Top Shot Chris Cheng
  • Social
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About
    • Gear- Pistol
    • Gear- Rifle
    • Gear- Shotgun
    • Other Gear
  • Contact

A Lookback: From Google to Guns- Part 1

6/20/2013

Comments

 
Picture
It's been one year since I quit my job at Google to pursue my professional marksmanship contract with Bass Pro Shops full time. Going from Google to Guns has been quite the fun career transition, and I want to share some of the highlights and insights I've gleaned over the past year.

1. The shooting community is a group of amazingly kind people. From military, to law enforcement, competition shooters, and casual shooters alike, I've met some really fantastic people. It's a community where if you need help, there are always people who are willing to step up. Gun malfunctioning at the range? Someone will come and help you. Airline lose your shooting gear? Fellow competitors are quick to loan their gear without hesitation. 

There's a stereotype of a gun owner being a mean ol' redneck, so first let me tell you that my redneck friends are very friendly and that you should take stereotypes with a grain of salt :) The shooting community is more diverse than I previously thought with many women, political stripes, ethnicities, orientations, and professions all represented. Lawyers, doctors, school teachers, tech people, accountants, you name it, the list goes on - there are gun owners of many stripes. 

2. I've had an incredible amount of fun. Many of us search for a career where you get to do something you're good at, which leads to the fulfillment of happiness. I can't believe that for the past year I've been building a new career out of shooting guns, promoting gun safety and the shooting sport, and having the time of my life. I've shot alongside U.S. Olympic gold medalists Vincent Hancock and Glen Eller, got to meet some of the industry titans such as Ronnie Barrett (owner of Barrett Firearms), David Keene (NRA President), and am featured in a gun documentary called Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire, alongside Ice-T and Ted Nugent. 

World champion shooters Robert Vogel, Julie Golob, Taran Butler, Keith Garcia are just a few of my many peers who have been super helpful in welcoming me to the shooting community, and it's been an honor having a lot of fun getting to shoot with them. 

I've fired more machine guns then I ever thought would be possible for someone with my background (no military or law enforcement experience):

I also got to film an incredibly fun basketball trick shot video with The Legendary Shots. 

3. Competitive shooting is challenging. Top Shot was a unique type of competition because it was about marksmanship in the most general sense. It's not just a firearms competition, but knives, slingshots, blow darts, atlatls, compound bows, and other weapons are part of the mix. Having a generalist background is a distinct advantage on Top Shot. 

However, becoming a specialist in "normal" competition sports such as 3-gun, IDPA, USPSA, and trap/skeet shooting is a huge benefit. I've been on a steep learning curve over the past year to learn the nuances of different shooting sports. Some of the competitors have been in the game for more than two decades, refining and honing in their skills. 

The challenge has been a part of what drives me to excel. I have never been one to shy away from something that is hard, and not being good at something is a good way to remain humble. Putting in the time, work, and energy into becoming good is a reward that is personally fulfilling.



These are some of initial thoughts and perspectives I wanted to share in Part 1. Let me know in the comments if there are other aspects you'd like to know about in the life of a professional marksman, and I'll write about them in Part 2! 
Comments

    About this SITE

    Chris shares his experiences and perspectives on the fun he's having shooting guns all over the country.

    Subscribe to Email Updates:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    July 2017
    October 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    2nd Amendment
    3-Gun Nation
    Chris Cheng
    Culture
    Gun Control
    Guns
    Hunting
    #ImUnloading
    Interview
    Legal
    LGBT
    Musical Targets
    NOIR
    NRA
    NRA Commentators
    NRA Freestyle
    NRA News
    Policy
    Politics
    Second Scoop
    Shoot To Win
    Tech
    The Firearm Blog
    Top Shot
    World

    RSS Feed

Subscribe to Email Updates:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Top Shot Chris Cheng

Blog
Book

Social Media
Schedule
Contact