Camp Perry NRA National Matches - A Tribute

[tleddy]

This letter appeared today on the bullseye-l forum and I think it is a moving tribute and captures the essence of the event.

The scrivener's name is John. I do not know his last name, but thanks John for the great post. Tillman

After a 30 year hiatus, a friend and I will attend Camp Perry this year and
will shoot as a two man team.
Pistol shooting has its rewards, but the reward system in match shooting is
wasteful and irrelevant. Most of us shoot against ourselves. A personal
best is the best reward. After more than 50 years of pistol shooting, the
targets on the wall of my reloading room are the sweetest memories. Trophies were
long ago given to others or thrown away.
A reward is having the hammer go down with a perfect sight picture, having
the slide come open and the brass come out before your eye shuts on a picture
perfect day at Camp Perry. That is one thing that keeps me coming back.
I happen to like staying in the huts at Camp Perry. The "participation" and
visiting with others who have made the trip is another reward. Meeting
really top shooters from all over the place is another reward. When I started
shooting, a WV State Trooper took me aside and told me that he thought I had
potential. His sole advice to me was to get my advice from the top shooters
and pay no attention to the guys who had ten years experience one year at a
time. God bless you, Ralph, wherever you are.
Being there is a great reward at Camp Perry. Participating in the choice of
our National Champion is more than just seeing who won the match. Time to
spend in total immersion is priceless. When we came back from Camp Perry,
local shooters would ask how we scored at Camp Perry. When we told them our
scores, they would laugh, but they never experienced the adverse weather we did.
We came home harder and more determined and it showed up in our scores. An
older shooter once told me that you do not improve competing with someone
you can beat every day. When the targets turn, we are all equal, in a way,
before the first shot is fired.
Commercial row had all the latest things at really good prices. I hope that
has not changed.
It was a thrill to be there when Archie Topmiller would key the mike and say
"Attention to Colors". Then they fired the cannon each morning and the Army
Reserve Band would play our National Anthem. That was a special moment that
I will never forget. Then he would say: "Relay One, Match number 102, or
whatever, to the firing line, your three minute preparation period starts now."
And the whole wonderful process would begin for another year. You cannot
buy memories like that. That is part of why we will be back this year. "