As The Race Gun Cycles
I've had various brushes with competition shooting over the years, and every single time I am struck by how much drama there is surrounding the action shooting world. I guess that's a good way to get people interested in things - drama, that is - but it doesn't appeal to me at all. Take, for example, the recent controversy surrounding Michelle Viscusi's accession to "Team Glock." Those familiar with my blog will probably have already read my article about why Michelle is a force to be reckoned with.
Many people seem to be upset that she was hired by Glock. Or is part of Team Glock, or whatever. After a careful analysis of some of the criticism, I am pretty confident in saying that the root cause of all of this drama is jealousy.
"Did you hear that Michelle made it on the volleyball team? Omigawd. Becky is, like, soo much better..."
Michelle is getting a lot of attention. There's only so much attention to go around in a small industry and Michelle was already getting plenty of it. Now that she's part of Team Glock? She's basically the Felix Baumgartner of the gun world. Everyone's talking about her just because she fell to the earth from the heavens (That's why she's so short). And because everyone else that either wanted the job or wanted their friends to get the job didn't see their dreams realized, they're angry with Michelle. They might sugarcoat it in public, to be sure. But in private? Well...
The attempts to justify this anger have to do with Michelle supposedly not being good enough for such fame. I don't know much about action pistol shooting, so I can't tell you whether that's true or not. What I can tell you is that Michelle picking up this gig isn't going to stop the best competitors from winning matches. Dave Sevigny won big things before he shot for Glock and he continues to do so after leaving Glock. Other top shooters without sponsors still manage to win things. If Michelle wins, good for her and the team. If she doesn't, those who beat her will have their sweet revenge, I guess.
If competition shooting is about winning, then it should be pretty easy for people to acknowledge this and move on. But if it's about industry recognition and attention whoring, then some people will be upset about this for a long time to come.
October 19th, 2012 - 12:23
People suck and need to get over it.
October 19th, 2012 - 12:23
Well said. Glad to see you agree with me. Let the girl shoot and just enjoy the eye candy.
October 19th, 2012 - 12:36
Im going to be honest all the press releases I read were off-putting, first off I saw none that did not use photos of Michelle either modeling skimpy clothes or cleavage shots. I would have hoped that blogs and websites would have had the decency to find something other than suggestive photos of her seen as they were not talking about her modeling carrer.
That being said I do feel disappointment in the Glock Marketing Department for not standing up for their team members and brand ambassadors and it does make me think Glock only sees Michelle as a marketing tool rather than a competent shooter. which is quite disappointing but not surprising in this industry.
I personally wish Michelle the best of luck seen as she has been handed an opportunity she wanted and from everything I have seen has the potential to do well in.
October 19th, 2012 - 12:37
Haha Andrew, your captions and pictures are hilarious! Also, it is nice to see quality, reliable articles that are informative and a pleasure to read. Keep up the good work!
October 19th, 2012 - 14:34
I have my favorite teams and people, but when I get right down to it, I like teams or people who show their best, help a new shooter and hold their head high above the jealousy.
October 19th, 2012 - 15:38
People can be pretty nasty when they get jealous. I met her recently and as far as I’m concerned she’s a down to earth talented person. I hope she kicks everyone’s ass and shows them what she’s made of.
October 19th, 2012 - 16:36
Haters……they are everywhere and it is always so obvious and pathetic when they speak. They are their own worst enemy when it comes to realizing their goals.
October 19th, 2012 - 19:12
I didn’t know anything about this until I read it here, but here’s my two cents. The press release makes it pretty clear that she was hired for her looks. It mentions her reality tv and modeling gig, mentions that she does shoot, but nothing about how good she is at that. Seriously though, who cares? A pretty girl got a job pimping Glocks, of well.
October 19th, 2012 - 22:53
Yes…and the gun folks attack their own, again. I’ll take your word (you’ve shot with her) over the naysayers.
Pretty girls scare some folks…and the others just hate Glock.
Thanks for the sanity Andrew.
October 20th, 2012 - 06:23
I think Michelle will be a good addition to Team Glock, with the loss of their top shooters, it’s time to rebuild. A shooter that is still developing is just that, somebody on the way up. There are two ways to build a team, buy the current cream of the crop or hire shooters that have the potential to become the best. It appears that Team Glock has chosen to go with the second option and I applaud them for it. As for Michelle, I’ve never shot a match with her, but maybe someday I will and I’m sure she’ll be just as much fun to shoot with as Julie is.
After all, when you get down to it, individual scores are what decides the winner, what shirt you wear is just marketing. Every serious competitor I’ve ever met from any of the major teams is more than happy to give tips to new shooters and shoot the breeze with people that have been doing it for years, it’s part of the job and I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoy learning from them.
October 20th, 2012 - 21:25
It’s about the bottom line… Glock sells guns… Glock wants to sell more guns… Michelle will sell guns for Glock… Why does anhyone think Glock has a shooting team, anyway? She seems like a good shooter and the sponsorship will help her develop into a better shooter… plus she’s pretty and has a terrific, very likable personality… AND she serves our country – THANK YOU Michelle!
As for me and my gals… we enjoy following shooting sports like some folks follow NASCAR or the NFL… and we look forward to see more of Michelle at Team Glock or wherever…
Dann in Ohio
October 20th, 2012 - 22:15
She’s the Danica Patrick of competition shooting. Danica is a darn good race car driver, and just like anybody else willing to enter Turn #1 at Indy at 230+ MPH she obviously occupies a realm of extreme sports that includes very, very few… but she would have to be a dominate winner in whatever series she drives in to silence the haters.
Michelle is in for the same thing. If she has a “meh” season it will be torn apart as if she is a pretender and a failure. Misogyny will rule the day, and she will be reduced to a pair of tits that received opportunities she hasn’t earned.
Goes with the territory. Pretty sure she understands the ground rules. I’ll be rooting for her.
Always have been a sucker for the underdog.
Go Michelle!
Comp shooting sucks anyway. Now it sucks a little less.
October 22nd, 2012 - 16:08
Model, Competition Shooter, Company Spokesman?
Does it matter why Glock hired her? It’s a private company.
If you don’t like it that much, don’t buy Glocks.