Originally Posted by
Alpha Sierra
This isn't my first rodeo at competition, so I'm well aware of the tough row to hoe that's in front of me. The last sentence in my original post encapsulates my understanding of that pretty well.
I'm too old to be a contender at any major level, plus I have other things that I place a higher priority on. I do this for my own enjoyment, and a significant part of the enjoyment is to see the results of my work off the match show up on match day. I have my own stats that I track that help me measure beyond division placement.
While division wins at the local level may be participation trophies, I'll celebrate the small victories with joy, a beer, and a cigar.
For reference, I competed in NRA/CMP service rifle for close to nine years, reaching Master in two seasons; and reached A class in NSCA sporting clays in three seasons. In both of those I've had my share of class/category wins as well as the literal 13 year old that whipped my ass.
I can deal with it.