USPSA Handgun Nationals – Getting To Know Your Top 5 – Kippi Leatham, 5th Place Production

Courtesy of our friends at the Women of USPSA blog.

WoUSPSA: Congratulations on your TOP 5 finish at the S&W USPSA Production National Championships, Kippi!  Before we talk about your Production Match, we were wondering why you were unable to shoot the L10 Match?

Kippi: Well, thanks!  Yes, I was signed up for the L10 Nationals, but a last-minute sitter situation prevented me from coming with Rob to the first match.  I was actually still juggling babysitters from Vegas on Thursday.  Our poor daughter just gets bounced all around when we go out of town.  Hopefully she doesn’t mind too much!  All in all, it worked out nicely, as I got to spend some unplanned quality time with her.

WoUSPSA: That’s always a bonus! So, what did you think of the stages at this year’s Nationals?  Did you have a favorite?

Kippi: The stages were very challenging, and a bit on the hard side, but I prefer it that way for a Nationals!  Hats off to the Nationals design team, range crew, range officers, stats personnel, administrative crew, chronographers and Desert Sportsmans R&P Club!

I liked Stage 4, Drinks on the House II, because it had a couple of swingers and a Max Trap target that you activated from a different position.  I enjoy the kind of stages that invigorate me …  shooting the Max Trap while moving into that last position was a rush!  This stage reminded me of something we might see at a World Shoot – and I felt really at home on the barstool with a mug in my hand!  : )

WoUSPSA: Happy hour at the range, speaking of which, what do you think of the range/match location?

Kippi: OK – not going to sugar coat this … I like Vegas as the location for many reasons:  Close to home, decent weather, availability of hotels, restaurants, activities, but I don’t feel the range is so safe.  Too many ricochets, rocks and bullet frags in the air … : (

WoUSPSA: How would you describe your performance? Were you happy with your match?

Kippi: I shot pretty accurately (although the mini poppers were my nemesis) and had few penalties, but I was extremely slowwwwwwww!  Don’t know if I was just trying to see too much due to the large number of difficult target presentations, or if it actually just takes my older-ish eyes that much longer to focus on hard shots?  During post-match discussions, Rob suggested that I pick up the pace and accept a few misses – and I’m thinking he’s right.  Gosh, that’s really hard to admit … : )

WoUSPSA: But might be worth a try, huh?  Now, how early did you start training for the Nationals, and how much range time did you put in compared to dry firing?

Kippi: Dry fire??  I unfortunately don’t make time for that anymore, and most of my draws and reloads probably reflect that choice.  I began practicing when Patience went back to school in the middle of August.  That gave me about two months to prepare.  I try to practice at least twice a week and also shoot the matches on weekends.

WoUSPSA: Sounds like a manageable schedule. To stay energized, what is your snack and beverage of choice at a match?

Kippi: I drink water and water with Emergen-C constantly.  I also try to chew on a Cliff Bar or eat a banana every other stage or so.  It’s a must to keep my energy up.  Bananas are the perfect range food – except for the fact that they get squishy, turn black, start leaking and smell to high heck if you leave them in your range bag for an extended period of time …  not that I’ve ever done that.

WoUSPSA: Yes, nearly the perfect range food! Did you learn anything about yourself as a competitor?

Kippi: I’ve been suffering from major self-induced nerves these last few years, and feel that I finally managed to tame them at the Nationals in Vegas.  I always want to be a little anxious, nervous, adrenalized, choose your adjective, but not to the point that it effects my performance negatively.  So, I was extremely pleased that I learned to control my emotions during the entire match!

WoUSPSA: Good for you! As a Top 8 contender, do you feel you should always have the choice to shoot with whomever you like?   What are the pros and cons of shooting with another squad vs. the Ladies?

Kippi: At a National Competition, I absolutely think the “contenders” should be squadded together.  If you’ve proven yourself and have the ability to place in the top numbers of your division and category, you should be with others who are also trying to win, place, show or finish Top 8/16!

More often than not, our performances are based not only on skill, but weather conditions, lighting, pressure, nerves, cameras, crowds, knowing that your closest competitor just shot an amazing run … It all plays into the equation, and it’s a BIG part of our game.  Trust me, it’s not the same match when you’re not squadded with your close competitors, and when matches are won and lost by a few points and often fractions of points, it makes a difference!  Eva – I love you, completely respect your opposing opinion, and hope we can continue to agree to disagree on this one!  : )

If contending competitors are spread out all over the range, it’s also extremely difficult for the video crews, photographers and reporters to properly cover the match.  Due to the nature of our scoring system, our scores can only be compared  if we’ve all shot the same stages, so it’s nearly impossible to tell who’s in the lead.

Please understand where I’m coming from – I’m old school.  Historically, I’ve never known or considered squadding an option, but rather a reward.  My first Nationals was in 1988, and I arrived in Barry, IL to try to earn a slot from the S&W Ladies Match.  I fortunately won my slot and went on to finish 8th overall at the Nationals.  When I showed up the next year, I was in the ladies squad!  I couldn’t have been any happier, while simultaneously sick to my stomach.  : )  It was considered an honor to shoot with the Ladies or in the Super Squad.  It was where  a driven competitor wanted to be – in the limelight.

Now, squad scatter happens all the time at Area Matches, lower-level competitions, and unfortunately at the SS Nationals.  Although, I don’t think it’s the best for the sport, I think that it’s a good way to compromise.  If someone wants to shoot with a friend, husband or just meet new people, Area matches are the perfect place for that, however, when National Titles are on the line, we should handle the squadding more professionally, based on proven performance.

And every now and then, the Top-8 / Top-16 squadding system is fooled when a shooting-star comes along and breaks into the winner’s circle as a somewhat “unknown”.  The extremely talented Valerie Levanza-Rosales and our (Arizona’s) amazingly skilled Nils Jonasson come to mind.   At their first Nationals, they each shot outside of the top squads because they had not yet proven themselves on that level – and WON!  What an astonishing accomplishment!  Wanna make any bets on where our young, up-and-coming shooting god Nils will be squadded next year though?  Congratulations again, Nils, on your 2010 Limited National Championship Title – Arizona is so proud of you!

Want to finish this topic by acknowledging and thanking Paul Erhardt for tabulating the daily leaders at the Nationals with his posts on USPSA’s blog.  That was very exciting to see!  Back in the 90s, we had Marilyn Barnhart who kept the men’s scores current up to the minute, and down to the hundredth of a point.  She was awesome!   What do you think about a Leader Board, Paul?  : )

Are you sorry you asked now, and is my time up yet ?  : )

WoUSPSA: No, no, and we’re almost done!  Was this your last major match of the year or do you still have more competitions on your schedule?

Kippi: I shot the USPSA Area-2 / Desert Classic after Nationals and am now officially done!

WoUSPSA: With the match season rather lengthy, how do you typically unwind after all the matches have settled down?

Kippi: I enjoy golfing, spending time with friends & family and getting my house / life back in order.  During the match season, it’s amazing how quickly chaos can ensue.

WoUSPSA: What are your long-term competitive shooting goals?

Kippi: To try to remember the time when I was able to finish in the Top 3!  : )

WoUSPSA: If you weren’t a competitive shooter, what do you think you would be doing?

Kippi: Dancing has always been my passion and first love.  I live vicariously now through a few of the reality shows.  I’m truly amazed by the capability of the human body and the artistic creativity of today’s dancers and choreographers.  Luv, luv, luv “So You Think You Can Dance”!

WoUSPSA: Do you have any special talents or skills that you would like to share with us?

Kippi: I occasionally hit great golf shots!   Still can’t get under 100, though.  : (

WoUSPSA: When you aren’t on the road or at the range, what’s one of your favorite activities to do when at home?

Kippi: Attending our daughter’s soccer and sporting events, cooking for family & friends, and wrestling with my little girl, who is now taller, stronger, and sassier than I.

WoUSPSA: What advice would you give to any new shooters starting out?

Kippi: Have fun, form new friendships, set realistic goals, surround yourself with good shooters, and practice if you really want to improve – No, matches are not practice!  : )

WoUSPSA: Congrats again on your Top 5 finish, Kippi!  Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.

Check out this video of Kippi shooting a few stages at the 2010 S&W USPSA Production Nationals.