2003 IDPA Massachusetts State Championships
David Bold - A00494
Match Director

The Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford located in North Dartmouth, MA hosted our 7th Annual IDPA Massachusetts State Championships on July 26 & 27, 2003. Forty-six shooters from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and California enjoyed nice weather, great food and 8 challenging stages firing over 150 rounds.

The morning started off with shooter registration run by my wife Stephanie. Everyone received give-a-ways supplied by our match sponsors Smith & Wesson, Four Seasons Firearms, Lone Wolfe Distributors, Kleen-Bore, Ruger Firearms, Guns Unlimited from California and The Rod & Gun Club of New Bedford. Coffee and donuts were served along with the good-natured heckling that always seems to work it's way into the matches. The Shooter's Safety Briefing and squading assignments followed registration.

Stage 1: Night Time Drills. This was a no light, Limited Vickers Count flashlight stage. Two strings were shot using a flashlight including reloads, headshots and strong-hand only shooting. This was not a forgiving stage.

Stage 2: Home in the Dark. This too was a no light stage that required the use of a flashlight. It was also a surprise stage. Shooters were given the scenario and showed were the three shooting positions were. After that, they were on their own. Shooters found themselves shooting at swinging threat and non-threat targets. One non-threat was even shining a light back at them. Nobody shot this clean and only a couple of guys came close. Everyone came out of Stage 2 with that 'caught in the headlights' look. One experienced shooter summed it up nicely calling it "a humbling experience".

Stage 3: Jewelry Store Holdup. There were two strings here: one standing/moving and one kneeling. You had to shoot through soft cover and required headshots.

Stage 4: Speed Skills. Six threat targets were mixed with non-threats. You had to shoot one round on each, perform a Tactical Reload and re-engage with two additional rounds each. Speed is good, but only if you don't miss.

Stage 5: Fumble Fingers. This is an oldie but a goodie. The first of three strings had you loading the magazine first, then load the gun then shoot 2 rounds on each of three targets. The other two strings had you shooting free style and strong hand only.

Stage 6: Truck Stop. Start seated in the passenger side of the truck. You had to exit the pickup, engage a threat target on the move to cover at the front of the truck and then finish off the rest while maintaining cover. Nobody shot the club's truck, thank you very much!

Stage 7: Shootout A La Maison. Your spouse just pulled into the garage when a group of home invaders follow her in. You're at the kitchen counter. You had to engage threat targets on each side of you, then go through the door leading to the garage and engage threat targets in the truck, through the windows on your left and on your right. Then you had to shoot at two poppers that activated hidden swinging targets.

Stage 8: Gun Club Hold-Up. You've just finished shooting a round of trap when a gang initiation ritual makes it's way to the club. Your family is inside. String 1 had you shooting a 12-gauge pump shotgun at three pieces of steel. String 2 started with hands on the table. On the signal, you had to load your sidearm, enter the club through the front door and engage threat targets as you made your way through the club.

Shooters were treated to a tasty lunch prepared and served by club president David Junier and husband/wife team of Wayne and Timi Junier. Great comments were heard about the food and the service. Can't thank those folks enough.

We put up tents to provide shade from the sun and plenty of water stations along the way to keep everyone hydrated. Compared to last year (end of October in the pouring rain), the weather was fantastic. Anyone caught complaining about the heat was quickly reminded about the conditions from last year!

I'd like to extend a great deal of gratitude to the Safety Officers for the match. These guys put a lot of effort into running smooth, fair and fun stages. Thanks go to John Figiuredo, Don Durante and Carl Frederick for helping me with stage construction on Friday and for being SO's. SO crew also included Scott Botelho, Scott Clarke, Jim Johns, Dave Clough and Mark Angelo. Thanks guys. I heard many compliments about all of you. Thanks also go to Bob Duarte and Pete Thompson for their help running the stages. And once again, thanks to my wife Stephanie who not only handled registration, she also entered in all of the scores for me.

Thanks to everyone for a great weekend. Look forward to seeing all of you next year.

Dave