What is Lady SharpShooters?

Every other Wednesday, we host a meeting called “Lady SharpShooters.” Almost every day, I get the question, “What is Lady SharpShooters?” So, here, I’ve interviewed Maddy Scholar, who leads and has led Lady SharpShooters for the last year. When Maddy started here at SharpShooters, the Ladies meeting consisted of about 7 or 8 ladies. Today, it’s about 100, largely due to Maddy and Melissa’s leadership.

How would you describe Lady SharpShooters?

Lady SharpShooters is a network of women with a shared interest in shooting with a constant drive to improve their skills. Not only is it a learning experience, but an opportunity to meet other women. Our group has grown from around 5 women to over 80 in a short amount of time. We meet once per month where we spend one hour discussing various topics in the classroom and one hour on the range developing skill. 

What brings ladies back week after week?

The interesting topics we discuss typically bring the ladies back. I try to choose topics that you would not normally see in a typical class. Also, everyone wants to come see their friends, many times we go out to a restaurant afterwards or plan other events. Lady SharpShooters is a community of people who happen to share a love for shooting.

What do you teach every week and how do you decide what to do?

I try to pick super obscure topics to keep it interesting. One time I taught on exercises that can be done in the gym to reduce muscle fatigue while shooting. Another time I taught on the dangers of lead poisoning at the range. Anything you would not find in a typical class is what you will most likely see at meeting nights.

Whats the most popular topic at Lady SharpShooters?

Creating and using a shooting log book was by far the most popular topic. It was in fact so popular that I developed a whole 2 hour class open to anyone to take called “Maximize Your Training”. A strong majority of my students use shooting logs every time they come to the range now. Before learning how to log your range visits, most people were just shooting, and not recording their results or their improvements.

Are they’re different levels of shooting skills within Lady SharpShooters?

We don’t separate the different skill levels, no. We used to have beginner and advanced meetings, but there was a consensus to keep everyone together. This club is about more than just shooting or skill levels. The ladies come back for the camaraderie.

Whats the typical skill or experience level of a first timer?

We have varying levels of shooters but for the most part a majority are beginners or intermediate shooters. It totally depends on how consistent the shooter trains and comes back for lessons/classes as to how fast they progress or improve. The prerequisites for joining the group are the USCCA Handgun Fundamentals class here at SSUSA and the Lady SharpShooters orientation class.

What are the most basic skills required for Lady SharpShooters?

Everyone comes into the group with a basic understanding of the fundamentals that we teach in the USCCA Handgun Fundamentals class (hence the prerequisite). The main focus is safety. It does not matter how good the shooter is as long as they are safe. We can always work to improve their skills.