Episode 7 | Crystal - Finding Peace Through Competition

Army Veteran Crystal knows that some of life's greatest challenges are overcome not by standing still—but by moving forward.

From competitive shooting and desert racing to motocross, Crystal shares how demanding sports became more than competition. They became a way to quiet the noise, rebuild purpose, and reconnect with the same sense of community she found during military service.

In this episode, Crystal discusses the transition from military life, the mental focus required to compete, why training often matters more than trophies, and how organizations like OVN help Veterans stay connected long after they leave the uniform.

Whether she's navigating a racecourse, a shooting stage, or life after service, Crystal reminds us that healing often begins by finding something that demands our full attention—and a community that never lets us stand alone.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Hello everybody, welcome back to another uh no neutral podcast. I'm your host, Taylor. Today, my guest today is Crystal, who does motocross and also competitive shooting.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Yeah, uh I got into shooting when I was pretty young, but didn't really start competing until I was in the military. Um team. Uh, and then I started uh dirt biking actually when I met my husband. So I've only been on a dirt bike for about five, six years. And so that's pretty fun. Uh hard harsh learning curve, but it's been a blast for the five years and all the people I've met at OVN and FedEMX and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Yeah. Do you so you do motocross, not uh like woods riding?

SPEAKER_02 0:57

I've done both. I've done uh motocross and I've done desert. We don't have woods in Utah. I mean we do up in the mountains, but typically our races, we have long uh like 50 to 100 mile course desert races is what we have here.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Yeah, they're it sounds pretty intense.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Yeah, they're vertical, but they're fun. Um, and so they set course out in the desert for us here.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

So kind of like uh some of the Baja racing that I've I've seen some clips of.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Yeah, probably very similar to that. Uh uh most of the just the dirt bike races don't have trophy trucks or other vehicles, it's just dirt bikes, which is nice because if you've ever raced with trucks or buggies, it's not very much fun when you're on a motorcycle.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Well, yeah, I'm assuming they're passing you at times because they just have the stability to go faster and they're just picking up all kinds of dust.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

Yeah, it gets sketchy, but yeah, so here they just set course for us, and usually it's uh over, you know, a Saturday or a Sunday.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

But nice. No, sounds like fun. Um, which's your which you like more? Motocross or doing the the um the Baja style stuff?

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Uh that's a good question. I like I'd like trail riding more, but not for a hundred miles.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

I know that seems a lot.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah, it's a lot. So um, and that's pretty brutal. I have some injuries, like I have uh two discs replaced in my neck. Um, and so about 25 to 30 miles on a dirt bike, and I start to hurt. Um, but we have track behind the house, and so we'll go ride trail. Uh, we try to do it once a week, um, but we have like a 20-mile loop that we can turn and burn on out here uh locally. And uh that's probably my favorite thing. You know, I love competing too, but sometimes just being on the dirt bike with no pressure um is the best, right? Like we talk about like competing, and obviously we're athletes at OVN, um, but sometimes the practicing is more mental health therapy than the competing side.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Yeah, you've got way less on your mind. It's more of all right, I'm gonna the next lap, I'm gonna I'm gonna hit that corner better this time, or go across the jump. Or I got eight out of nine rounds in the in this little circle on the target. Okay, let me let me get that nine out of nine.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah, exactly. So um for me, like that's probably where I find the most joy in my sports is the training side, is the like uh finding that moment in your training where like you hit that Zen moment and you find that that kind of piece and you're just dialed in, and um, and then the accomplishment of knowing that you just did something better than you did before. So that's probably my favorite part, right? And competition is a part of that because you always have to have a goal when you're training. Um, and the goal is obviously to compete, but um, the training side is probably where I find my my most joy in the sports.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

No, I can I can see that. Um, and I gotta give a little props to your husband for being able to get you on a dirt bike. I've barely been able to get my wife to do it. She she is like, no, I don't really want to ride on a track. Um I can I can go in a circle on a little little pit bike and use the clutch th on that. That's that's good enough for me. Do that once every so often. But um, so competitive shooting, you started you said you mentioned you were uh were you active duty?

SPEAKER_02 4:48

I uh no, I was National Guard for all 12 years of my career, but of that 12 years, I did eight years on active orders, is what we call it in the National Guard.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Gotcha. So you were eight-os.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

I was uh yeah, I was Title 10, which is active active for a while, two and a half years. Um, and then I was eight-os for the rest of it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

So I take it you did the governor's 20, and that was like your your introduction. Like you went to the call range, and someone's like, hey, you did really well. You got 39 out of 40. How would you like to do something fun?

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yeah, so I did. I did one tag. In fact, the funny part about me and my husband is we met, our initial meet was at a tag match, which is the governor's 20. That's what we call them tag matches. Uh, and but it was a long time ago, and like we like knew of each other, and it wasn't until many years later that um I was recruited to the SARTS team um to teach small arms readiness, it's small arms readiness training section is what SART stands for. Um, and that was just to train soldiers on small arms, so AR-15 and handgun. And uh that's when I started really competing for the army. Um and I went to regionals and national level matches for the National Guard. Um, and then the sergeant who was over us was actually friends with my husband, and so he would come train with us, and so that's actually how I met my husband was on a shooting range competing for the army.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Well, that's actually really cool. I know quite a few people who are like, Yeah, I showed up to my new unit, and then I met this person, and then we hit it off, we switched units, and then we still kept in touch, and then we've got three kids already and 10 years plus or whatever. So, no, that's really cool. I'm also guard, so I I we we call it the Garner 20 here, but it makes sense that it goes by other names in other places. Uh yeah, and most people don't realize that like I think the I think the Michigan Guard just won the Irish snipe best sniper competition or the British best sniper competition. Yeah, like the guard continuously is like up there in the top ten. We've we've won the big army one before. I don't remember if it was my state, but or it was another state, but again, most most people don't realize that we we can shoot.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Yeah, there's a lot of good shooters, and it's and a lot of times it's uh soldiers that are training on their own outside of their units as well, right? That just have that ability because they're civilians, right? And they play army on the weekends, um, and they compete anyways, right? And we have a lot of that. Um, and then it's been fun because my transition from right, I got into competing in in the National Guard. That's what kind of started the lit the fire, I guess, um, for the shooting sports. Like I've always been involved in the shooting sports, but I've never competed. Um, and army competitions are like bullseye competitions. They're like lay down, nail, stand in these positions, and then shoot for bullseyes, right? So how many, like you said, how many can you can get in the eight ring or the nine ring or the bullseye? Whereas um the action uh shooting sports side of the coin, um, we still shoot for accuracy, but it's usually run and gun. So uh our we love three gun, that's our favorite. So we're shooting shotgun, pistol, and rifle, and you'll shoot them all on one stage. And so you're you know, you you might start out with a pistol and run and shoot paper targets and still targets, and then you dump a pistol, pick up a shotgun, uh, same thing. You shoot you're shooting still targets with a shotgun through a course, right? As you're running, uh, dump that, and then you'll go to a rifle and and same thing, you're shooting paper and then um long distance targets sometimes as well. So it's it's very diverse and very fun, um, active sport, and it's it's hard.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Yeah, no, uh, I have I've seen plenty of video of it. It's definitely not easy to do, especially because of you moving, your heart rate is getting up there, and so your breathing is getting up there at times too.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Yeah, it's it's it's hard to manage that. It's hard to manage um, you know, your ability to make uh quick decisions on the fly, right? You have some time to go through a course of fire and kind of establish it about, but you only have about five minutes, right, before you start shooting to do that. Um, so it's a lot of memorization, it's a lot of I always tell people I love the shooting sports because it's like chess and shooting mashed together, right? Because you have to you have to strategize and figure out which way you're gonna plan to shoot the stage, and there's multiple different ways to do it. And then you have to memorize it, uh, and then you have to execute. So it's it's a little, it's it's a lot to put together and make happen all at once, right? Whereas like dirt biking, right, um, is also a hard sport. But if I'm on a motocross track, I get to memorize the corners and like I'm doing the same lap over and over again. So I get to practice that lap quite a few times before I have to race it, right? Um deserts a little bit more like the shooting sports where like I don't get to memorize the course, um, but it's the same turns, right? And the same techniques, I guess, uh every time you're out there. So it's just different.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

I totally get it. One second, I'm sorry, I had just had a nod from a small child at my daughter. That is the first time that has happened in all the podcasts I've recorded. Um but I mean it's bound to happen eventually. I got tiny humans. They like to knock on doors and say, hey, I want this snack. You should have the other one. Yeah, uh for yeah, the desert. I can definitely see how it may be the same loop potentially that you've done in the past, but it's it's a desert, it's not a controlled environment. It's it's changing from people going out there on side by sides doing donuts and stuff and the wind blowing.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Exactly. But yeah, it's both sports are super fun, they're super high level, and uh I think for me, uh I I don't like I don't know where I get this, but I like complex things. The more complex it is, uh, the more I kind of like it, right? Um, and kind of delve into it. Um, and so for me, the ability to kind of control a firearm while doing all these other things is a fun kind of set of things I have to do to put together and make kind of line up. And for me, uh it allows me to just think about that, right? Um, and I think that's where like at OVN we talk about the mental health aspect of that a lot, is like on a dirt bike, like I can't think about what happened at work today or the crappy thing that was in my life, or you know, if I'm struggling with depression, because every ounce of intelligence I have is getting poured into my sport, right? Uh, because I have to hit that corner, and if I don't, I'm gonna crash and it's gonna hurt. Uh, and so I think for me, that's the benefit of the sports in themselves, right? Is that it takes so much brain power that it allows us to kind of almost relax. It's kind of counterintuitive, right? It takes all of our brain power, but allows us to like find that peace and relax into what we're doing.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Yeah, we can zero in on exactly what we're doing because if you have a mental slip up while you're about to go off on a jump, whether you're taking the a big tabletop or you're just like, I'm just landing halfway, no big deal. You mess up and you take the wrong angle, and congratulations, you're now off the track and potentially on the other part of the track.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Yeah, yeah. Um, so you uh you did 12 years in the military or in the National Guard. Um you were the same job the whole time?

SPEAKER_02 14:02

I was, I was a 35 mic, which in military ease is uh a human intelligence officer. So I did uh I was an interrogator, and that's what I did for the military. Um and uh I did some other Intel branches as well. So like I I was trained to be an interrogator, but uh throughout my career, and we are back, everybody.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Sorry about that. Uh Crystal's computer decided it wanted to restart, which happens. No one computers decide to do their own things. Um so there was a bit of a weird break. Uh so you were talking about uh being a 35 mic, which is um an integrator, but you did other 35 series stuff?

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Yeah, I did some signals stuff. Um I worked for the NSA for two and a half years, and then I worked for the Border Patrol doing um just open source uh analytics uh for about a year. So and then I was an instructor uh and I taught a multitude of ents in that that world.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

That's really cool. So no, hence you go from yeah, I really like Rubik's Cubes and stuff like that to it led me to my my my job and really enjoying it to now I have a hobby that is also sort of like my job and in a different way. I dissect something completely different than a person.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

Um yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

No, that's really cool. I I've know different combo people who I think are like 32 series. Um I'm a 92 alpha, so I do logistics stuff for for mechanics and order them parts and stuff and tell them, hey, go fix that.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Yeah, yeah. Um so you got out after 12 years. Was that by choice? Did the NSA? Well, sorry, I was like, did the NSA say, you know, we really like you, but we want you full time?

SPEAKER_02 16:11

No. Um I I mean I could have worked for them full time, but no, I was done, I was done with the government as a whole. But um no, I uh I left I medically retired uh because of my neck. Um and so I was just getting to the point in my career where uh I was just in so much chronic pain that every time like trying to take PT tests and and being on orders uh just wasn't happening for me. So um that was uh a decis and and I was not having a good time anymore. No, I get it. So that yeah, that was that was part of this uh the reason why uh I left. But I there are many aspects of the military that I love, like the people. I I miss hanging out with my brothers and sisters every day. Um, that was the best part. Um, I did not like the politics uh of the job. Um and so uh I am much happier now. So no, I just and I don't blame you.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

I know plenty of people who are AGR, ADOS, uh long-term order, that type of thing, who are just like, yeah, they they work me like a dog and makes some of their their prior issues from saying or just from doing their own MOS um flare up, make it worse. So the fact that they're like, yeah, no, I can't I can't do this anymore. And then once they get the break, they can actually, you know, have a normal-ish life. They still have different limitations and stuff, but they they can actually do you know their hobbies without being in pain.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Uh right. And that's and that's what people often, you know, ask me like, how do you do your hobbies if you are hurt? And it's like uh the one being able to have the time to deal with my injuries um and actually uh focus on, I do a lot of mobility work um and I do uh a lot of physical therapy and stuff like that that I wasn't able to do when I was in because I was at work, right? Uh or I had other obligations. Um and so that's a lot of it, but also the ability to uh say no, I'm not doing that physical thing, right? Like when I know I'm in pain, like I don't go ride my dirt bike, or I don't go race that weekend, you know what I mean? Or whatever the case may be, like I have the ability to say no. Uh where in the army you don't have the ability to say no. Like it, you it whether you're in pain or not, like the PT test is happening today, right? Um, and so that was pretty much my struggle. Um, was the veil that I couldn't say now, right, when I needed to.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Which I totally get. I've got you know some shoulder issues and going from a unit where I am constantly helping mechanics load up parts, unload parts, loading things up into trucks to to go to where we actually you know do the mission and stuff, because we we don't do it in the at the armory when you're part of field artillery. You just I don't know, I don't know anybody who can shoot go out to the back of their motor pole and shoot a howitzer. I I don't even think active duty can do that. Um so not doing that and being able to just focus on kind of like what you're what you've been able to do, mobility and strengthening and stuff, and not have that constant this is what is bad for my shoulder, it's definitely helpful. So I I completely get it.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

That and I get the mental health aspect of I'm full-time, but I'm a I'm a technician, but I'm also now Title V, meaning I'm straight civilian. I'd if I I used to be title 32, which in the guard there's a bunch of different things. There's ADOS, there's AGR, there's Title 32, which is you're a civilian employee for the guard, but to keep your job, you have to stay in the guard, and I'm Title V. So if I were to medically retire in eight years or just retire in eight years, I get to keep my job versus I would have lost it. Uh, for those of you who may be listening and aren't as familiar with how the guard works, that mental like relief of heck yes, if I were to be driving to work tomorrow, get an accident, break my leg, and they decide, you know what, we're good, bud. Your legs destroyed, you can't run again. I still have my job, and that mental relief of knowing my job will still be there no matter what happens.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Oh, yeah, absolutely. And and that was the thing, as I was on ADOS orders, which I don't know, people probably don't know, but if you're listening, ADOS orders are year by year, they're temporary orders. Um, and so I was already like in a temporary status where I didn't know if I was gonna have a job next year. Um, and then if you couldn't pass a PT test, you certainly didn't have a job next year. Uh right. And so um that's where like I was coming to the end of my contract, and I uh was just like, uh, maybe it's time to do something else.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Yeah, that and for those of you who don't know, funding is tied to it. So when the new FY hits, you're out of work potentially for a month, month and a half while people figure out who how we're gonna pay for all the things that we need to pay for. And then boom, you're right back to work. Uh, one of my coworkers, her husband, Was on like long-term ADOS orders doing funeral honors, and they would go two, three weeks without anything because it's the new FY, and they would just have to budget for okay, every paycheck, this is getting set aside to help cover bills.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's it's a great system, and I'm glad that they have uh you know full-time orders for guards, guys, but it's also a hit or miss whether or not you're gonna have a job. So it's a hard life to live uh permanently, right? Like if you can be a gr, which is what my husband was, which is a like full-time guard that they can retire from, or a title five like you, uh, it's a much better, better route, I think. Um and I think uh that's just like one of those decisions you have to make about where I was in my career, right? Like I had to make a decision whether or not to get out, go or go to AGR or Title V or something that was more long-term. Um, and so I decided to get out.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

No, and not being a logistics person like me, it though there's quite a few logistics shop, and you're not a mechanic either, which right act those of you who are familiar with active duty world, if you're a mechanic, congratulations. That's what you're doing Monday through Friday. You're fixing trucks. Well, in the guard, you can only fix so many things on a two, three-day weekend. We have full-time support staff that do like 95% of the services, repairs, and all that other stuff because someone's gotta do it. We can't just let the vehicle sit and stay broken when we when we needed to haul fuel artillery equipment or uh combo gear or anything like that.

SPEAKER_02 23:48

Yeah, and that's the other problem is I was Intel, right? Like I wasn't logistics, I wasn't something that they needed. Um, and so like the slots for me were pretty much non existent. Um, so that's the other reason uh you get E6, E7 in the guard. It's hard to find jobs unless you're logistics.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

And even then you generally have to, if you go, you know, AGR and are officially part of a unit for two, three years, you have to take a bus potentially if you make it to E7, because that EGR position you just took is not an E7 position. It's probably they're probably gonna bust you to a five or maybe six if you're lucky. Yep. And then you have the constant career progression of, you know, you've been at that unit for two and a half years. Uh, you ready to move on? Yep. I like this. Exactly. I I know where everything is, I know the people. I this all work is working smoothly. Yeah, but the we need you over there across the state. Yeah, don't worry about it. You can you can drive or you can move, and then you show up. Yeah, exactly. It's a whole new mess that you have to clean up, which is what I've heard multiple times from ATR people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Oh yeah. Yep, that's what happened. So it was good. I loved my career. Um, I love the fact that I got to do amazing things. I was a Chinese linguist, um, uh, so I spent a year and a half at DLI. Um, I got to visit Taiwan. Um uh I got to do lots of cool things in my career, and I loved it. Um, and uh I love the fact that my career gave me my entrance into like the shooting sports and that I have what I what you know what I do, uh not full-time, right? It's not my full, it's my hobby, but um sometimes it feels like a full-time job.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Yeah, um, I don't yeah, with maintenance and cleaning and reloading, it looks like behind you.

SPEAKER_02 25:54

Yeah, yep. Yeah, and so uh, but like, yeah, I I love the fact that I met the people that I did, and then I love being a veteran, right? Like I love being able to go to events and knowing that I have uh brothers and sisters there, and like, you know, we typically go to the Vetamex event every year that Ovian supports as well, um, and race motocross, and it's a week long, and you just get to hang out with your buddies, you know, uh and fellow fellow service members. And um, you know, it's it's a cool club to be a part of.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

It is. It's it's like the 1% club essentially, but it is smaller than that sometimes, depending on how big our population is.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

Yeah, and uh, but like, and it's funny because we always see memes, you know, I see memes out there that's like, you know, it, you know, who is the your, you know, who's the person you trust the most and the least? And it's like, well, the guys in the military, right? Exactly. Yeah, yeah, right. But like uh the best part about the military is that no matter where you served or what uniform you wore, like you instantaneously have a connection, right? I think that's the best part about being a veteran, is that it doesn't matter, like as soon as you found out that somebody wore a uniform, like like all the other stuff, um background, you know, where they come from, what what's happening in their life, all that kind of goes away. And you're just like, yeah, we were in the military. Like that's our identifying factor and and our and and our basis for our friendships. And I and it's a cool uh ability, I guess, of us, right? That have put on the uniform is that we get to do that, and you can find people all over the nation, you know what I mean, that are your brothers and sisters and have that instantaneous connection.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Yeah, it's it's kind of like how the motocross track is where you park next to somebody and say, Sup, I'm Taylor, how are you doing today? You've been here before, it's my first time here, and boom, you just made a new friend.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

Yeah, exactly. And I think community is a big part of why we do this, right? So I know it's a big part of why I do it. Like it's fun showing up to uh the track or to a shooting range and being surrounded by your people, right? And being able to have that tribe or that community that you know, like if you have an issue or you have it, you know, whether it's a hobby issue and you need something for your hobby, or if it's a mental health issue or a family issue, like it's nice to have that specific community that you you can kind of rely on.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

No, I'm I'm a firm believer that connections between veterans help save life because regardless of how long anybody spent in the military is it's part of you. And when you lose that part of you, it's like losing a limb. I'm assuming I have all mine. Um I have not met an IED yet, thankfully. I hopefully won't get that chance. Um but it's when you lose that part of you, you're you're kind of lost, and it's harder to you're missing something that's been integral, an integral part of your life for quite a number of years, whether it's a a short four-year, six-year stint in whatever branch, or all the way up till retirement. And even then, it's even an even bigger impact for those who you know serve more than one contract.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Yeah, I you know, and it's I think that's the biggest, you know, it like I I don't know, like I don't it's hard to put into words most of the stuff I feel, right? About sports. I'm I'm stumbling over myself to try to describe how we engage in our sports the same way as kind of the military. And I think for me, that's a big motivator to one, stay in my sport, right? Like when I get frustrated and I don't want to go practice, or my practice didn't go well, or my match didn't go well, uh, or my race didn't go well. Sometimes sports can be super frustrating too, uh, and competition can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, I can't leave the people, right? I think that's the biggest motivator um is that you know, like I'm excited to go shoot this weekend, but I'm more excited to go see my friends and shoot with them, right? Or ride with them.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

No, no, I get that. It's knowing that you've got like losing a best friend and then gaining them right back. You're just like, oh they might be a different person, but they kind of have some of the same humor, some of the same jokes as you. They're gonna be able to go to up to a Marine and be like, here's a box of crayons, I heard you were hungry, whether they are a Marine or not. Right. You you all everyone has, you know, the the jokes that we share amongst each other in the military of the different branches making fun of each other, and that's kind of how it is when you meet a new veteran, it's like, yeah, we we've got some of the same humor and some of the stuff we relate in a bunch of ways. We may not have the same job, we may not have the same branch, but we still relate to each other, and there's a connection there.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

Yeah, I you know, and I I think one of the biggest things is that we we bond over trauma, which right, like again, is probably not the best human instinct, but it is one that is common amongst all of us, right? Not just veterans. Um, and it's funny because I did a lot of research into um because I'm, you know, self-defense and things like that, uh, via the gun world, but um we actually bond more via trauma typically than we do love, right? And so I've always heard the joke that like a lot of times like the bromances that happen in the military are stronger like than you know, some of the romances that happen outside, and that wives complain like you like your bro better than you like me, right? Um, but uh and and you know, I mean, I think marriages happen the same way, right? As we as we grow in our marriages, you know, we we bond through love, but we bond through the trauma too, right? Um, because life is just that way, and life just is always gonna throw a wrench in the works. Um, but I think that ability to say, yeah, right, maybe you didn't go to the same basic training as I went to, but we all went through it and it sucked, right? And I think that's the the trauma bond that kind of relates to it, or a deployment, right? Or just everyday life in the military, uh, which is as everybody anyone and everyone that's ever worked in a government organization, like the bureaucracy, you know, tends to wear on your soul just as much as probably anything else. Um, and so, and we kind of all get that and can make fun of it and can relate and and share those aspects of our lives that um and and that's the thing is it's like if I didn't have the sports, I wouldn't have the community to do that, right? I wouldn't have the I wouldn't have the community to express myself if I didn't have the hobbies um and the veterans there uh to share that with. And so I think that's the greatest part of having an organization like OVN, right? Um, I don't I don't think that that Facebook chat from OVN has a Facebook chat for those that are listening, and it's all of the athletes. And now what is there, like 140 of us now?

SPEAKER_00 34:38

God, it it is incredible how many there are in it and how many times a day I see it going off. I'm like, I'll look at that later when I get home.

SPEAKER_02 34:48

I don't think that Facebook chat has stopped since the day it opened, right? And and just everybody in there always commenting, always showing up for each other, you know, uh posting things that are happening in their lives or things that are happening in their competitions, and there's always somebody else there to show up and share them on or commiserate with them or whatever the the the fact may be. But like, yeah, that chat just in of itself, right? Even if you don't participate in it, just seeing the vast amounts of participation from other uh athletes is pretty like incredible uh mechanism for veterans to have, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:33

No, it's it's a it's its own outlet with like I can relate to you know most other veterans in different aspects, but the ones who don't to just like, yeah, I go to work, I come home, I watch sports, I have a drink, and maybe play with the kids and that stuff. I I relate to them, but not as much as I relate to someone who's doing a sport who's competing in something and still being driven. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter at all. It's just they're they're able to get into that relaxing mindset without without uh the competition and stuff or or the practice or the thought, constant thoughts of okay, I need to order this for my bike. I I gotta change the oil and the filter, I have a wash to get, I or I need to reload some ammo because I'm going shooting this weekend and we're down to 100 rounds and I need 500.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

Right. Yeah, I don't maybe it's the ADHD in me, but yeah, I I agree with you. I think uh having that laundry list of stuff that I have to do, not have to do, but that I get to do. I'll say that, right? That I get to do uh for our sports, I I agree, it helps you. It helps you kind of organize your day too, right? And like I have all of this other life stuff, right? We all do, right? I have to do laundry, I have to do this, I have to do, but you know, that one part of the day where I can be like, okay, I'll do all of my life chores because I want to be able to do my fun chores, right? And I think it like it helps me in in that aspect too, right? Because it motivates me to get stuff done around the house or in the yard or you know, my day at work or whatever the case may be, because I get to get I get to come home and do my hobby, or I need it, you know, I get to do it on the weekend because all my stuff is done. Um, and so for me that's a benefit too. And I think mentally like the mental health aspect of that, like it keeps you engaged, right? It keeps you on some sort of track and at least excited about something in the future.

SPEAKER_00 37:49

Yeah, or or brightens your day, like maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I'll go to my garage to grab something out of the freezer or the fridge in there because that's where we we keep storage because having a couple kids, you you need extra space for stuff. I go out there to grab something and I see my dirt, but I go, man, that's a good looking dirt bike. It's just like smile face like that is a great looking bike.

unknown 38:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

When am I looking back on that?

SPEAKER_02 38:16

We do uh we do form attachments to our inanimate objects that we use for competition for sure. I know I do. Um, but yeah, yeah, I think it's it's it's just a good motivator to keep us kind of in a good place for sure.

SPEAKER_00 38:32

No, it definitely does. It's sometimes not I'm assuming not everyone, it's a day brightener when they see their hobby or their bike or whatever it is, and they're just like, Oh yeah, I get to do that soon, or anything like that. But I think for a lot of people, I don't know about the MMA people because I'm assuming they're not bringing a uh Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practice mat home with them. Uh but I'm assuming probably like the ones that wear the ghys the and and have the the belts for showing how they progress. I'm assuming it's similar for them. They wash it, they they put it on a hanger, go. It's a good looking ghee.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

I would hope. Or maybe they're they're proud of their belt because they just recently hit the the black belt, and I don't know what the color is before that. Don't don't ask me. I've been I've talked to a couple of them, but yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

Yeah, yeah, the all the different stuff, and you yeah, you get to well, and then an accomplishment, right? Like knowing you accomplished something. It feels good to be able to go to a sport, even if you don't win, right? Uh it's it's still fun to go to a sport or a sporting event and know that you accomplished something.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Or you get done riding at the track and you go, I did not fall over today and I pushed myself. Yeah, that is a win.

SPEAKER_02 39:58

Absolutely. Yeah, uh, I agree, yeah. Yeah, those the and those moments on on the bike where you just everything clicks, right? Where you're just like, I just hit that corner really well, and like like it's the best fit, like nothing else exists in your day because you're like, I don't care what else happens today, I nailed that corner, right? Like, it's one of the yeah, like it sticks with you, and you're like, yes, you know, and I think that's the other part that I love about going to events with our our veteran brother and sisters is like you don't have to win, and they're still chering you on, and they're still being like, you did this great, you did that great, or let me help you. Um, and I think that's a pretty important part of the community as well.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

Yeah, no, the the cheering each other on, the there might be some competitiveness sometimes within your own sport, like, hey, look at that. I got the fastest lap time today, or I you almost have me in that corner, I'll get you next time in the next moto. Stuff like that. That little competitiveness is helpful, but they're still at the same time, like, even if they're competing in a different class, they're just like you killed it out there, like, way to go.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

Yeah, yeah, just having people that that are happy that you're there, right? And then happy for you regardless of where you end up in the day, is to me, is a fun part of the sport as well.

SPEAKER_00 41:41

Now, to change things up a little bit, um your part or you've competed in or are working towards the PCSL, the Practice Competition Shooting League nationals.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

Uh is that like the the big three-gun like organization or no PCSL League, so yeah, the Practical Shooting Competition League. They're uh they're they mostly do handgun and two-gun. Uh, they're a fantastic organization. Um, Max Legrandas, who runs them, is does an incredible job at setting up stages. Um that is something that we have been a part of since uh, well, I don't know when Max started, but we have uh helped run his matches. We RO for him and then compete. Um, but uh typically our so me and Craig, we sh we sh shoot a couple nationals a year, a couple three gun and then usually a two-gun like PCSL or something like that. Um so like we just finished high des High Desert in Parma, Idaho, which is a national three-gun competition uh where you get close to about four minutes on the clock every stage, and there's nine stages, right? So it's a lot of shooting. Um a lot, it it gets to the point where sometimes you can't get your gun to your shoulder. It's so much shooting.

SPEAKER_00 43:08

Um, I can see that.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

Yeah, but it's it's extremely fun and we love it. And that's probably our favorite uh um of the year is that high desert. And then um, because we're crazy and we love the sport so much, we have decided to match direct uh another three a national three gun competition uh in October, which is hard as hell. And so we'll actually be running that. Um maybe we'll get to shoot it. We'll see.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

But you might have time, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 43:38

Yeah, we might we yeah, we're gonna have time, but um, it's gonna be nine or ten stages, and it's the same thing. It's gonna be actually a three gun and a two gun match. Um, and so we're gonna have three gun division and two gun division. Um, but it's gonna be a lot of work, and we are partnering with OVN for that, which we're super excited. So hopefully a part of those proceeds will um uh go to OVN. Um but yeah, it's so that's kind of how the so in the in the gun world, so if we want to just talk about firearms competitions, uh typically you have local matches, which are like a couple stages, three stages to six stages, um, which each stage is like in a like if you went to a shooting range and you see like a bay that you normally shoot in, like a 25-yard bay, right? Where they have lanes or whatever you shoot in. Well, our stages usually take up the whole bay, right? So it'll be a whole that whole bay will be one stage, and there will be targets and walls and places where you can run. Um, and that's a stage. So I like I'm you know, I'm trying to describe it so people listening that don't shoot competitions can kind of understand what's going on. But yeah, so you know, locals are like six bays of shooting, right? Um nationals tend to be like 10 bays of shooting. Um, but the shooting sports is a weird sport. Um, because of um kind of the nature of the sport, uh, it doesn't get like TV or you know uh promotional contracts like other sports. So if we as motocrossers wanted to show up at Supercross and ride with the pros, we would get laughed at and told to go away, right?

SPEAKER_00 45:40

Yeah, unless we've earned a pro license, yeah. Yeah, yeah, unless we've got a license. Yeah. The AMA would slap us on the hand and tell us, get out of here.

SPEAKER_02 45:50

Yeah, yeah, you think you're doing it. Yeah. Um, but in the shooting sports world, there is no such thing. And so, like you can show up to a national match, well, any match really, and you can be on the same squad as the best shooter in the world. Um, in fact, uh one of our first ever three-gun matches was with like three of the best shooters. There was like an Olympian on our team. Yeah, and it was just happenstance. We just happened to pick that squad. There was an Olympian uh and then two others that were were considered some of the best in the nation and still are. Um, and so it was it was amazing because it was like a three-day clinic, right? Where we just, you know, we're like they basically grabbed us by the the coattails, right, and showed us what to do. Um but uh so that's the beauty of the shooting sports world. It's kind of fun uh to be able to rub shoulders with the best in the world. Um, and then we also get to rub shoulders with like the army shooting teams and the navy shooting teams, like a lot of those guys come shoot, um, like active duty guys, like the AMU, the AMU guys um will come shoot uh a lot of those matches as well. So it's it's a pretty cool mix of people that show up and shoot, um, and that you get to rub shoulders with. Um, and we love it, and so we decided to take on the crazy thing of of actually uh building a match and and having people come out and shoot our match. So is there like a an overall governing body for the the various three-gun or two-gun shootings or there's several so and and that's the other so like right AMA has kind of taken over the motorcycle world, whether you race woods or desert or motocross, you're pretty much going through the AMA, the American Motorcycle Association. In the shooting sports world, it's not as solidified as that. So you have USPSA, which I'm sure a lot of people have heard of. USPSA has rules for three-gun and two-gun and pistol, but primarily they've become known for their pistol matches, right? They have a lot of premier pistol matches, a lot of uh local um clubs that shoot pistol and two-gun. Um, and then you have PCSL, which you mentioned earlier, which is another governing organization, right? So it's that they consider themselves just like the USPSA. Um, and they do a lot of two-gun. And then you have three gun, and we're like the outlaws. We we there's not a we most of us love the, and that's what we call the matches typically, three-gun matches, is that we call them outlaw matches because they aren't a part of a governing body. Um, and so most of the three gun matches are not because a lot of the times the three gun matches have specialty targets or specialty rules um that don't fit with inside those governing bodies very well. Um, and so they just write their own rule sets. Um, so sometimes it makes it harder because you have like a different set of rules every time you go to a different range. Um, but it also makes it more fun because they can do more with it.

SPEAKER_00 49:27

So it's kind of zombie targets filled with paintballs for one of those sections because they can do it because they're an outlaw series.

SPEAKER_02 49:38

Yep, yeah. So that's kind of the way the shooting sports works. And then you have like IpsyC, which tends to kind of rule the rule the world, Ipsy. So like last year we chased the Ipsic shotgun world uh qualifiers. So we went to about I think we went to four or five, I can't remember, shotgun qualifiers to try to go to uh Ipsick world, which is in Greece this year. Um one of our teammates made it, Chuck Lowe, he made it on the team. I was an alternate for the team, um, but uh ended up not being able to go because my dad got sick earlier this year, and so I didn't know what that situation was gonna look like. Um, but yeah, it's it's so like there's if you want it, you can find it in the shooting sports, right? If you just want to shoot handgun, there's that. If you just want to shoot rifle, there's that. If you just want to shoot shotgun, there's that. Um, you know, and and we that's not even talking about like shotgun leagues, right? Like there's a plethora of like clay, skeet, five stand. We I like we don't really, you know, we we might go to the club once in a while and shoot that stuff, but like there's so much in the shooting sports world to to get into if people are interested in that, it's incredible. And cowboy action, there's there's that too. So it's it's a crazy wacky world of guns and crazy stuff you can do with them.

SPEAKER_00 51:07

No, that is that is really cool. Um how so internationally traveling with firearms, how does that exactly work?

SPEAKER_02 51:17

It is not easy. So, and I don't know the full process because I've never done it. Um, but what I have gleaned from from other competitors and and and sort of the process is one you have to have a reason. So, like, right, like the reason for all of the American competitors would be the Ipsy World Shoe in Greece, right? It's an actual sanction event, right? I'm guessing they get sanctioning through Greece somehow. Um, but there's a yeah, there's a lot of paperwork that has to be done and fairly early. Um, it's also really hard to get ammo. So, like they had to do like a group ammo thing where they bought all the ammo and then shipped it in one container over there. Um so, but yeah, it's a lot of paperwork, and they have to submit all that paperwork prior to and get it all approved prior to going. Um, and then that paperwork goes with them to the country. And then I'm assuming you go through customs, um, and that's where you hand them all the paperwork that's already been approved. So that's kind of how you do it. Um, and I like I said, I'm not an expert in that, so there's probably steps I'm missing and other things that probably go along with that, but I that's the basic gist of it, I I believe.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

And depending on the country, they're probably going, we'll meet you at the airport. You're arriving at this time, we will transport everything for you from to and from the competition, and then when you're flying out, congratulations, it'll be we'll be right behind you with everything.

SPEAKER_02 52:49

Yeah, yeah, I'm not sure how that works, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:54

But I mean, it would make sense to to you know have the government uh whatever government go, we're hosting all kinds of people from all over the world with firearms and ammunition. We want to have a tight stranglehold on anything just because they they don't want anything to happen. Like if you're driving to the hotel and you get in a car accident, and then the local decides, oh, this looks cool.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

I want this case because yeah, I'm guessing I'm guessing that's different for every country, and it just depends on what their laws are like. But yeah, I don't know. Like I said, I've never traveled with guns prior. You know, I've traveled with guns uh between states here in the US, but never internationally.

SPEAKER_00 53:37

So yeah. But hopefully you get the chance to uh go to the next time next one. Is it a is a yearly competition, every two years, four years, like the Olympics?

SPEAKER_02 53:51

IpsyC is I believe every three because it's one one gun per year, if I'm correct. I'd have to go. Don't don't quote me on that. But like so they do Ipsy world for and now they've added uh PCC, which is um pistol caliber carbines, so like an uh AR that's calibered in nine mil. So they have ipsy world shoot for shotguns, they have ipsy world like next year's rifle, um, and it's in Mongolia. So this year's in Greece, next year's in Mongolia. Um, and then they have Ipsy World pistol and Ipsy World uh PCC, and they're all all over the world. Uh the last shotgun one was in Thailand. Um, I can't remember where I think the last rifle one was in Poland or something like that. So it's it's alive and well, and that's the weird thing is like Americans, we don't really think about guns overseas. We kind of think like we're the only ones that have them. But like there's actually quite a few firearms in and like there's huge leagues in other countries that I never thought would would have them, but like like every Ipsy world shoot, like you can go look it up, they have teams from all over, which means that they have civilians shooting guns or you know, military law enforcement at least shooting guns and competing at those levels, you know. So it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool to see um how effusive the sport actually really is internationally, whereas we kind of think like guns are our thing, right? Which they are like we definitely have more here than anywhere else for sure. Um, but they're not just our thing, like other countries have guns, they compete, they have uh shooting sports just like we do. So it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 55:41

No, that is pretty cool, and I think a lot more people got their eyes open from the recent Olympics where I think it's the air rifle competition, the the guy from Turkey for the air pistol competition was just regular glasses holding everything up, and everyone's just got like weird glasses and like weird different form that I'm assuming is very specific to what they're doing, and he's just essentially in a t-shirt and shorts and just his regular everyday glasses compared to everyone else's specialized equipment.

SPEAKER_02 56:15

Yeah, well, I mean, that's just like you know, the the guy that shows up at the motocross track with like a t-shirt and like you know, boots from the 90s and you know, a helmet from the 90s, but then he just goes and smokes everybody, right? Like there's just those people that just don't they don't care about looking cool, they just love their sport, right? And they just show up with what they got, you know what I mean? But um, and but yeah, it's it's a it's a fun sport to be a part of. And I know that there's a lot of people that are like, oh, should you know, should veterans be around guns or this or that? We talk a lot about mental health, but um the thing about it is that when you're competing, I don't and I don't know how to explain this to like people that aren't around firearms all of the time, but it becomes a tool just like a dirt bike, right? Like it it's no different than anything, right? Like I don't get on my dirt bike unless I have a helmet on because it's a safety thing, right? Like I don't care. I'm not regardless if I'm just going around the corner, right? Or if I'm gonna go on a long ride, like I have boots on and I have a helmet on because riding dirt bikes is innately dangerous, right? You can't get away from it, like it's dangerous, and you can fall and you can hit your head, and and uh and firearms are the same way, but there's such a uh what's the word I'm looking for? Uh it becomes an extension of your body or yeah, uh against firearms. And I think if people could come out and and I think if it was, you know, if people could come out and see it and see how much control there is and how much rules and you know, same thing, all these safety things that are are intact in the shooting sports world to keep everyone safe. Um, I think people would realize that it's not as scary as it seems, or it's not as scary as the you know, media makes it sound or uh any of that. And it's it's really a a fun, safe uh environment to be in in the shooting sports. Um, and it's just a great place to um interact with friends, but also enjoy your sport.

SPEAKER_00 58:42

Yeah. The the only real accidents that I see anywhere when it comes to firearms is somebody's at a pistol range going pew, pew, pew, stopping, and the gun decides I want to pew and shoots around, and everyone goes, your fingers not on the trigger off the trick or not on the trigger right now. Let's unload it, let's gently set the gun down, make sure it's uh stays unloaded, check your ammo, and then check to see if the firearm broke because metal breaks eventually. That's I think like the most I see nowadays from from my world. I'm I don't do any shooting competitions like you, but generally it's the gun broke or they got some bad rounds or something like that, or the gun was too hot and cooked the round.

SPEAKER_02 59:33

Yeah, that doesn't happen, and uh, and that's kind of I think uh a myth a little bit, um, is that that doesn't really happen anecdotally, like uh people say that, but um, there's not very many firearms that will go off just to right, like uh all you know, all firearms have safeties, um, whether they're internal or external. Um, and so they're actually a really safe uh tool or implement. Um, and you'd have to do a lot to a firearm to get it to go off without your finger being on the trigger. Um, and so a lot of those situations too are human error. Um, right, someone did put a finger on a trigger, but then blame the gun or or whatnot. And I'm not saying they never happen, like like you said, mechanical, right? It's a mechanical device. Um, but that's why, again, we have safety rules, right? Um, and that's why we have rules on a on a range, and we have rules when we handle firearms, and we have rules of how we engage targets, um, so that we mitigate, even if that does happen, we're pointed in the safe direction, right? No one's downrange, whatever the case may be. Um, but that's why I'm saying, like, there's a lot of stories and and anadokes around firearms that if I feel like if people would come to the range and like watch the shooting sports, right? It'd be like, this isn't scary. Like it's pretty controlled, like things are great, like everything's in in a good way. But and and it's hard for us as as athletes, right? Because it's hard for us to promote on social media, and yeah, and all of you know what I mean, because of those those kind of bad content connotations that the shooting sports gets. Um, but it's a lot of it's just misnomers, right? Like a lot of it's just not what's actually happening. Um, but it's hard to overcome those, right? It's hard to it's hard to get people to kind of overcome some of those things that that float around in the world. But um, I think that the beauty of that too, though, in the shooting sports world is like what I said before is that uh it keeps us a pretty small community. And uh like everyone, not everyone, but like I know more people in the shooting sports community than probably anywhere else. But it's not because like I mean, we do travel a lot, but um it's just a it's just a such a small community. It's it's like a veteran community, right? Like you said, lumper. Um, the shooting sports community is a pretty small community as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:24

Yeah. No, and that that makes sense. It's a small tight-knit community, and those who are competing that move on that aren't just at the local level and just staying at the local level because they like to do it uh, you know, once a month or something like that, to actually get to meet, they meet a lot more of their comp competitors and travel around and all that. I think part of the the negative stereotypes for firearms is fear ingrained from in them from whatever media they they use, whether it doesn't matter the source, doesn't matter which side of the aisle that uh media it belongs to, they they kind of fear, fear, fear because they want the clicks. Here's a bad story about this, or did this just then a car wreck happened and took out the oldest tree in the entire state of Utah. And they're just like pushing pushing stuff to keep people clicking on their articles or watching the channel and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:32

Yeah, it's it's unfortunate that that happens, but it is it's the reality of right, the the implement we've chosen in the sport we've chosen. Um, but that's the other reason why like being a member of being an athlete for OVN has been amazing because uh we can get the support that maybe doesn't come right a little bit easy, like it doesn't come as easy to us as it does like in the motorsports world, right? Like uh I know that like the motorsports world, you can sign up for a multitude of sponsorships, regardless of you know, if they're if they're full sponsorships or just discount codes. Um, but those are available a lot all over the place. Um that doesn't exist as much in the shooting sports. Uh that being said, the industry itself, like the shootings, like the shooting industry, the big companies, um and and companies like Vortex Optics are incredible at supporting the shooting sports, right? Um, and they take an undue amount of um sponsorships and make it possible, right? And so what I mean by that is like, you know, if I'm a company like Ultra Running Shoes, I you know what I mean. There's uh another 15 or 16 or 20 shoe companies that are taking some of that load in sponsoring athletes, but there's also a million other brands and things that can sponsor a runner that don't really sponsor the shooting sports because of the connotation, right? Like they don't want their company associated with. Um, and so our industry gets inundated with sponsor requests, and they carry that burden kind of by themselves, right? We don't get a lot of outside sponsorships from sports drinks or uh, you know, stuff like that. And so um they do a phenomenal job of filling those gaps and taking on that burden as a as companies, you know, like Vortex and um Hornady and uh I mean a multitude. I could name so many, right? Uh amend too is one of the ones that sponsors us. Um but it's it's hard on the industry. And so it's it's nice to have somebody like OVN come in and be like, hey, we'll sponsor you. We don't care. Like we love it that you're in the shooting sports, you know what I mean? Um, and that's been a big help for us over the last couple years being athletes for OVN.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:23

Yeah, no, I can see that. A shoe company goes, we can take on about five people versus a you know, Vortex, like you mentioned, who's probably should have five people, but they're probably taking on like 25 because they want more people out there doing stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:44

Yeah, and I like yeah, I can't say that uh, you know, I can't say enough about like companies like Vortex, and there's there's several others, but I don't think there's a match I've been to in the last five years that Vortex hasn't been a part of. That they send prize table stuff that they support. Um, and so like like that's a lot. That's a lot to ask of a company, you know what I mean? And uh and they're all like that. The the gun industry companies are all like that, and they they show up and and they support some some more than others, but um it's a pretty big uh burden on the industry, um, and they they hold it well.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:31

No, I get that. That's that's really cool that they you know they put themselves out there so much. Um to so now is actually a perfect opportunity for you to shout out your all your various sponsors, and if there's any other sponsors out there you want.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:52

Uh I believe I'm gonna I'm gonna screw this up. Now you you now you put I have to look at the back of my jersey. I just show it.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:00

You gotta give up, you gotta be like both my closing speech.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:05

Like the super cough guys, Thanks to Monster, the team, Alpine Star.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:10

Yeah, exactly. I need a I need a script. Um Vortex is one of our uh our sponsors for OVN. I know Mantis Training Systems, um ISOTunes sponsors us, uh Men2 uh sponsors us. Um Hornaday. Uh we have friends at Hornaday and they don't officially sponsor us, uh, but they give us a lot of love and uh we appreciate them. And they're there's they're the title sponsor for our Hard as Hell match as well. So uh I can't I'd be remiss if I didn't say them, even though they're not my official sponsor. Um yeah, I would love anybody to sponsor me. We uh uh you know, I'm not super picky when it comes to that because you know, we I feel what makes a good product. Yeah, we we put our hearts and souls in this. So like product or money or whatever we can we can do to to help us uh further along our goals. But um, but yeah, as as far as that, like I would just love um support and shooters for hard as hell uh as well. Like I want that to be a place where um and maybe someday it'll I you know we can make it even a veteran event as well. Um that that was kind of the original goal. Um and as we get going, we're just trying to get it off the ground. But I love Vetimex and what they've done with our, you know, our our yearly moto uh race. And to have a place where you can go for a week or a weekend and enjoy the benefit of competing just with your fellow veterans is pretty fun. Um, and so um that might be on the docket. We might have to figure out how to work that into hard as hell, you know, 2027 or 2028.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:07

Yeah, make it uh the pre-game or the finale, whichever. Um yeah, no, it's really cool how we've been able to get like the warrior class, like in my state, the warrior classes uh follows the state series. So it's usually this the state series runs on Sunday, it's usually the Saturday before, except for some of the tracks because they're clubs, they they only run run one day. So we have we do our event at a completely different time because adding us to the to the roster can be, you know, just it's one class too many when they've already got to run specific ones.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:45

Um well, and that's one thing that the shooting sports does well at is that we don't have to convince them. Every match that I've been to has divisions or categories. So you have divisions that are like based on your equipment, right? That you shoot this division, you have this amount, whatever, this equipment or whatnot. Um, and then you have categories, which are like ladies is a category, or um senior is a category. Um, I think I don't know that I've been to a national match that doesn't have law enforcement, military, and veteran as as categories, and they give out plaques and awards for those if you win those categories. So that's pretty fun. So, but there's usually not that many of us, which is kind of shocking. Like you would think there would be a lot of us military guys or veterans, um, and there's not as many as you think there would be. So um come join shooting sports veterans. I don't know. Like I that's great, come join us.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:51

I meant to bring this up earlier, but I think I think that's gonna start changing. Um, have you seen the army's new rifle qualification yet?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:01

Uh I well, the one that they rolled out a couple years ago, or is there a new new one?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:07

The the I believe it's the one they rolled out a couple years ago. For those of you who don't know, you start in the standing position and then you have to you shoot some targets, the then you have to reload and you get into the you basically you it's kind of like a shooting competition where you are reloading in between sets of targets and changing your position, whether it's going standing up, going prone, leaning up against a uh wooden uh piece of plywood with you know various holes and stuff cut out.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:39

Um they call that a VTAC barrier barricade. But yes, I have um they did, they rolled that out right before I left. So and I and I like I liked the new program because uh prior to like the zeroing range, they just were like shoot some rounds, but now they actually have a way to measure whether or not a soldier is zeroed, and I like that. So I like the steps of progression that they've included in the in the new rifle call, but it is much harder than the old rifle call for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:12

If you don't have the uh the motor skills to be able to unload your firearm, load while moving to from standing to the kneeling position or lay uh going from prone to kneeling. I can't remember the example.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:28

And if you come compete with us, you'll do that so much, it'll just be second nature. Like it won't, yeah. Like that's that's stuff that just like we do all the time in competitions.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:40

No, I I do the pistol call now, um, which is different but somewhat similar to the new rifle call because my unit is JFHQ Joint Forces Headquarters. We we're the headquarters of the entire state. We don't have rifles, we only have pistols.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:00

And that's even harder because a pistol is just harder, it's a harder game than a rifle, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:08

That and uh we we start standing and then we we reload and then we walk, stop, shoot some targets, start walking again, stop, shoot some targets, which potentially if I wish more people in the the military did that aspect of two, besides the army's new rifle call, because I think that'll bring more people into the competitive shooter world because they're like, you know, this is kind of fun. I wonder if I can do this somewhere else, and so there's got to be somebody at the range who's like, yeah, there's there's competitions, they're they're similar, they're different. You can do cowboy, lever action only.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:45

Right, I agree. And I think, yeah, it's it's a totally different, right? Like, we're not standing in one place and shooting a target, right? In the shooting sports, like we are full out sprinting sometimes, you know, with our firearms to get to the next set of targets or um, you know, the next thing, like, you know, they'll put things, they'll put amazing things on stages like buses, right? And you have to run to the bus and and climb in and then shoot the targets out the window. Uh, or I've done, you know, we've shot out of the back of a dump truck once, right? Long range rifle out of off the, you know, off the back of a dump truck. Yeah, it's it's cool stuff. Um uh and so I think if more people understood kind of what it was, I think they'd be involved. But I think sometimes it's intimidating too, right? Um, but I I'm telling you, the shooting sports that has the most amazing people, like if you showed up to your local club and said, Hey, I'm here and I don't know what I'm doing, like you would have 12 people on your squad that would give you stuff, right? Like, hey, run this bell. I have an extra one of these. And they would help you. And that's just how the shooting community is. Um, they want you to be successful as well. Um, and they also want you to be safe. And so um don't be scared. This is my shout out to all of you that maybe are thinking about it or scared. Don't be scared to just show up at a local and ask for help, right? Or or just go and watch and ask people about it. Um, and but most of the people on that range want to help you and they will make it possible for you. You know, we all have extra stuff because we all play the game of buying something and then being like, ah, that's not that's not exactly what I wanted, right? So we all have you know buckets of extra stuff that we didn't want or didn't work for our specific purpose, but it would work for somebody, you know what I mean, who's brand new to the sport and just needs to be involved.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:52

And so um or you've upgraded gear too that adds. Yeah, or yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:57

Upgraded gear, yeah. I mean, how many of us have like you know, more than two sets of gear just because, you know, for dirt biking or whatever? Yeah, I've got multiple jerseys and pants, boxes of dirt bike parts because we upgraded something on our bike, right? And the old stuff goes into a box. So it's the same with shooting sports.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:19

Uh do you have any other hobbies, uh uh no, no, I do, but uh not not a bunch. Like my most of my time is is dirt biking. We used to have road bikes and we weren't riding them, and so we actually just barely sold those. Um and uh yeah, so I fish, I love fishing. Uh yeah, so I guess I could consider that a hobby, but I do it so infrequent at this point in my life. But um yeah, my life is consumed by the shooting sports, especially now that I am match directing. I guess that's my new that's my new hobby is trying to get people to sponsor a match and come to a match and uh all the logistics behind running a match.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:12

So you're just reaching out to you're you're doing a new brain puzzle of playing the logistics game and getting people to come out and what can you help with? Hey, you're a steel target company. I could use a couple of those.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:27

Yep, yeah, exactly. Yeah, so um, but yeah, I'm I'm one of those people that always starts a new hobby. Uh, because I I you know can't stop. But um, yeah, I mean I spend my days, like I said, I spend most of my days doing mobility, which is a hobby, I suppose. Um, and uh mobility and getting I swim twice a week. Um, because that's the best cardio I get without impact. Um and yeah, but I do it all also I can shoot on the weekend uh or ride my dirt bike.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:09

So yeah, yeah, awesome stuff. Um to listeners, we're gonna wrap it up here. Thanks for joining me on another episode of No Neutral. Uh Crystal, thanks for joining me. This was tons of fun. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:24

Anytime.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:25

Um, where can people find you uh and for keeping up with everything that you're doing next with the various competitions and your own competition you're putting together?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:38

Yeah, so um uh power powerband peri is my Instagram handle. It's powerband, I think, underscore Perry. Uh Powerband, if you don't know, is what a two-stroke dirt bike. If you're in the power band, that's where I get that from. Uh and then um uh Heartland underscore uh ha H A A is is the hard as hell uh Instagram. So updates there for for the match, but yeah, that's where I post most of my stuff and what we're doing and and everything that's going on.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:13

Yeah, if you people, if uh you're on the video aspect, they're gonna be wait, fingers are that way, above and below her. Um, I'm gonna have one one above, one below. Um and I'll make sure there's the underscores and everything there. Uh for everyone else, if you want to follow me to see what I'm doing next, I am Purple Badger Man Everywhere, capital PBM, no spaces. Uh make sure you check out Ovian's website because that has a calendar with that work, we're constantly adding various activities that and competitions that the veteran that all the veterans across the country that we have in all kinds of sports are doing. Um, and as I joke, we'd have everything from competitive shooting to Brazilian jujitsu, mixed martial arts, don't have anybody in croquet yet, but as soon as we do, I'm gonna have to stop making the joke that we that's the only sport we don't have. Um and remember, uh, if you are a veteran, please reach out before you are in crisis. That's the whole point of OVN's net finding your next mission is to prevent you from getting to a crisis. Uh, if you find yourself in one, Vets for Warriors is a confidential veteran rant help service. You can call, email, or chat with 24-7. Um, there's also the veteran crisis line, which you can call from any phone uh by dialing 988 and pressing one. Uh Crystal, thanks again for joining me. Uh, this was tons of fun. Uh, hopefully in the future I can do a a live one of these with tons of athletes from across the board.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:53

Um there would probably just be a bunch of trash talk though. I don't know if we I don't know. And it would just digress into trash talking, probably.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:03

Well, before I hit the go button, that's when we're gonna do all the trash talking. And then that's right, we'll be a little more professional. A little bit more, not not a whole lot. Definitely doing it during the week, not a Friday or Saturday, because that would bring its own challenge.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:20

Um, since it's a weekend. Um, but everyone, thank you for watching or listening on whatever platform you found us on or use. Um, and I will see you on the next episode.