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Long and Rewarding By Sheila Link,
I asked Sharon how she got into competition shooting. "My stepfather, Roy Kimbrel, took me when I was fifteen, to Ft. Jackson, SC, to watch a high-power rifle match. I thought it was incredible how those people could shoot at such great distances," she recalled. Kimbrel, who worked as a Corrections Officer, shared his love of shooting with all three of his stepchildren. To avoid any taint of "taboo" about guns, he taught them firearm safety and started them with shotgunning. Her two younger brothers enjoyed these outings well enough, but 12-year-old Sharon was captivated. "What's not to like?" she smiled. During the next three or four years she relished time spent with her stepdad and her uncle, both of whom were in law enforcement. "We shot everything," she reminisced. "Shotguns, handguns, rifles-if it had a trigger, they let me shoot it." Sharon paused a moment then added, "My love of shooting and whatever talent I developed probably was passed down to me from my grandfather, William Zaffiro. A World War II veteran, he was an avid shooter." Her stepfather and uncle obviously recognized Sharon's talent as well as her intense interest in guns. Which must be why they took her to Ft. Jackson to watch the rifle matches mentioned above. It was the first time she had ever seen competition and she was totally awed at seeing targets shot-and hit!-at 600 yards. Returning home, Sharon began serious practice. Kimbrel gave her the use of his .308 Springfield and made her a 200-yard target range. Within several months Sharon was ready to return to Ft. Jackson, not to watch the matches, but to enter them. "I shot well, and enjoyed the experience," she confided, "but I was pretty casual about the whole thing." By the time Sharon was 16, she was still shooting shotguns as well as the .308 rifle. Kimbrel then started her on more concentrated shooting with an autoloading pistol and a revolver for PPC practice. He was preparing to take her to watch the IPSC (International Pistol Shhooting Confederation) matches in Greenville, SC. "That was the eye-opener for me!" she exclaimed. Seeing those matches, those shooters excited me-made me hungry. I wanted to shoot this game. I wanted to win! "That's when I began really serious practice. My stepfather and Uncle Doug, both of whom had shot IPSC matches, worked with me. "I wanted to become really proficient with all three guns-pistol, rifle and shotgun-because by then I'd heard about Soldier of Fortune (SOF) matches. My goal at that time was to compete at Soldier of Fortune." Her first SOF match was in 1984, and she won the Fourth Woman slot. What made that match so exciting and impressive to Sharon was meeting women older than she who were such good shooters. "That's when it changed for me," she confesses. "Okay," I said to myself, "I got #4 now-but wait'll next year-I'll be back, and I'll win!" She did return. She shot well, too, but she finished second. Disappointed but determined, she went home to work even harder. She wanted to be Number One. On her third attempt, Sharon won the Women's First Place. Meanwhile, she'd begun shooting IPSC. IPSC shooting is extremely active. "Combining speed and accuracy with firearm power, it's a physically demanding discipline," Sharon explained. Her training for IPSC included running. "I became a running addict," Sharon admits, "I'd get home from work and run three miles-fighting through shin splints until the pain subsided. Of course, I also did a lot of shooting." Twenty years old by then, her "day" job was assistant to a manufacturer's representative who handled Glock and other firearm industry companies. Her after-hours time was spent in training. By this time, and with her growing reputation as a competitive shooter, Sharon had sponsorship assistance. As any shooter knows, ammunition for all the intense practice is a major expense. Danny Wisner, who owns "Atlanta Arms & Ammo" supplied her with ammunition. Understandably, Sharon will be forever appreciative of Danny's help. Thanks to "a lot of help from her friends," especially stepfather Roy Kimbrel, Uncle Doug Crossman and sponsor Danny Wisner, Sharon managed to accumulate an impressive list of awards:
Sharon obviously believes in "giving back" because she has taught shooting basics as well as advanced IPSC shooting. She was a Weapons Training Instructor for a security firm at a nuclear facility in South Carolina. Additionally. she was a volunteer teacher for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Women's Shooting Sports Foundation and taught at NSSF's Media Events, designed to educate media people about firearms.
She smiled and continued, "The best part of all this is that these factors transcend into your everyday life. I believe that can help you become not just a better competitor but a better person." Sharon sipped from her water glass, smiled and added," Over the years I learned so many things. As time passes, though, I've discovered that other aspects of life are important, too, and soon the time comes to move on." She has refocused and channeled her considerable energy, drive and talent into gardening, painting and drawing, as well as into the work she loves. Sharon is the Range Program Manager for Glock. In this capacity, she visits ranges and sells Glock pistols to these retailers for use as rentals or "loaners" to their patrons. "It's a great job," she smiled broadly, "the entire USA is my 'territory!' " "Would you recommend competition shooting to young people?" I queried. "Absolutely! I believe that it evokes responsibility. Parents show trust in their children by allowing them to learn about and use firearms. And the kids recognize and respect this trust, which they repay by handling firearms safely and properly. I've watched a bond develop between parent and child through sharing this experience." "Do you have any recommendations to young women who are interested in competitive shooting?" I asked. "Sure! First of all, have fun!" she responded instantly. "I'd also remind them that accuracy-not speed-accuracy is the most critical factor in shooting. If you've ever learned to type, you know that accuracy is learned first, then speed. This works exactly the same in shooting." Sharon Zaffiro is not a "was" Champion. With her energy, dedication, enthusiasm and discipline, she'll be a champion at anything she tackles. |
Shortly after meeting
Sharon Zaffiro at the NRA Members Meetings this Spring, we settled
down in a quiet corner of the Press Room to talk. I looked closely
at the attractive blonde champion shooter. Openly friendly, she
also possesses the graciousness of many Southern women.
When I asked her
what shooting has meant to her, Sharon reflected quietly for
a moment, then answered, "Competition was great for me.
It taught me, first of all, about sportsmanship. No one likes
to lose but it's great to see the true joy of someone else who
has earned a win-because you know how that feels. Competition
helped me acquire the ability to appreciate another person's
effort and skill. It taught me patience. Wins come with time
and effort, yet you will not win every competition every time.
So I also learned acceptance-to accept my imperfections on a
particular course of fire without dwelling on them. Competing
also helped me develop determination-the drive and desire to
become a more skillful shooter. I gained insight, too, that is,
the ability to see things from more than one point-of-view. Focus,
concentrating on the task at hand, not allowing anything to influence
my performance, is critical too, and competition taught me focus.
Camaraderie is a major part of competition. I learned to respect
and befriend the shooters with whom I competed." 
