By David DeKunder
Staff Writer

When David Goerke attended his first shooting competition several years ago, he knew immediately it was something he wanted to be part of.

“I was looking for an outlet to compete,” Goerke said. “It was love at first match.”

After seeing that first shooting competition nine years ago, Goerke has competed in local and national shooting matches ever since, most recently the U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) National Handgun Champion-\ships held in Tulsa, Okla., in September.

Since he was a child, Goerke said he has always appreciated the art of handling a gun and shooting, a skill he learned from his father, Freddie.

With his custom-built .40 caliber Smith & Wesson at his side, Goerke has made his mark in local and state shooting competitions over the last few years.

This year the Live Oak resident and 1993 Marion High School graduate finished third in the limited-B class division at the Texas State Open Championships in Waco, first in the limited1-class C division and second overall in the limited-10 division, both at the Space City Challenge in Houston.

Goerke said he first got involved with competitive shooting participating in International Defensive Pistol Association club matches.

“I slowly built myself up from club matches to major national matches,” Goerke said.

Goerke said it was Ted Bonnet, a two-time world shooting champion from San Antonio, who convinced him to give USPSA competition a try. He started learning about practical shooting by reading magazines such as Gun Games and American Hand-gunner.

Goerke has competed in five national championships, all of them in the limited-10 division. This year he finished 11 out of 40 shooters in the limited-10 class at nationals.

USPSA matches are based on the “run-and-gun” style of shooting in which shooters go through obstacle-laden courses, called stages, while shooting at targets. The objective for each shooter is to move through each of the stages as fast as they can while taking the least number of shots they can.

Scoring is based on the number of points scored on targets per second and weighted to compensate for the number of shots fired. If a shooter misses a target, or shoots inaccurately, points are deducted.

Goerke said the challenge of practical shooting is to be able to shoot at a target from different angles. “It is fast paced and there is a lot of movement,” he said. “You have to think a lot on your feet.”

Depending on his schedule, Goerke said he will go to a local shooting range and try to get in as much practice as possible. “When I’m able to practice, I will shoot … 600 to 700 rounds in a week, which is five hours a week,” he said. “Professional shooters do that in a day.”

Being a competitor takes a lot time and investment. Goerke said he has spent $3,000, which includes the cost of his handgun, magazines and ammunition.

Goerke plans to build a house next to his parents, Freddie and Beverly, on property near the famed Goerke’s Country Tavern, which was started by Goerke’s grandparents, Werner and Lucille in 1971, and was run by the family until this year.

Goerke wants to hone and improve his skills because he is aiming for even a higher level of competition. “I (plan to) build my own shooting range(on the new property),” Goerke said. “My goal is to compete in an international competition.”