Those
of you that are reading this that are also television addicts understand the disappointment
when a season ends. Those of you that are sports fans will find this familiar
as it is similar to the experience of a season ending as well. To me, competition
shows seem to fall in between the two which is why I think a lot of the sports
fanatics I know seem to be the most loyal reality competition show viewers that
I have come across.
I know
a lot of people that watch all different kinds of these programs. My wife
happens to be a Big Brother addict. A few of my former co-workers are Survivor
fans. While most of the people I have known over the last few years never miss
an episode of the Amazing Race. I have watched all of them and have enjoyed the
episodes and seasons of those shows to varying degrees. I was even heavily into
watching Amazing Race for a couple of years but that was more to see where they
were going rather than what they were doing.
However,
there is one competition show I never miss and unfortunately the season just
ended leaving a hole in my Wednesday night viewing. The Top Shot competition
came to a head last night as Phil Morden defeated Chris Cerino to conclude
season five of the History Channel series. Regardless of your feeling regarding
firearms if you watch the series you have to appreciate the skill that these
men and women possess.
The final was the finest example of that skill and athleticism especially in the second and third challenges of the program. Both competitors were quick, safe, and precise throughout the show and while I had my favorites going into the program I was rooting for both men for different reasons.
Cerino
demonstrated a level of calm and control that was only matched by his talent.
He was a favorite of mine in season one and in the current all star season that
just ended. I admired the intangibles that he has and his ability to use any
firearm he put his hands on. All of the competitors could do the same to a
certain degree but he seemed to do it with greater easy and confidence when it
counted. I believe it was due in large part to his focus on
fundamentals which came across more evident in his performance over many of the others.
I don’t
think that Morden had the same level of skill and adaptability entering the
season but I quickly got on the bandwagon as I watch him progress and
eventually surpass the field. I guess the clincher for me was the fact that he
is a self taught shooter like me. I think he summed it up best in his bio
posted on the Top Shot page on History.com. “Shooting has nothing to do with
your credentials,” he says. “If you pick up a gun and you’re good at it, it can
take you anywhere. And I’ll be proof of that.” It is inevitable that no matter
what show you watch, fiction or reality, you are going to relate to and root
for someone you have something in common with.
While
I would have been content regardless of who won, I was happy to see someone
representing the self taught community take the title. In the end though, the
show serves a much greater purpose. In a time when an irrational fear of
firearms is prevalent, the show puts on display true talent, athletic, and
skill based aspects of the responsible and sporting use of firearms. This is a
sport. It just turns out that this is a sport with a real world application
that can save your life. Now get to the range and practice.
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