In total ignorance

[svtruth]

about shooting matches. I have never even looked into this but got to wondering. Do men and women compete together or are there separate divisions?
It would seem that shooting would be a pretty sex-neutral sport.
(Mods, feel free to move to competition, just thought there was more traffic here.)
Thanks in advance.

 

[Rabid Rabbit]

That all depends on the competition, you will have to look at the the rules. Until around 1985 women and men used to compete in small bore rifle and air rifle but not anymore. There is often a High Woman category but they usually can't win High Woman and High Score at the same time.

 

[strat81]

Seems odd when certain sports segregate the sexes. Football, hockey... I understand. But shooting? Seems pretty even to me.

 

[bogie]

Some of it is that guys don't like getting beat...

Especially those crusty old jarheads, getting it handed to 'em by sixteen year old girls...

 

[dfaugh]

Having taught several women to shoot rifles over the years, I would dread shooting against an accomplished female shooter.Most took to it well, and were quickly shooting well. (and occasionally better than I, after only minimal practice.)

 

[browningguy]

Normally you see classes for juniors, ladies, seniors and sometimes super senior. Yes there are some extrodinary women shooters, but as of yet they have not reached the very top level (where most of the men do not get either) such as Leatham, Miculek etc.

 

[Hemicuda]

I don't understand this... I have taught quite a few females to shoot... and some HAVE gotten to be better than me...

when one finally outshoots me, after I taught her how to shoot, I get a really PROUD feeling... that is MY teaching that made her that good... we worked as a team and now she kicks butt!...

But then again, I treat my Girlfriend as an EQUAL too, in all ways...

I guess I'm just screwed up...

 

[Cuda]

I don't shoot competition but I do shoot with my wife and I'll tell you I would not want to go up against her in a match.. She out shoots me most of the time, and that was from day one. She just seems to be a natural and has fun showing off her targets to the kids after a day at the range. I'll just throw my away so I don't get to much ribbing.

So I don't have an answer for your question, but I can't understand why they would segregate men and women..

C

 

[browningguy]

They seperate groups because of "averages". Yes some women are better shooters than some, or most men, but that has nothing to do with median or average skill levels of different groups. Why don't women compete successfully with men in football, or baseball, or golf, or .......

Equality and equal are different things guys, you're trying to confuse issues which don't go together. There are plenty of women that can outshoot me, and plenty that can't, but it has nothing to do with equality. If a woman wants to compete against the men in IPSC or IDPA she certainly can, but to date women have not been able to compete at the highest level of the shooting sports with regularity.

Plenty of women have class wins though, for example in IDPA MM and SS classes using SSP/ESP/CDP pistols. I happen to be one of the most open minded people that you will ever meet. But come on, thinking you're different because you treat your gf as your equal doesn't even belong in this discussion.

 

[RNB65]

Especially those crusty old jarheads, getting it handed to 'em by sixteen year old girls...

Reminds me of a good story I heard recently.

There once was a talented trick shooter named Frank Butler who traveled the country performing shooting exhibitions and offering a $100 reward to anyone who could outshoot him. One day in Ohio a tiny 5ft tall young woman just slightly older than sixteen accepted the challenge and proceeded to beat him. Rather than allowing his pride to be hurt, he instead began courting the young lady and married her a year later. He then sacrificed his own shooting career to become her business manager because he knew that she was better than he was.

Her name, of course, was Annie Oakley, perhaps the most famous American woman of the 19th century.

 

[Fosbery]

On the rare occasion I compete, I compete against both female and disabled shooters (not implying that women are in some way comparable to disabled people, I'm just demonstrating the bredth of different people competing together). By 'compete' I mean 'get thoroughly trounced by'.

 

[vynx]

Hemicuda & Cuda

You 2 see the difference here don't ya?

Hemicuda treats his girlfriend as his equal - just wait til she's your wife then she'll be your "better half"

Marry up - thats my motto.

 

[Hemicuda]

Vynx...

We ain't married and she ALREADY is my better half... we might treat eachother as equals, but I KNOW how lucky I am!

 

[Mortech]

LOL remember that 20 years from now ...

 

[taliv]

my 8 yr old daughter won a cheesecake (heh) in her bb gun league last saturday.

 

[gezzer]

The real reason why they have the women category is so the so called males are not truly embarrassed by being totally thrashed be one of the Ladies.

Seriously they shoot as well or better than men on the average IMHO after 20 years of black powder Competition.

 

[NateG]

One of the top finishers at my club's small bore matches is that 16 year old girl... I think her last score was something like 595-30X or something equally absurd. (I, on the other hand, was quite pleased to finish next-to-last, beating one guy who spent an order of magnitude more on his rifle than I did ) I think they sometimes have a women's sub-category for awards for the service rifle matches, (along with juniors, seniors, optics, etc.) but it's mainly a way to get folks out there shooting, and encourage those who are trying it out to do it again.