RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — After shooting 30 stages of the International Practical Shooting Confederation’s most prestigious event, World Shoot, Matt Mink had a little trouble getting home.
World Shoot XVI took place in Rhodes, Greece. With the state of the euro in question and transportation workers consistently striking, Mink, of Conway, was glad to see American soil once again.
He returned home with a third-place medal in the production gun division.
In Arkansas and throughout the region and country, Mink competes in United States Practical Shooting Association matches.
Shooting matches consist of stages, which re-create real-life scenarios that assume the competitor has a concealedcarry permit and is carrying a gun for protection.
After his performance at the national competition earlier this year, Mink was selected to represent the United States in the international contest.
He has competed in two previous World Shoot competitions - Bali, Indonesia, in 2008, and Ecuador in 2005 - but on his first day in Greece, Mink realized this World Shoot was going to be a bit different than the others.
Members of the American team decided to take a trip to the range to look at the stages before the match.
“I noticed the match itself was really not what I would pick as my strengths of shooting,” Mink said. “It was a very, very hard match. As a matter of fact, it was the hardest match I had ever heard of.”
Mink said shooting competitions, like many sports, are extremely mental for the competitors. While his hopes were sinking after seeing the stages of the match, Mink had to remind himself to stay positive.
He and his teammates made a decision not to look at any of their scores until the end of the match.
“That isn’t something I usually do,” Mink said.
About 50 countries sent teams to participate in the shooting competition, and Mink said many of the other competitors took chances he decided not to attempt.
“I tried to shoot smooth and steady and not take chances and not make mistakes,” hesaid. “Before the match started, I didn’t think I would make the top five, but my plan paid off.”
Mink and his teammates had a pretty good idea of where they stood toward the end of the match, despite having not checked their scores. They were sure two U.S. team members had taken the top spots. Mink’s teammate Bob Vogel came in first, while Ben Stoeger finished second.
Mink, however, wasn’t so sure. He knew he was placing neck-in-neck with a Czech, a Slovak and a Spanish competitor.
“We were all pretty tight, and we didn’t know where I was going to come in,” Mink said. “I only beat the Spanish guy by four points.”
Mink said World Shoot is the most prestigious event for the international and U.S. practical shooting organizations.
“It’s kind of the equivalent of the Olympics for us, and it only rolls around every three years, so we have three years to train for it.”
Mink said he will start now, and expects to be back at the next World Shoot.
“I love going head to head against people who are considered the best,” he said. “I try to walk up to a match knowing I’ll dominate it. When you believe in yourself, you do a lot better.”
Staff writer Caroline Zilk can be reached at (501) 244-4326 or czilk@arkansasonline.com.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 203 on 10/30/2011