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Issaquah Sportsmen's Club
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Issaquah Sportsmen's Club
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When The Going Gets Tough, This Woman Goes Shooting
You've heard the saying "when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping". Well that didn't work for me after a car accident and 6 months of intense, and sometimes unpleasant massages and chiropractic manipulations.
My brand new Toyota Rav4 was totaled and I was left with a body badly bruised. My somewhat active life felt like it had been pulled from beneath my feet. All from a careless person's mistake behind the wheel. Mentally I had "forgiven her" but there was anger I couldn't release.
All my life I have been the kind of person that tries to look outside the box, so-to-speak. I needed something I could do to vent my frustrations without hurting anyone. My love for aerobic exercise to oldies music came to an end the year before, after knee surgery. The doctor recommended milder activities such as walking. Walking helped, but it still wasn't enough.
One afternoon walking to my new Toyota Rav4 from a chiropractic appointment in Issaquah, I heard shooting in the distance coming from the Issaquah Sportsmen's Club. "Are people nuts?" I thought to myself. Why would any one want to shoot a gun? The idea scared the hell out of me.
Days after, I couldn't shake the idea of shooting a gun. "Guns kill" I kept telling myself. Man has been hunting and shooting since the beginning of time. It seems to be a way of life for a lot of people.
So I called the Issaquah Sportsman's Club and got someone to meet me for one-on-one instruction. What better way to face one's fears, than to experience it and meet it head on.
A young woman named Rebecca met me at the Issaquah Sportsmen's Club. We went over some rules, one of which I have taken with me to this day and use without hesitation and now find second nature without even having to think about. Rebecca told me to ALWAYS handle a gun as if it were loaded, that way you will NEVER be put in the position of having to say, "I didn't know it was loaded."
We practiced aiming and squeezing the trigger without ammo. Then Rebecca asked me if I was ready. Taking a deep breath, I nodded as I was handed a .22 magazine. Rebecca instructed me on how to load and insert the magazine.
"What in the world was I doing?" I thought to myself as I aimed at the target. I shut my eyes, held on tight and slowly squeezed the trigger. It hit the paper target, I was ecstatic, it felt great. "Now" Rebecca said, "open your eyes and really concentrate on what you are doing."
I hit the bullseye in the middle of the paper target.
After about an hour and 500 rounds, I was hooked. And guess what, I hadn't thought about ANYTHING else that was going in my life. For that whole brief period of time, I removed myself from everything except the intense focus of blowing holes in that paper and the adrenal rush that came with it.
At first my family was shocked at my newly found activity, but saw the benefits in my attitude. I am the kind of person who has a hard time killing a fly. I even root for the under-dog spider that runs across the floor with my cat toying behind it.
Self defense is a whole other area women can get into after learning safety and the legal responsibility that goes along with that education.
For me personally, target shooting is a fun sport that has an added benefit of relieving stress. There's nothing like the thrill and excitement of hitting a bullseye.
As much fun as shooting sports are, getting started in any sport can be both frustrating and intimidating. Especially if you don't have a friend or family member to help guide you. Many people such as myself, weren't lucky enough to have grown up learning about shooting and it's safety. So if you feel a little overwhelmed as you start out, rest assured you're not alone.
You'll be surprised at how quickly you catch on, too. The difference between rifles and revolvers, calibers and grains, centerfire and rimfire will all be easily understandable in no time.
A few good reasons women are getting more involved with shooting is, (1) Self-Defense and (2) Stress Release. Pistol shooting is a very serious and intense sport which requires total concentration, leaving the rest of the world behind for a few hours can really help clear the brain.
For more information and class scheduling, contact Issaquah Parks and Recreation Department at the Issaquah Community Center 301 Rainier Blvd. South 7:00am - 8:00pm (425) 837-3300
Historic Buildings Issaquah Sportsmen's Club 23600 SE Evans Street 392-3311
The Issaquah Sportsmen's Club clubhouse was built during the great depression (1937), using funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The clubhouse has been continuously used by the Issaquah Sportsman's Club, with many activities open to the public. The Issaquah Alps Trails Club was founded at the clubhouse in 1979, and the Boy Scouts utilize the facility for troop meetings and trainings.
In 1998, the clubhouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
There's nothing like the thrill and excitement of hitting a bullseye...
Teresa Blommers (425) 391-9061
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