An amazing thing happened to my husband Ken and myself in 2024. In Steel Challenge, we both reached Master class in Rimfire Pistol Open and Grand Master in Rimfire Rifle Open. They say when we age together as couples, we begin to look and act alike. In our case we don’t look so much alike, but we both shoot alike. We feel fortunate because we started competing in Steel Challenge in our “golden years” and have advanced to the level in the game that we have.
SOME BACKGROUND
I shot a gun for the first time in 2018 at more than 60 years old. I made Master in Rimfire Pistol Open in June 2024, and a week later I achieved Grand Master in Rimfire Rifle Open—only one year after I started shooting rifle.
Ken made Master in Rimfire Pistol Open last October, and in November he made Grand Master in Rimfire Rifle Open, one month shy of turning 80 years old.
We are thrilled beyond words that we both met our goals in both pistol and rifle in 2024, and we did it together.
OUR STORY
In June of 2018, Ken and I were out on an early morning photo shoot in Escalante Canyon, about an hour north of where we live. The plan was to bush whack in for a sunrise photo of a rock formation with a patch of prickly pear cactus in the foreground. To our surprise, we had an encounter with a predatory bear who had tracked and followed us into our photo spot. We were trapped in a cactus patch, so the bear had our attention. Our encounter lasted about three minutes, with each of us looking and sizing each other up. We did the usual “bear thing” that you are supposed to do when you meet a bear. The bear was not impressed. As you can already guess, we made it through the standoff, unscathed.
That was the day I told Ken I needed to learn how to shoot a gun. You see, I had never shot a gun before, because I never had the desire. Encountering a predatory creature in their environment can and will change one’s mind.
THE JOURNEY
I had to learn everything about guns, and I mean everything.
First, I had to learn about gun safety and how to do the very basics of handling a gun—how to pick up a gun, how to hold one, how to load a magazine, etc. Fortunately for me, Ken had several years of experience with competitive shooting. He was competitive in IDPA for several years and was quite proficient in the game, doing well in major matches.
To keep things in perspective, he quit shooting competitively 20 years prior to our incident in Escalante Canyon.
Next, we spent a lot of time at the range. I learned how to shoot a Glock pistol chambered in 9 mm Luger with iron sights, since my plan was to be able to carry this gun in the back country with bear load ammunition. Ken has often said that “I took to shooting guns like a duck to water.”
Not long after I was shooting with Ken at the range, he decided that we should have someone with more experience work with both of us on defensive shooting. We hired a man with an amazing background in defensive shooting to work with us one on one. What a treat and experience that was.
The next thing that happened was when I asked Ken if there was a sport where we could shoot steel targets, since some of our range time was spent shooting at steel targets. He then told me about Steel Challenge. I wanted to give it a try, so Ken started researching Steel Challenge competition.
He scoured the internet and YouTube to glean as much information as he could about the game. He discovered books written by Ken Verderame about Steel Challenge. I even bought him the Steel Challenge banners for his dry-fire practice. We were off and running. All that we learned about shooting Steel Challenge was by trial and error, using Ken Verderame’s books as a place to start.
We spent several months practicing, including understanding the range commands, courses of fire and shooting stages when we were able to set them up at our local range.
In September of 2019, I shot my first Steel Challenge match with a .22 pistol and optic. I was hooked. I wanted to do this again. Initially, Ken thought it might not be the sport for him, but he went along with it for me. Well, he became hooked, too.
We started shooting Steel Challenge with the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite rimfire pistols. We then changed to the Volquartsen Black Mamba with optics and absolutely loved the reliability of the Volquartsen pistols.
In 2022, Ken added another gun to his arsenal to compete with in Rimfire Rifle Open, the Volquartsen Ultralite 22 rifle, another superb gun to compete with. I was a bit slower adding a rifle to my competition. I got on board in early summer of 2023, also shooting a Volquartsen Ultralite 22.
There weren’t many Steel Challenge matches held in our area. We were lucky if we got to shoot eight matches a year, each about two hours from home. We both discovered that we really enjoyed shooting matches and were hungry for more.
Fast forward to today and things have changed. We were instrumental in talking one of our local ranges into holding Steel Challenge matches, and we have had monthly matches now at our local range for two years. The first year we had a total of 162 guns that were shot in Steel Challenge, and in 2024 we had 420 guns for the year.
The next step in our journey was to start shooting some major matches, so over the last couple of years, we traveled and competed in several Tier 2 and Tier 3 Steel Challenge matches and have had a blast. What a treat to visit other places and shoot with other competitors who really enjoy the game as much as we do. Ken and I are so thankful that we decided to branch out and meet other like-minded folks.
Both of us have brought home hardware from the major matches we have shot. What a feeling, competing with others who are also competing and then to come home with hardware and recognition. More importantly, the forging of new friendships during competition has been great.
None of these accomplishments just happened. We have worked hard. We have practiced and practiced to get where we are today. I give credit to Ken and all that he has put into learning about this game. We had to do a lot of things early on by trial and error. Not knowing who to go to with questions, or the other nuances of the game, but Ken was tenacious in his research.
We have met some awesome folks at the different matches that we’ve competed at, as well as learning plenty from others who were willing to share their experiences with us.
Part of what we have tried to do over the last year and a half is to pay it forward to the new shooters in our area. When I talk with folks about Steel Challenge, they pick up right away the passion I have for this game. At any match we are competing in, I am quick to cheer and encourage the shooters, whether they are new to the game or seasoned competitors.
We have coached and trained with fellow competitors, most often on a one-to-one basis, to help them in their own journeys.
Last summer, we met folks at the range one evening a week so they could practice Steel Challenge stages, offering hints and tips where we could. There are people who like to come and shoot Steel Challenge just for the fun and the camaraderie, a few who enjoy competing and, of course, there are those who come to play a bit harder.
We have worked hard behind the scenes helping the Match Director conduct the monthly matches at our local gun club to help make sure the competitors have a great experience and want to come back again.
It has been rewarding for us to see the new shooters growing in their game. We call that a win for Steel Challenge.
What a thrill this journey has been. I never thought I would ever shoot a gun. And the best part is Ken has been right there with me. We compete together, cheer each other on, lift each other up during the hard days and we have each other to push to do better. That’s why we call ourselves “Team Ken & Deb.” We are not only a team in shooting, but we are a team in life.
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