How did you get involved in competition shooting? For many of us, we were invited by friends and family or we did a little plinking when we were kids. Twenty-seven-year-old Joseph (Joey) Sauerland joined USPSA after watching Hollywood action films with his cousin—but we will come back to that.
Joey Sauerland won the USPSA Limited National Championship title at the 2024 USPSA Limited Nationals—an impressive feat in itself—but he became a National Champion after shooting for just three-and-a-half years. This is not three-and-a-half years of competition shooting, but three-and-a-half years of shooting, period.
“I was always the unathletic kid in school. I was the last kid to finish the mile in gym class and the last in many activities,” Sauerland said. “In high school I did a little wresting, followed by track and field. Then, when I was about 14 or 15, I started going to the gym. I liked the gym because it was me, doing my thing.”
After high school, Sauerland majored in Kinesiology and Health at Miami University, leading to a career as a fitness trainer and coach. He also began competing in body building.
When Sauerland and cousin Michael Norman saw “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” his life was immediately changed.
“Clearly, this was much cooler, much more alpha male, than being big and muscular,” he said. “John Wick, just an average kind of guy, was kicking butt. That’s when I knew I wanted to shoot.”
Sauerland bought a USPSA life membership on Feburary 2, 2021, then showed up at Bluegrass Sportsmen’s League three days later to shoot his first match.
“There I was,” Sauerland explained, “with a Glock G17 that had a ported barrel. I’d signed up for Limited. A guy on my squad said, ‘that’s gonna bump you to Open.’ I asked, ‘what does that mean?’ I had a lot to learn.”
Sauerland started shooting at any match he could find.
“I couldn’t afford the ammo I’d need for live-fire practice so began dry-fire training. I attribute my rapid progress to dry-fire training,” he said. “I dry fire one to two hours a day. I get more sight pictures and more movement with the gun in a day than I could ever do in live fire in a week. It’s the meat and potatoes of my training. I don’t have to deal with the weather, with pasters or targets. If I don’t dry fire on a given day, it’s because I am lazy or just don’t want to.”
Obviously, this approach is working.
Sauerland also trains with Steve Anderson.
“Steve told me the only way to become a National Champion is outwork the current National Champion. So, I amped up my training even more,” he said.
“When I met Joey, he’d only shot about 1,000 rounds,” Anderson said. “He came to my private range for a one-day shooting class and did everything I asked him to do, both during the class and after. Later, he completed my Mental Management class and once again did everything I asked of him. Joey has a unique ability to call every shot, and make this his singular focus in competition, which allows him full access to the skill he has acquired in training. His understanding of the mental game both in training and competition has helped him win. I could not be more proud of him.”
Sauerland is a member of the MasterPiece Arms Pistol Team.
“I met Phil Cashin, president of Masterpiece Firearms, at my first [USPSA] Nationals,” he said. “I wanted to be on the MasterPiece Team.”
He didn’t waste any time.
“Joey is a valuable member of our team. He has quickly become one of the top Limited competitors in USPSA,” Cashin said. “He is the ultimate professional, using discipline and dedication to constantly improve his performances. Joey is one of the most positive individuals I have met. His outlook has served him well in the competitive realm of USPSA shooting. Nothing gets him down.”
Travis Tomasie, a fellow USPSA National Champion and captain of Team Masterpiece Arms, helps Sauerland refine his skills.
“Joey is a unique combination of focus, drive, hard work and relentless pursuit of perfection,” Tomasie said. “He has incredible athleticism, but doesn’t let that distract from or undermine his truly relentless determination. He tempers his amazing talents with an unmatched outlook that is entirely positive. I’m truly grateful to have him as my teammate.”
While the 2024 major match season has come to an end, Sauerland is still crisscrossing the country, taking classes, teaching classes and looking for ways to challenge himself (he shot the 2024 USPSA Vortex Optics Open Nationals with iron sights and had a respectable finish).
I have no doubt, John Wick is waiting, watching, knowing Sauerland will have another great season in 2025—with, “Guns. Lots of guns. Yeah.”
Article from the January/February 2025 issue of USPSA’s magazine.
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