Q: When did you start shooting?

A: As long as I can remember, I have been shooting in some way. I can remember going to Ben Avery as a kid as early as eight years old with my father to sight-in his deer rifle and shoot archery. I bought my first rifle with my own money I had saved up at 10 or 11. I started competitive archery shooting in my teenage years, and at the age of 20, I started competitive shooting with rifles, handguns, and shotguns.

Q: How did you get into competition shooting?

A: Competitive archery shooting has always been part of my family. My Dad shot archery leagues when I was a kid, and I began shooting 3D archery tournaments with my father in my teens. Additionally, my aunt was on the USA Archery Team. At the age of twenty, I began working at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility as a Range Master. I felt like a Range Master at one of the nation’s most extensive competitive shooting facilities. I should understand all of the different shooting disciplines. I started competing extensively at Ben Avery. Then I wanted to dive into long-range competitions; one day, I asked Nancy Tompkins what I needed to purchase to begin shooting in Palma matches. She told me about this new sport called F-TR and how it would be easy to get started. Her husband, Mid Tompkins, made a call to Darrel Buell, who worked with Savage Arms, and he helped me purchase my first F-TR gun. From that point, I began shooting in matches and slowly upgrading my reloading equipment.

Q: Do you have any family members who compete in shooting sports?

A: My aunt was on the USA Archery Team, but she no longer shoots or competes. However, I do consider myself adopted into the Tompkins Gallagher clan. I find them to be my shooting family. Mid, Nancy, Michelle have taken me under their wings. They have helped me develop into the marksman and person I have become.

Q: what generally goes through your head before a match?

A: Before a match, I always try to build my confidence by reassuring myself mentally that my load is good and that I have the skills to win the game. Shooting is a mental sport, and once doubt enters your mind, you have already lost.

Q: What advice do you have for new shooters?

A: The one thing I tell all new shooters is to get out and shoot. The only way shooters can advance their skills is to practice. I often hear new shooters say they don’t have the equipment, skills, or training to shoot 1000 yards or a match. The other piece of advice I have is to listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The amount of knowledge and experience of shooters is enormous, and 99.9% of them are willing to share this with new shooters.

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: For my day job, I work for the Arizona Game & Fish Department as the Statewide Shooting Range Administrator. The Arizona Game & Fish Commission owns ten shooting ranges throughout the State of Arizona. The Department also operates Ben Avery Shooting Facility. Nonprofit clubs manage the additional nine. My job is to oversee those ranges and plan their future development. I also monitor the Best Management Practices for lead and the migration of lead. Additionally, I provide technical advice to other shooting ranges and agencies in range design, construction, development, and operations.

In my spare time, I volunteer time to run the Bench-rest Matches at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, plan and administer the Southwest Nationals registration.

Q: Where do you see the sport going in the future?

A: Right now, I see F-Class at a very pivotal point where it is going in the future. As a relatively new sport, it has grown fast and has gained a lot of popularity. It’s an excellent discipline for new people who want to get into the sport because it’s an easy and inexpensive place to start. You don’t have to have high-end equipment to participate to be relevant. I’m excited to see that it’s growing internationally, which can encourage new shooters and strengthen gun rights. Anything that inspires new people is positive.

One thing that concerns me, I am starting to see the sport travel down the path that Trap-shooting did when it became a hyper-competitive atmosphere. I’ve witnessed shooters miss one bird and drop out of the match. At that point, they realized they couldn’t possibly win. This atmosphere can be discouraging for new and potential shooters. Overall, F-Class is an amateur sport that we all participate in because we enjoy the comradery. Let’s face it; none of us are making a living at this sport. We all invest substantial amounts of time, money to challenge ourselves and have a good time. As long as we remember that this is a hobby that we enjoy, the sport will continue to grow.

Q: Do you shoot on any team or teams?

A: For the 2017 F-Class World Championships, I was the USA F-TR 4 Man Rutland Team coach. Currently, I am on the USA F-TR Development Team preparing for the 2021 F-Class World Championships in South Africa. My goal is to make it onto the USA travel team as a coach for the 2021 Worlds. I am also a member of the X-Men F-TR Team.

I am also a member of Team Berger as an individual sponsored shooter (not to be confused with the F-Open Team Berger). Berger Bullets has supported me as a shooter for many years. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am at today.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: Right now, my main future shooting goal is to make the USA F-TR Rifle Team for the 2021 World Championships in South Africa. Besides that, I have my day to day goals of promoting shooting sports and advancing professionally in the shooting industry.

Q: What was your favorite match, and why?

A: My favorite match, hands down, would be the 2015 Emerald & Creedmoor Match in Ireland. The history of that match is fascinating, and I am very proud to be a part of it. Additionally, the Irish rolled out the red carpet for the US F-Class Team. The memories and the friends I made during that match will last a lifetime. Not only is the event well run, but it is an international match that is fun with great comradery. It doesn’t hurt that the match is held on a beautiful range in a welcoming country. The Emerald Match in Ireland is a must-attend match.

Q: Do you have anything you would like to add?

A: I would like to take a moment and thank some people that helped me get to where I am today. Mid and Nancy Tompkins have supported me from the beginning. Darrell Buell helped me grow as a shooter and let me practice with the 2013 US F-TR Team. Scott Fulmer encouraged me to pursue my enjoyment of F-Class team coaching by accepting a coaching position on the 2017 US F-TR Rifle Team. Last would be Michelle Gallagher, who has been there to keep me level headed and out of trouble,
Everyone had a mentor in this sport, and we should always be trying to continue the legacy and help new shooters. As long as we remind ourselves that we do this as a hobby for fun, the sport will continue to grow.

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