There were some significant differences between the 2009 and the 2010 American Heroes Challenge. As far as I am concerned, all the changes were for the better. Better venue, better vendor village, better audience participation options, and better organization of all aspects of the event. It’s obvious that a lot of hard work and time went into the planning and preparations for this years ACH.
Moving the event from Desert Sportsman’s over to the Clark County Shooting Park was a stroke of genius. Not only is the facility MUCH more suited for events of this nature, but the venue staff was actually friendly and helpful this year. Free shuttle services helped the attendees get around the park much easier, the bleacher seating was nice, not to mention the availability of fresh water, clean restrooms, and different catering options. As one who has visited a variety of shooting locations in the Las Vegas area, I honestly can’t think of a more appropriate place to hold any event of this nature. Hopefully all future AHC’s will take place there as well.
Last year’s vendor village was housed in a single large tent with a handful of sponsors around the inner perimeter. This year each sponsor had their own tent and tables. The tents were spread out around the walkways of the venue and spectators were given cards for each vendor to punch. The completed punch cards were then entered into a drawing which encouraged everybody to visit each vendor’s table. The products and services offered ranged from firearms parts and accessories to tactical clothing, vehicles, combat training, and raffle tickets for a couple of different rifles including our own Precision AR-15 Rifle and the Chuck Mawhinney rifle being offered by the Stars and Stripes Foundation.
As I mentioned before, there were some great options for the spectators to participate in. At last year’s event, I heard a number of people commenting about the lack of things for the public to do. Apparently the event organizers heard this as well because they sure did add a bunch of new things. Not only was there a plethora of weapons available for public use but also other activities such as a climbing wall, exploration of military vehicles, and two different video game stations set up by the Army National Guard. Another great touch was the addition of video cameras inside the shoot house which provided an inside view for the audience who was able to watch the action, from a safe distance, on several large LCD tv’s.
Putting all the fun and games aside, lets not forget the focus of the AHC which was the competition itself and the fund raiser for the Las Vegas Veteran”s Memorial. This years American Heroes Challenge raised around $193,000.00 in charitable donations! Thank you to all of those who attended, participated, and donated to the cause.
As far as the competition goes, there were 12 teams competing across 7 different stages. This year we have a lot more coverage than last. Below are the 7 different stages along with the winning team and links to the individual stage coverage and results pages as well as the overall standings.
OVERALL STANDINGS
- King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. SWAT BLUE
- US Air Force 58th Rescue Squadron Team 1
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. SWAT RED
- North Las Vegas SWAT
- US Air Force 58th Rescue Squadron Team 2
- US Dept. of Energy Security Police
- Armed Forces Foundation
- Henderson SWAT
- US Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team
- US Army 1/221 Cavalry
- US Air Force Security Forces
TOP SHOOTERS
- Kahrs: King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30
- Gowin: King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30
- Dillion: US Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team
INDIVIDUAL STAGES
Post Raid Search
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. SWAT BLUE / King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30 (TIE)
Sniper Triple Challenge
King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30
Active Attacker / Trauma Care
North Las Vegas SWAT
Live Fire Stress Course
US Air Force 58th Rescue Squadron Team 1
Live Fire Skills Test
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. SWAT BLUE
Tactical Shooting Team Relay
King County Sheriff’s Dept. SWAT Tac 30
Informant Contingency Rescue
US Dept. of Energy Security Police
2010 AMERICAN HEROES CHALLENGE SPONSORS
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