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Addicted after First Lesson

Enter Powder Creek Shooting Park and Kevin D…

Kevin is the General Manager at Powder Creek Shoot Park. He came highly recommended when I was looking for an instructor. I contacted him, told him my story and arranged for my first training session.

Kevin was extremely personable over the phone. I would have guessed he had a bunch of daughters because he loved the idea of my “super-secret-squirrel-like” training.   So when the manly men I work with finally decided they would allow my presence at the exclusive private shooting club they all had been attending, I’d knock their socks off!

Lesson #1…
I was so nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Powder Creek in relation to where I live is on the other side of town… way on the other side of town, so the drive out there was too long for my anxiety-fill head. I walked into the club-house and instantly felt welcome and warm.

Kevin went over all of the necessary rules and paperwork for the park. Sitting in front of us were 3 shotguns, Kevin explained each type/style of shotgun to me, why he thought I might like this one or that one and the differences between them.

Now, my step-dad was a gun enthusiast and my grandparents had a farm but I was probably 12 years old the last time I touched a gun. We went
over basic gun safety, how to load the shotgun (REALLY how to load the shotgun, especially the direction in which it goes into the shotgun… I thought the training was perfect, although, I thought to myself hmmm…. He must really think I’m an idiot.) but I kept that to myself and appreciated his time and thoroughness before we went out to shoot.

My first experience…
It was brisk November afternoon, I chose to shoot the 12 ga semi-auto. I had 25 rounds and we headed to the trap area. After a brief explanation of how trap is played and the lay-of-the-land, it was time to load the shotgun (and I DEFINITELY knew which way to put the shot in). We discussed the stance and form and Wha-La time to fire.

I missed.    We adjusted.    I missed.

This went on for about 1/2 my box of shells. We had to take a couple of breaks mostly because of my back being sore. At one point, Kevin had me point my toes together and squat just a bit “yeah we teach Yoga here too”.

Now to the last 1/2 of the box of ammo… So at this point, I am convinced that I am not going to hit a single clay pigeon, not even to save my life! Then all of a sudden, something just clicked. One after one I was hitting the clays!

To keep my stance and form, Kevin was loading the ammo into the shotgun and pressing the bolt release button. After about the third straight hit in a row, my rhythm was suddenly disrupted when Kevin grabbed the gun out of my hands because he had put the ammo in backward!

He was more excited than I was that clays were bursting in air! It was so much fun and I couldn’t believe it… I was already addicted!

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