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To Pass A Shooting Test
By Eliza Bicknell
When I first saw that it was gun week at Qondio, I though well I have nothing to contribute there..then I realized I did have a story to tell. Back in the early 90's I worked for a few years as a park ranger here in Boulder Colorado at the citys Open Space and Mountain Parks Department. (It's about 30,000 acres of beautiful foothills, mountains and plains owned by the city, paid for by the taxpayers). As a ranger we were required to go through police academy. I was not interested in any way shape or form in doing law enforcement for a career, I enjoyed taking people out on hikes, teaching others about the park, nature interpretation, doing wildlife research and monitoring and trail work. We did have to be prepared for someone camping (no camping allowed in the park), with a dog off leash or perhaps a parking ticket. As a seasonal ranger for the first 2 years on the job, I did just fine with these law enforcement aspects of the job. When I became a permanent ranger, it was off to the academy I went. The academy was fine academically but the material we were learning about was mentally taxing for me, for example, we saw over 400 pictures of abused children on one day when we were discussing child abuse. We learned how to take people down with our hands and a baton. And we learned to shoot. Everyone in academy seemed to pick up shooting in no time flat. I simply could not shoot to save my life. My bullets went EVERYWHERE. We took the same shooting test each time we were out at the range and on the last day you had to pass with a 70% or better three times, that means 70% of your bullets had to hit the center of your target, basically at the chest. My average score was like 20% or something terrible like that. I was not alone, one other 'cadet' was shooting as poorly as I was. I already had a job, they paid for me to be there and it seemed, day after day, that I would fail shooting. It was one of the most stressful times in my life. Finally when everyone else went over to this area to shoot and run behind hay bails and fire at moving targets, I asked to stay behind and practice for the test. I was allowed to shoot at metal plates which was nice because you could hear it if you hit the target. I then asked some fellow rangers to take me shooting for extra practice. It was the week before the final test. The day of the final test they took us into a small room and for what seemed like hours showed us all sorts of guns, guns the size of a small matchbox, guns decorated with gems, guns that were really old and those that were super automatic. Everyone was on edge as we all wanted to take the shooting test and get it over with. They told us they did that on purpose, to make us more anxiety ridden before the final shoot. I paired up with the other cadet who was also having problems and we were up. We had to pass 3 times at a 70% score minimum. Then something weird happened. It was like the clouds parted a light shone down upon me. I engaged, I focused and I shot. And I shot a 95% and then again, another 90% and then another 90%. Another cadet looked over at me and said, 'wow, you taught yourself how to shoot in one day!' I guess I did. I don't know how it happened or why. I was amazed and elated. (next up was passing the driving test but that I was not as worried about, though it was incredibly stressful.) The other struggling cadet was not so fortunate and did not pass. I only stayed on as a ranger for about 6 months after the academy. I didn't like carrying a gun and I didn't like law enforcement, it just wasnt for me. I do appreciate all those who do it and do it well. I decided that since I loved teaching people about nature most of all I would become a teacher and teach biology. Thats where I have been ever since. |
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Well said Texas Gent, what with all the yoga she must be an even better shot now.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You guys have got to be kidding, I dont think I could hit the side of a building now! lol. Even right after I passed the test, the following month I couldnt pass it again and that was so many years ago! Thanks though :)
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