My First Outdoor USPSA-Style Match: Rain, Mud, Swingers, and a Stage Straight Out of VR

By Paige “Paige-Chan” Huynh

(USPSA Shooter, Content Creator)

Today I took on my first-ever outdoor USPSA-style match at River Bend Gun Club,  and Mother Nature definitely wanted to make it memorable. Between the rain, mud, long-range targets, and moving props, this was unlike anything I’ve ever shot before.

Right from the start, the weather added a whole new layer of difficulty. Muddy footing made movement tricky, rain made everything slick, and the long-range shots were way more intimidating in person than anything I’d practiced. But slowly, step by step, I started to settle into the rhythm of the match.

One of the biggest hurdles for me has always been swingers, and today I finally faced that fear head-on. Instead of avoiding them or hesitating, I committed to the timing, pulled the trigger with confidence, and watched my hits land. It felt like such a breakthrough.

I also hit my first poppers outdoors, something I’ve been anxious about for weeks. And of course, I was doing all of this while trying to keep Johnny Winn’s gun from jamming (again). Nothing like a little malfunctions-to-keep-you-humble energy.

The coolest part? One of the stages was something I had only ever seen in ACE VR before. Running it in real life felt surreal, like stepping straight out of training mode and into a live environment.

This match tested me physically, mentally, and emotionally, but it also showed me how much I’ve grown. Rain, mud, and moving targets couldn’t stop the progress, and I’m proud of how I pushed through every challenge.