After nearly 10-hours of coaching me through my first International Defensive Pistol Association Nationals, world shooting champion and Smith & Wesson Team Captain Julie Golob left the range with a smile on her face, and I did too. My first shooting competition was an overwhelming success. I shot pretty well for my first go-round, but more importantly, I got to spend time with incredibly special people who really care about sharing their sport.
The match Wednesday morning started early with registration at 7 a.m. All I had to do was show up with my ammo, eyes, ears and belt. Julie took care of the rest. Not only did she let me borrow her M&P Pro, but she also kept my magazines full all day. We made our way through thirteen stages, each providing a different real life scenario. She guided me through each stage, encouraged me to focus on the task at hand, taught me new things about cover, reloading, IDPA rules and was a tremendous help when it came to explaining which targets to shoot first in order to have the greatest tactical advantage.
“When the light goes on, when someone has that aha moment, when they have a great stage and see their potential, it’s really fun to be a part of that,” she tells me after a long day on the range. It’s clear Julie’s generosity and personal dedication to mentorship have benefited the shooting sports a huge deal. Not only does she share her knowledge at the range, but wrote an entire book to help newbies get acclamated to the sport.
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