|
Dave Reese - "At the time I began action shooting, the
weapon of choice was the Colt 1911 .45 ACP. My, how times have changed.
Like all shooters at the time, I was buying and modifying those 1911s for
practical use. One year at the Bianchi Cup, I approached a vendor who had
a display of 1911 pistols that I had never seen before. It was
Dave Reese and the company was Springfield Armory, famous for their M1-A
rifles. I asked Dave if they would be interested in having someone like me
shoot their pistols. After a moment, he said, "yes", and that began an
everlasting relationship that runs to this day. I don't know where I would
be right now had Dave not accepted my offer.
Top of
Page
Tom Reese started the famed "Team Springfield"
shooting program that showed everyone in the industry how it should be done.
His foresight and innovation created a standard for professional shooting teams.
We had the largest, most-recognized, and most-successful team of professional
and semi-professional shooters in the world. You wouldn't believe all the
greats who were on the team. It was an honor to be a part
of that legacy! Over the years, Tom like his brothers, became more to me
than just my boss. We rode motorcycles together, and he can haul ass. I don't
think he has ever forgiven me for dragging him down to the Imperial sand dunes
once, 'cause he spent more time on the ground than on the bike. We had some
great times. He has been such a supporter for me over the years that I could
never repay him. One of the best guys of all time and one who definitely
made things happen for me."
Top of
Page
I am now pleased to work closely with
Dennis Reese
(the three are brothers) in the promotion and marketing side of the company.
First time we ever had contact was when I broke my rifle 3 days before the S.O.F.
Match sometime in the early/mid 80's. Sight unseen, he sent me a new one the next
day. He didn't know me from Adam, but still took care of me. I will never forget
that. This guy can travel day in and day out and still look fresh. I
get cranky after being away for a week, but he just keeps on going. One talent that I
greatly envy him for is his ability to remember things. He can meet someone once
and remember them a year later. I forget my kids names after a week. Also an
amazing dirt-biker, Denny was on U.S. National Enduro teams. I know he went
to what was then Czechoslovakia, as he has a liberated street sign in his office. Denny has recently developed the Springfield Armory Action Pistol Challenge,
which has turned out to be both fun and successful. When one of these
matches comes
to your area, do not miss it (check the
Springfield website for more
info). Denny is energetic and
so creative, just being around him inspires me to work harder at everything I
do. We should all have such mentors."
Our 1911s are now the best in the world and we offer production guns that would
shame the modified guns I used in the early days. I like to think I had
something to do with that and am very proud to be associated with the Reese
brothers and their extremely successful company. Reese brothers, you
have allowed me to pursue and live my dreams. Thank you, again, for
everything!"
Top of
Page
Carol and Nyle
Leatham - "My parents are, of course, the reason I became
interested in shooting in the first place. I cannot say enough to thank them
for the unconditional love and support throughout my lifetime. My mother , in
particular, came to most all sporting events I participated in, from track and
field and basketball in junior high and high school, to the most recent World
Shoot in South Africa. She still bribes me to excel with chocolate
malted milk shakes. My dad also made great sacrifices to get me the equipment
I needed to compete. I would love to have back some of the guns he had to trade
to obtain my 'next generation' of competitive guns. Without my parents'
support I would never have had the opportunity to be a champion. Plus he
makes the best fudge in the world. Thank
you, Mom & Dad. I love you both!"
Top of
Page
Dave Williams-
"Springfield Custom Shop Guru and good friend. Dave and
his crew have been responsible for the guns that have taken me to victory for so
many years. He has the ability to produce a truly superior pistol, one
that is accurate and reliable. Amazingly, he often has to knock them out
in quick order. Most gunsmiths can't do this, but to Dave, it's just
another day at the office. Winning takes a lot of things, one of them is
confidence in your equipment. Dave gives me that confidence. When
you're hot you can win throwing rocks. When you're not, the little things
make the difference. That gun is the one little thing."
"And Congratulations to you, Dave, on the selection by the American Pistolsmith
Guild as the 2006 Pistolsmith of the Year! I am extremely proud of you!
You certainly deserve the award! Your excellent workmanship has always
been number one in my book!"
Top of
Page
Dubi Pikielny - "Dubi is the driving force behind our XD pistol. I have
known him for quite a few years through Springfield, but just recently had the
pleasure of working with him. The hardest working person I know, Dubi sees
the clock as an adversary and lives by the adage, "I can rest when I'm dead."
Dubi, like my friend Arnt, spends a great amount of time traveling the world
bouncing through time zones, and appears to be impervious to their effects.
I hope someday to have a fraction of Dubi's energy and thank him for everything
he has done for me."
Top of
Page
Brian Enos - "What can
I say about Big Daddy? Most in this sport know our history somewhat, about us
going out to practice in the desert and attending shoots together, but what you
don't know is how much he carried me in those early years. He helped me in so
many ways. Many times I would be working odd shifts and leave work early on the
mornings we were going to practice. I would be late loading ammo and he would
have to wait for me. Many times, he just gave me the rounds to get us going.
This was in the days of single-line presses that were very slow to load the
large amounts of ammo we were consuming. Brian, more than anyone, was my
motivation and I could never have trained as hard without him. I greatly miss
shooting with Brian and hope someday, when our lives slow down, we can shoot
together again, like the good old days. Except this time, I will bring my own
ammo. :-) "
Top of
Page
Mike Dillon
- "Mike made shooting large amounts of ammo possible for me. He took the
shooting fraternity from loading 200 rounds an hour to 500+. What you may not
know is he was my earliest sponsor. He would give Brian and me bullets,
primers, powder and loading machines, allowing us to practice enough to
improve. After that, things grew to the point where he was paying our expenses
to the big shoots. This is what allowed me to achieve national and
international recognition. Action shooting, as a whole, benefits from Mike's
inventions and there are very few serious shooters out there who do not use
Dillon products or services in some way."
Top of
Page
Frank Glenn - "Frank was inspirational in my quest for accuracy. A national
level PPC shooter, he has forgotten more about how to pull the trigger than I
will ever know. He built the revolvers I shot at the Bianchi Cup before I
changed to the auto. I should have won that match many times as I always
had the best revolvers on the line. His company,
Accuracy Unlimited,
builds the finest revolvers you can get, and a whole bunch of other neat stuff.
I consider Frank a long time friend and am proud to know him."
Arnt Myhre - "The best shooter who never practices that I've ever met.
That Arnt can travel all over the world for months on end, then show up at the
range and kick my butt with a duty rig still astonishes me. I wonder if he
would be better if he had time to train, but I think I'll just count myself
lucky he doesn't. One of the most intelligent people I know, Arnt speaks
about a thousand languages. He can carry on a couple conversations in
different languages without missing a beat. And he can shoot. Only
Scott Carnahan can draw as fast out of a retention rig."
Top of
Page
Scott Carnahan
- "Scotty knows more about holsters than the rest of the world
combined. He is my man at Safariland, designing and building the rigs that
permit me to go fast. An IPSC National Champion, scratch golfer,
shifter kart racer, motocross crasher, and slalom water skier, Scotty can do
about anything he tries very well. On top of that, he is just a nice guy.
Makes the rest of us look bad, but I still like him."
Karl Kohnke
- "Karl loaded the world's best ammo for Brian and me in the early
days. He also inspired me to learn how to shoot a shotgun. I won
quite a few national championships with rounds perfectly loaded and developed by
Karl. If there were a picture in the dictionary of perfectionist or
detail-oriented, it would be of Karl. I never thanked him enough for what
he did, so better late than never, Thanks Karl!"
Top of
Page
Tommy Dahl
- "Tommy has loaded ammo for me for the last few years. Another
one of those perfectionist types, Tommy is unique among my friends in that he
has absolutely no fear in tearing apart my motorcycles right in front of me!
A
multi-talented mechanic type, he has loaded championship ammo, and built for me
marvelously fast super bike motors. I consider him one of my inner circle
of friends and want to thank him for all he does for me."
Don Golembieski
- "Another national
level gunsmith, Don's talents as a machinist are probably wasted on the gun
industry since he could be building Mars landers or space telescopes or
something. Able to fix anything I do to my guns, he has been a savior to me when
I go through a "day before I leave" gun modification moment.
Thanks, Donnie. Don also has a stunner of a woman who caters to his every
whim. Lucky guy! Thanks,
Tracey Martin for fixing my grammar and
spelling and making me sound better than I could ever hope to be!"
Top of
Page
Vickie Lawrence
- "A long-time employee of Springfield, Vickie was always there
telling me how great I was. Even when I wasn't. When she was in charge of
advertising at Springfield, she had to cover for me for a long time. I miss
her and want her to know how much she kept me going when times were hard.
No one can win them all, but Vick always made me feel I had."
Clyde Helquist -
"Owner of the Pistol Parlour Gun Shop, where I hung out in my early days, Clyde
actually bought the plane ticket for me to my first national in 1981. He
also taught me how to play cards. I suck at cards and put all the blame on
Clyde. He always supported me when I could barely afford to shoot and
probably wouldn't have continued competing if he had not been taking care of me.
A genuinely nice guy, Clyde rates high up the list of people who made it happen
for me."
Top of
Page
Bob Kruft -
"My
golfing buddy, Bicycle Bob has become the person with whom I take a break from
the world. As neither one of us is much good at golf, we make a pretty good
match. We both have all the best equipment and no skills. Bob keeps it all in
perspective for me and is greatly responsible for any semblance of stability I
may have. Neither of us sweats the big stuff, as we know it's all in the
details."
Kippi Leatham
- "My wife, the love of my
life and the developer of this web site. When you are going through these pages
you are seeing Kippi. I have no clue how all this works, she just tells me where
to type. My inspiration for so many years, Kippi is not only a wonderful mother
but a great shot herself. Three times a USPSA National Champion, Kip still
has the highest overall Nationals finish by a woman in IPSC /USPSA history. Too
busy for her own good, Kippi needs to pick up a hobby to let her relax.
How about motorcycles and guns, Baby?"
Top of
Page
Rob, Tom and Pati Leatham -
"Monsters
each and every one, my three children keep me on my toes. Not a day goes by that
I don't relearn something about life from one of these kids. They all have their
own special talents and value, and I enjoy nothing more than being in their
company. I am lucky to have ended up with such characters and can't wait to see
what they do next. You each make my life worth living."
Top of
Page
Guy Hammond -
"Built my first pin gun and got me to a lot of matches in those early days.
Until I started using guns from other gunsmiths, Guy was the man. He built the gun I won
my first IPSC National with. He never charged me, which was great since I was
broke. Another one of the good guys that kept me on the road. I have not seen
him in years, but have never forgeten all he has done."
Deb Williams -
"Deb, you are my savior! Not a day goes by that I'm not asking Deb to do
something for me. She is one of the many invaluable, irreplaceable
employees of Springfield. I couldn't imagine having to get through the
year without her. Your daily efforts are appreciated, Deb, more than you
can ever imagine."
Steve Horsman & Dave Paasch
- "Thanks in advance, guys, for all the work you're about to do for me and my
DrillMaster Shooting Club™! Wink, wink, nudge,
nudge."
Top of
Page
|
Rob-Blog
