Tip #1
Teach your kid not to wear her heart on her sleeve. Katie used to get upset when she shot a bad stage. I always made her go sit in the truck and reload her magazines to calm herself down.
Tip #2
You deal with match staff until she knows the game well enough and has enough confidence to do it for herself. Katie was DQed from a match one time because the range officer didn’t understand the rules and I was able to explain it to him and get it overturned. I taught her never to argue with a RO and, if necessary, always disagree respectfully. In the end it’s just a game and not worth burning bridges.
Tip #3
Teach her to be a good ambassador. Any time Katie sees people standing around spectating, she always talks to them and explains the equipment and the game. This is the only way to get new shooters into the sport.
Tip #4
Help her understand that she is always in the spotlight. People will watch every thing she does and hear everything she says. Always be professional.
Tip #5
Help her always have a goal. Whether its a certain placing, beating a certain person, or talking to “x” number of people at a match, help her set her goals for the event.
Tip #6
Teach her to always give back to the sport. Competitive shooting is a volunteer sport, so Katie volunteers to RO at least one major match a year. Without volunteers, the sport will die.
By Chad Francis, one of the Founders of Generation III Gun, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on promoting the competitive shooting sports to juniors. His oldest daughter Katie is a sponsored 3-gun competitor.
