Area 6: Notes from Thursday

The first USPSA regional of the season gets underway this morning but I had the opportunity to kick around the range on Thursday during registration and here are some notes.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to USPSA….The Production National Champion, Bob Vogel of Team EOTAC, came down for his first Area 6 match. He hitched a ride with the crew from Michigan who passed through the Dayton, Ohio area to pick up Vogel for the 10+ hour road trip. Vogel will be competing in the Limited division with his Glock 24, giving up 1-2 rounds depending on the mag he uses. His biggest competition will come from the 2008 Ltd. National Champion and past Area 6 Champ, Travis Tomasie of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Both will shoot today.

Over There….Several AMU shooters you’d usually expect to see at this match, which is right in their backyard, will be absent. They’ve been deployed to Afghanistan for what Travis said was a 3-month tour to train soldiers. Among those “away on business” are Daniel Horner, the ;09 Limited Champ, and Lee Dimaculangan.

Not A Hansen Brother….Looks like hockey will be the theme on a Dave Sevigny-designed stage. Why hockey? Well, first, Dave is a big hockey player which is where he shoot-on-the-move strength comes from, and second, Dave lined up the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers as a stage sponsor. More on that, and pics of the stage to come later.

Maximum Sig….Formerly of the AMU, Max Michel was one the range walking stages preparing to compete today under the Sig banner. Max has won the Open division for the past 6 years so he just may be the one to watch this year. I’m just guessing.

Call Her “Boss”….Match Director Cindy Noyes was handling registration. With the stages all set, painted and ready for the 8am start, Cindy’s got the Area 6 well under control, but that’s no surprise since as a Glock employee she’s the one behind a lot of the logistics of the GSSF. Shooters can expect a smooth running 3-day event.

Diamond Dave In The House….Competing in the “Older Than Dirt” division, USPSA’s Exec. Dir. Dave Thomas flew in for the match. While he’s not likely to win, having come off a cold that had him down for the count most of last week, he did find it within his heart to pay for dinner at Conyers’ famed Outback Steakhouse, the home of fine dining you can only find everywhere.