Responsible Firearms Ownership 

2000  IDPA Arkansas State Championship Match

The Arkansas Combat Pistol League (ACPL) of Berryville, Arkansas hosted the 2000 State Match in the unusually cool hills of northwest Arkansas, this May.  For a beginner in the game of IDPA, this was quite an introduction to the sport.  My best memory of the entire trip was the friendliness of everyone I encountered, with the possible exception of the horde of people in downtown Eureka Springs.

Friday
This was to be a weekend get-away trip for my wife and me, so to insure her continued support (AKA a  BRIBE) of my new hobby, I had earlier consulted a map of the area, discovered the resort town of Eureka Springs to be near Berryville and made reservations at what was supposed to be a very nice hotel in the down town area.  We would arrive Friday afternoon and stay until Sunday, with a major IDPA match in the middle.  Every consideration was made to provide comfort and enjoyment for my wife.  (Am I not a sweet guy?)  Arriving from the south, we drove through Berryville past a multitude of roadside motels, all with VACANCY signs out front, toward Eureka Springs, only a few more miles away where our fancy abode waited.  Now apparently lots of folks like to go to Eureka Springs – in fact, huge amounts of people must like to go to Eureka Springs.  There were people everywhere, nowhere to park, and actually nowhere to drive.  The streets are approximately the width of your vehicle, plus or minus 4 inches, all one way, and twist and curl everywhere but where I wanted to go.  Plus there were literally herds of people just roaming around, walking in the street – it was pitiful.  I drove past our Hotel twice looking for the parking garage or lot or something, anything that would allow me to stop – forget it.  There was no place to park and a line of cars behind me that all knew where they were going.  Plus, the hotel looked to be about 500 years old.  Now, I don’t mean to bad mouth this city:  if you enjoy crowds, traffic, and tight places then you’ll love Eureka Springs.  Its full of the kind of stuff my wife enjoys.  Personally, I hate traffic, crowds, and tight places.  I’m from the wide open flat land of south Arkansas and this place made me think I was in a hole or cave.  Sorry.  I informed my wife that if I could EVER twist and curl my way out of this place we were heading back the way we came and stop at one of the nicer motels we had driven past earlier.  Plus, it would be just that much closer to Berryville and the range.  Counting on that old adage that “It’s the thought that counts”, I decided that the resort experience would just have to give way to a good Motel 6.  Fortunately, my wife accepts that I’m not like most people and agreed to the first nice, clean looking motel we came to.  Pulling into the (spacious!) parking lot, the first person I saw was a shooting buddy who, along with his wife, was unloading, preparing to stay the weekend also.  Things were looking up!  By the way, if you’re ever up around Berryville and find yourself in a Motel with a room called the ‘Rhett Butler Suite’, just remember that my wife and I enjoyed that Jacuzzi too!  More’n onced, as Carroll Lawrence might say.

Saturday
Now this thing was supposed to start at 7:30 am and for those of you that have been to this range know, YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE!.  The first time you think you’re there, you’re not.  The next time you think you’re there, you’re lost, and the next time you think you’re there, you’re not, but you’re getting close!  We did finally get to the range, on time, only to discover that my squad wouldn’t shoot until 12:30 pm.  I didn’t much like this, but as it turned out it did give me time to watch and get prepared.  And eat.  When the ACPL throws a party, they have a party!  There were grills and cookers set up strategically to send smells and aromas in every direction.  With coolers and tubs of iced soft drinks, plus hot coffee, plus all the BBQ, it is truly a wonder that I was even able to shoot by the time my 12:30 squad was called up.

By my estimation, a full third of the match was standards exercises, which I despise.  The other two stages, with their additional strings, consisted of traditional courses of fire with some demonic moving targets, which was the first time I had encountered motorized moving targets.  These were fun yet demanding and show-cased the ACPL’s ability to setup multi-strings on what is a relatively small range bay.  The match director and support crew also kept to an exceptionally tight schedule and ran everybody through safely, efficiently, and on time.  With new scores posted almost before the smoke cleared, everybody could keep up with the outcome and shortly after the last shot was fired a final posting was ready and the awards ceremony commenced.  The ACPL gave beautiful plaques to the top third of each division, which I thought was very nice and generous.  It also made it possible for me to receive one, since I shot in what was probably the largest division:  CDP Marksman.  There was also a random drawing from a prize table, more food, and good fun and fellowship.  Over the years I‘ve been a member or a part of everything from softball leagues, bass clubs and tournaments, to rodeo and riding clubs and this had to have been one of the most fun and rewarding events I’ve participated in.

As I understand it, the ACPL, through an arrangement with IDPA President Bill Wilson, used his personal range for this match.  All I can say is thanks, and that it must be nice to have a private range such as this.  Other than the fact that my wife nearly froze to death and wound up smelling like BBQ from hovering over and around the grills all day and I nearly got run over by one of those devilish moving targets, we had a great time.  Thanks again to the ACPL and Bill Wilson.

Jeff Loveless, CDP Marksman