MORE AND MORE SPORT SHOOTERS ARE TAKING UP THE VARIED GECO CHALLENGES AND TRYING THEIR HAND AT OUR COMMUNITY TASKS.
GECO INTERVIEW WITH @DANIELLEVALKYRIE
GECO is joining with daniellevalkyrie to set a wide range of challenges that are certain to take your skills at the shooting range to the next level. But why are daniellevalkyrie so passionate about this? Learn more in this interview with our GECO athlete:
WHAT WAS IT THAT FIRST IGNITED YOUR PASSION FOR DYNAMIC SPORT SHOOTING?
daniellevalkyrie:
I have been fascinated with firearms and sport shooting since childhood. Back then, they were things I only encountered in action movies. Growing up, though, I met more and more people who owned firearms or were passionate about sport shooting. But it was a good friend – still just an acquaintance at that time – who really got the ball rolling for me. Martin Fritsch owns one of the most impressive arms dealerships I have ever seen – Austria Arms, just north of Vienna. I shot for the first time a few years ago with Martin under the supervision of an expert. I had already held a few guns in my hands before that, but he gave me so much background knowledge and allowed me to try my hand at so many different things each time I visited a shooting range that I have never looked back since.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE SPORT?
daniellevalkyrie:
I can only encourage people not to be shy and to try out something new. The best way to begin is under the supervision of an expert so that you learn the most important rules of sport shooting. You can perhaps ask acquaintances who are already familiar with the sport, or you can book a course with a good instructor.
One more tip: You don’t need to be ashamed if you begin with small bore pistols – quite the contrary: It’s the perfect way to learn correct handling, and the ammunition is cheaper as well. Something I often notice when working with other women is that they tend to be startled by the loud bang. Small bore firearms are definitely easier on the ears! Once you have learned the ropes and start to feel confident, you can switch to something bigger and focus on controlling the recoil.
I can only encourage people not to be shy and to try out something new. The best way to begin is under the supervision of an expert so that you learn the most important rules of sport shooting. You can perhaps ask acquaintances who are already familiar with the sport, or you can book a course with a good instructor.
One more tip: You don’t need to be ashamed if you begin with small bore pistols – quite the contrary: It’s the perfect way to learn correct handling, and the ammunition is cheaper as well. Something I often notice when working with other women is that they tend to be startled by the loud bang. Small bore firearms are definitely easier on the ears! Once you have learned the ropes and start to feel confident, you can switch to something bigger and focus on controlling the recoil.
YOU INSPIRE YOUR COMMUNITIES AND SHARE YOUR EMOTIONS AND SUCCESS WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST INTENSE EXPERIENCE?
daniellevalkyrie:
That’s a difficult question for me! Sport shooting has allowed me to fulfil so many of my dreams as an athlete. Meeting the crème de la crème, the world’s best shooters, is always a special experience for me. I had the opportunity to train with the GECO Germany Team just a few weeks ago. Patrick Kummer and Luis Erhardt took lots of time for me and designed a really excellent practice session. It was definitely an exciting and truly memorable day! But there have been quite a few surprises in the world of shooting as well:
Just recently, I had the pleasure of spending a day at a shooting range in Tennessee/America with multiple IPSC World Champion JJ Racaza. It was a really special experience, along with my visit to the Beretta factory in America.
I also visited the shooting range with the Beretta IPSC and IDPA team during my stay in Italy last summer! IDPA was a completely new discipline for me at the time, and they let me give it a go with the then brand new Beretta 92x Performance Optic Ready. Suddenly I bump into superstar James Reeves on the range, and he asks me whether I would like to co-host a piece about the Beretta APX – for America’s biggest gun blog, the TFB – The Firearm Blog. Sure!
There have been so many moments I can barely put into words. Long-range shooting – and hitting the target at 2.2 km – with the One-Mile Club in Italy, trick shooting with Raniero Testa – clay pigeon exhibition shot world record holder – or training with the legendary world champion and shooting instructor Taran Butler. That was even at the same shooting range on which he trained Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry for the John Wick series.
The time I spent with these people and the friendships that have developed are real highlights for me.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR COLLABORATION WITH #GECOSPORT?
daniellevalkyrie:
There are so many things I want to try out and experience in the world of sport shooting. I am always looking for fresh challenges and I really enjoy having a go at new disciplines and learning about them. It’s a great pleasure to visit other countries to do these things. I want to inspire as many people as possible and show them all the things that are there and that are possible – that’s my goal.
I started shooting with GECO, and I still do today. This shows the real diversity of the brand. It’s good for beginners and expert shooters, as well as for everyone in-between.
NEW QUESTIONS: VEHICLE CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE
daniellevalkyrie:
Question 1: Besides the more usual shooting events, we recently saw you at a very special workshop. Vehicle CQB at Huntac, together with Moritz from LOWREADY MEDIA. What is the attraction here and how do you master such, obviously very demanding, further training?
This was a great joint effort by my partner brands, GECO, Beretta and Steiner Optics, and the most strenuous course I've done in a long time! We fired thousands of rounds around the car for three full days, in 40 degree weather with no wind & shade - it really is a test of material and body. By the end of the course, your guns and optics look like you've been hammering them in a gravel pit. Mentally, too, you have to be fully geared up at every second when two of you are firing at targets in such a confined space. When you're also shifting across several cars in the process, you really have to be firmly in the saddle in terms of gun handling, there's just zero margin for error. But I feel very much at home at such challenging workshops and appreciate good instructors and shooting buddies.
Question 2: You rarely meet other women on these courses?
That's right - and that's exactly what we have to change. I have no inhibitions about proving myself on this terrain and certainly had it much easier than the boys on this course: I found it very easy to get out of the boat quickly and to position myself quickly. At the same time, you have to have a certain tenacity, which the boys also lack from time to time. In general, you can safely say that the more niche the topic, the smaller the number of female participants - and VCQB is really a marginal topic. But an exceptionally fun one.
