I asked members of our staff that worked at our Commercial Row store at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships to jot down some thoughts about their experience this year. I thought it would be interesting to you to see how they view it from their perspective. They live out of a suitcase and are away from their families for awhile but they really seem to enjoy the experience and the chance to meet a few of the customers they help on the phones and internet. They are a great crew and truly love helping people get the most out of their hobby – shooting!

Bill Gravatt
President – Sinclair International

This year was my first Camp Perry experience. I enjoyed the experience more than I thought because it was a different aspect of work that I don’t normally see. It was good to finally put a face to some of the customers that I speak with quite often. I also enjoyed seeing the shooting range in action and learning about different shooting disciplines. I’d have to say my favorite thing about Camp Perry was learning about the history from Bill. I appreciate Camp Perry much more after the history lessons and exploring the grounds. Overall, it was a great experience and I would jump on the chance to return next year.
- Becca

My experience is definitely a lot different than those employees who are shooters and reloaders. However, I think all of us who have worked the store feel the same. It is nice to be able to go to Camp Perry and put our name out there and meet old customers as well as those who are just starting shooting and ordering from Sinclair. It is nice to be able to put a face with a name. Speaking for myself I always love going to Camp Perry to work the store and to hear customer stories when they come in to say “Hey!”. I have noticed a lot of people over the years come in our store for advice and help with issues they have or help getting their rifle working correctly before their next match. You get one feel of how we work when you are sitting at a desk helping customers but it is a different ball game when you are out there actually seeing it with your own eyes. It is an experience that I am glad I get to do, as well as being part of a team doing what we can do to help our customers and friends.
- Kerry

I think the part I enjoy the most about Camp Perry is meeting people that I have shot with and customers I have helped in the past Camp Perry visits. I had several customers come in and say hello and thank me for the advice from past years. This year the weather was consistent; hot and humid with rain on Wednesday. I had a fair year this year. I shot my low averages but for the weather, I was consistent and averaged 93-94%. I had a good time and am looking forward to next year.
- Ron

I really enjoy going to work in the store at Camp Perry. It gives me a chance to match faces to names with the customers that I speak to on the phone. Each year I attend I gather more and more of an appreciation for the competitive shooting sport. This year I even got a chance to observe some of you shooting out on the line and it was an amazing experience. It has really drawn me and made me want to look into getting started with competitive shooting.
- Amanda

This year was my first experience at the Camp Perry National Matches. While I did not get a chance to do any shooting, working in the Sinclair store was a great experience. It was nice to be able to make a deeper connection to our customers and have some face-to-face interactions with them. I liked the change of pace compared to the daily interactions encountered in the office. I loved hearing the stories from shooters and was even able to share a couple of my own. I am eagerly awaiting next year’s matches for a chance to return!
- Corey

Things were a little slow during NRA week due to the economy. We saw a lot of old friends in the store that were there for the last week of high power and the long range championship August 14-18. R. Lee Ermey (the “Gunny” from the History Channel’s Mail Call show) was in to buy some items along with Dennis DeMille, Michelle Gallagher, and Nancy Tompkins. I was stretching my old bones and getting “into position” for extended periods of time in the morning and evenings to be ready for the long-range matches. Sinclair participated in the Team matches. Our team consists of Bill Gravatt (Sinclair), Gary Duda from Michigan (coach and shooter), Mark Walters (a Fort Wayne police officer), Larry Remsnyder (from Michigan also) and myself, Phil Hoham (Sinclair Tech, Team captain). We competed in the open team category master division Palma Rifle. I will have a future article on this unless the results are too embarrassing. Stand by and good shooting!
- Phil

Camp Perry was again this year another great experience. I had the opportunity to set up the store and then work the opening week during the pistol phase of the event. My favorite thing about working this event is the chance to meet shooters from all corners of the US and those who come from abroad. The shooting community shares a bond that stands out from others, which is always evident at Camp Perry. As a competitive rifle shooter, and occasional pistol “plinker”, I had the chance to talk to the pistol competitors and learn from them to help expand my knowledge of the discipline. I have to give the pistol shooters a ton of credit, since the true knowledge, skill, patience, and discipline is one of the hardest to learn and most challenging of all shooting sports. Thank you to all of the great people I got the chance to meet and talk to at the Sinclair Store during pistol week. I will see you next year!
- Pete

I had a chance to meet some of the bench rest shooters that live close to Camp Perry that have been wanting to meet me and we finally managed to do that and I was able to help them with some of their needs. I also had a great conversation with a young man who works at the CMP Air Rifle range and he asked us if we would consider having some reloading classes next year during the Nationals next year. That would be interesting to do.
- Bob

As usual, Camp Perry was a fun time to see familiar faces and meet new shooters. It is always rewarding to see a new competitor and be able to help him or her find the right parts or products to keep them up and running during the matches. The online ordering with free shipping was a big hit with many customers as well. It was great to see many people even with the economy as it is. Good shooting, and I hope to see you all next year!
- Rod

Each year when I pull into the main gate at Camp Perry for the NRA Nationals I get a sense of coming home. I am sure a lot of you get that same feeling when you pull into a range where you have spent a lot of time or a favorite hunting area. I usually try to drive over to Camp Perry on weekends and mingle with customers in our commercial row location. The opportunity to talk with customers in person is rewarding as I can find out what their needs are and what we can do to provide them with better service. Attending the NRA Award Ceremonies is always enjoyable because you get a chance to share in the recognition of shooters who have put together an incredible effort to make it on the stage. Finally, during long-range I was able to shoot, serve my time in the pits, and enjoy the hot, humid weather while wrapped up in a sweatshirt and coat. For once, we only had a tiny delay during the start of one string when a low flying plane apparently got too close for the range officer’s liking. I look forward to pulling into the main gate next year and seeing old friends once again.
- Bill

This entry was posted on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 9:24 am and is filed under Sinclair News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.