We all understood what difficulties the covid pandemic brought to our sport. Major matches specifically felt the impact in the lack of range development across the country, whether it was the desire for developers to create a new range or even just improving existing ranges.
USPSA’s Area 1 was well on its way to recovery by the summer of 2023, but not without its consequences. Chris Collins and Nampa Rod and Gun Club were in a unique situation to tackle a lot during the pandemic, but this earned them a well-deserved break. With a host needed for the 2024 USPSA Area 1 Championship, Area 1 representatives knew the Giordano family was in the process of developing a new range that could potentially host an event of this magnitude.
The Giordano family—always ready to tackle a new challenge—accepted, and just like that, young Gianni Giordano aged overnight. The Giordano range was equipped to manage USPSA Level 1 matches as they have for years; however, to get it up to the standards of a Level 3, they had their work cut out for them.
The Giordano family was a great candidate for this project, and not just because they owned property. The family has travelled the country for a decade. They have seen what worked and what did not. They also had a successful Level 3 Match Director supporting them the whole way in Chris Collins. The third-generation farming background did not just bring the equipment they needed but instilled the work ethic needed to get this done on a tight timeline.
Moving dirt to create 10 more bays and a parking lot expansion was the “easy part.” The trivial things competitors may not always notice at a match like wall construction, target stands, shades, safety table areas and Wi-Fi—just to name a few—were all constructed with pride and hard work.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
There were some negative thoughts going into this, such as the amount of work to convert an Level 1 range to a Level 3 range, and the destination of Winnemucca, Nevada. However, the mindset was always, “Build it and they will come.” As each task was accomplished, the nervousness going into this faded into a distant memory.
The 2024 USPSA Area 1 Championship had 14 stages over a two-day format, hosting 452 competitors in total. All the division winners were able to receive a personalized jacket along with their trophies, and there was also an amazing prize table for all competitors.
This was never a do the bare minimum venture. Gianni’s travels brought him a lengthy list of amenities he wanted to bestow onto the competitors. More noticeable were the function fire and safety areas near where you were competing, along with a separate practice bay you could use to your heart’s content, plus a massive parking area where you did not have to hover looking for a spot to open. All the finer details made this competition an overall experience to remember.
While the Giordano family had the bulk of the work at the range to do, this was not without help from great family and friends. Thanks goes to Hunewill Construction and our friend Loren Hunewill for all the help with the range development. A special thanks goes out to Richard Lindsey and Rob Silva, who were the quartermasters for the match. They did a wonderful job keeping the match going smoothly. Chris Collins, four hours away, still organized local Idaho work crews to help support a sister range within Area 1. The local SWAT team even showed up to help build and tear down stages. And as always, these matches do not happen without range officers volunteering their time.
The community of Winnemucca, Nevada, was the last piece of the puzzle. Their support and donations were incredible. Spectators from town were encouraged to check out what was going on in their small town, and the reception received was an impressive one. The local businesses were also appreciative to have the many competitors in town spending money and boosting the local economy.
Lastly, our sponsors of the match were amazing. The support was overwhelming.
The 2024 USPSA Area 1 Championship sponsors included Berry’s Bullets, Range Panda G2, House of Hearing, Glock, Starline, Hunters HD Gold, MGM, Make Ready Nutrition, Vortex, LimCat and NANUK. Other sponsors were Lok Grips, S3 Range Carts, HawkTech Arms, 2 Alpha Apparel, TPC, W Guide Rods, Tevo Sports, Bearded Shooter Firearms Training, Steel Target Paint Company, Taylor Freelance, Red Hill Tactical, ClamTaimer, JP Enterprises and many more.
We were able to introduce a new sponsor to the shooting sports by working with NANUK. This company makes high quality gun cases but have never sponsored a shooting competition.
Thank you to the organizations who sent their teams down to help promote the shooting sports, including the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Glock, MPA and the Practical Edge shooting team.
The Giordano family appreciates all the competitors believing in them and coming to Winnemucca, Nevada, for the 2024 USPSA Area 1 Championships. They look forward to hosting more USPSA Level 2 and Level 3 matches soon.
2024 USPSA AREA 1 CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
- Carry Optics: Jacob Heatherington, 1593.0758
- Open: Aaron Eddins, 1570.8177
- Limited: Gianni Giordano, 1574.8547
- Pistol-Caliber Carbine: Jack Latham, 1492.4883
- Single Stack: Jalise Williams, 1591.6688
- Production: Jason Parrish, 1516.6134
- Limited Optics: Caleb Patterson, 1540.8760
You can view the full results of the 2024 USPSA Area 1 Championship at this link.
Article from the January/February 2025 issue of USPSA’s magazine.
