Match winner!

From Noel's Match Report 2/28/2009:

Erica came and ate the boys' lunches again. Nine points and 15 Xs ahead of second. She is the second two time "Custodian of the Cosmic Cuspidor."

The kind of embarassing part? I haven't laid one finger on that gun or any other gun since the last time I won the bench rest match at Capitol City in October. Today I shot against 16 men, many of whom have shot their whole lives, and shoot all the time. Like nearly every day.

I don't want to say this out loud, but I know there are really two main contributors to the wins:

1. Bill set me up with an amazingly accurate gun (FWB p70) and lets me use all the best gear
2. I mostly have no idea what I'm doing. Seriously. Whereas all the other guys know what the gun is doing and the behavior of various kinds of pellets, and try to figure out trajectory and all kinds of other stuff, I just load a pellet, look through the scope, and pull the trigger. My mind is pretty clear.

There's probably a modicum of natural ability there, sure, I'll admit that's possible. And women tend to be really good shooters. I have a couple theories about this too:

1. Women are less competitive. I might get some guff for saying that, because of course there are lots and lots of competitive women, and I have been known to be one on occasion. Maybe it's just that when it's me shooting against a bunch of guys, I don't obsess with every shot that I have to beat the guys. It's a fun bonus, but I don't feel the need. As a result, I'm pretty calm when I shoot.
2. Women benefit from the extra layer of fat they naturally have. When you look at a target through a high powered scope, you can see the crosshairs jump every time your heart beats. My theory is that the extra layer of fat provides a little insulation between the blood rushing through your veins and the stock of the gun, and so the gun simply moves less while we pull the trigger. Of course I've never been a man and therefore can't see what a man sees through the scope, so this might be totally crazy.

Whatever the case....match winner!