probably a very good liar but she signed up for Boomershoot 2009.–Joe]
It’s not a proper adventure if there isn’t some adversity! I was wearing four layers that day, and was warm enough even while shooting/spotting. The breakfast purchased on-site probably helped with that. It was pure magic reaching out to touch those targets at over 600 yards, and I wouldn’t trade doing that for the first time, especially in that weather, for anything.
I had a blast, and the only thing that can stop me from coming to Boomershoot next year is the college semester. Here’s to hoping there aren’t any exams that weekend, or if there are, that I can reschedule them somehow.
Kat, I’m glad to hear such a glowing report of your visit. I was really concerned that it was going to be a disaster for you (and others) and there wasn’t much I could do about that.
Joe, it was certainly not a disaster at all. While I’ve been in Austin a while, I have in fact seen snow before. The closest to a disaster that I came was my fault, due to how much of my preparations came together at the last minute. That won’t be a problem this year for me… but I did manage to talk two neophytes into giving it a try in ’09, so I’m going to have to keep riding herd on them to make sure they’re ready.