The Tactical Games closed out the 2025 season with a three-day grind at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, Texas. Nationals is always a little heavier, a little louder, and a lot more demanding, but this year had a different feel. It wasn’t just the stages or the athlete performances… it was the way the entire event came together. A bigger crowd, tighter layout, and full live coverage changed the entire experience onsite.
For the first time, Action Gunner wasn’t running around the range with cameras. Instead, we were tucked behind the scenes running the full live broadcast: cameras, wireless feeds, switching, audio, everything. It was technical and stressful and, honestly, a little strange to not be shoulder-to-shoulder with athletes mid-stage. But watching Nationals come alive on the monitors with real commentary, real reactions, and real-time storylines — made all the effort worth it.
And yes, everything had that signature layer of fine red Texas dust. If you were there, you’re probably still cleaning it out of your gear.
We rolled into Reveille Peak Ranch early on Wednesday the 12th with the media trailer in tow. It’s still being built out for full-time broadcast use, but this event was its first major test. Texas Hill Country didn’t make it easy.
Power was the first obstacle. The only available source was a 300-foot extension run to the main building. That lasted about an hour before breakers started popping. From that point forward, battery backups and generators kept the broadcast alive – we owe a massive thanks to the Thor Offroad crew for keeping us fueled up. The trailer’s climate system, the upload connection, and the switching gear all ran on borrowed power while we built out workflows on the fly.
Out at the broadcast tent, the range layout forced us to rely on large battery banks or generator runs. Wireless video feeds had to cross long distances, sometimes through interference from other equipment, which made clean transmission a challenge. But by day three, everything stabilized. The final Elite heats came through crystal clear, and the booth atmosphere felt like a real sporting event — exactly what this sport deserves.
Most people know Lauren Kalil for her fast post-stage interviews. Nationals gave her an entirely different job: full weekend play-by-play. And she nailed it.
She came prepared with athlete stats, season history, and division-wide context. She had notes on pacing, penalty patterns, strengths, weaknesses — the kind of prep only someone who genuinely studies this sport can bring.
Throughout the weekend Lauren rotated in guest commentators:
They brought insight that you only get from people who live this stuff: “He’s pushing too fast,” “She’ll need to clean her next shots,” “That penalty’s going to hurt later.”
The coolest part?
The commentary wasn’t just online — it was broadcast over PA.
Spectators reacted in real time. Athletes listened while staging for their heat. The entire ranch had a pulse you could hear, not just feel. It made Nationals feel like a true competitive event, not just a collection of stages.
Thursday’s check-in at TTG HQ in Georgetown set the tone early. TTG offered:
Action Gunner stayed at the ranch to prep the livestream, but the workbench inside the trailer doubled as an on-site support station. Competitors came through during zeroing with everything from simple fixes to seized bolts. Being a JP master dealer with Real Avid tools on hand meant we could actually solve those problems.
It wasn’t just content creation this time. It was real support for athletes who needed to stay in the fight. Real Avid meant real support was available when squibs, seized bolts, or random gremlins appeared.
RPR did a lot of work ahead of Nationals. New dirt work around the main building brought the competition footprint closer together. New shooting bays were carved right behind vendor village, allowing spectators to walk a short distance from booth to barricade.
The weather cooperated — warm, windy, and dry — which is a gift for this sport. The red silt was another story. Anyone who dropped a mag was cleaning it before the next stage. And if you opened a bag, odds are you carried some of that dust home.
But the centralized layout was a win.
Better flow.
Less hauling.
More people watching stages.
Vendor village felt like part of the event, not an accessory to it.
Nationals featured 15 stages across three days. Six on Friday for qualifying divisions, four on Saturday, four on Sunday, and one final stage for the top five Elites at the end of the night. Each tested something different — engine, skill, discipline, composure.
Here are the big three.
This one demanded pacing and discipline. Athletes alternated rifle shots from the tank trap and pistol shots from the charge line. Between each shooting sequence, calories had to be accumulated on Concept2 machines — bike for rounds one and two, row for rounds three and four, ski for rounds five and six.
Calories contributed directly to score. Push too hard early, and your shooting would fall apart by the ski. Play it too safe, and you left points behind. Watching athletes try to find the balance was one of the highlights of the broadcast.
The name wasn’t a joke.
Athletes had three sandbags staged in front of them — light, medium, heavy — and had to complete 3-2-1 bag-over-bar reps before even touching their rifle.
The heaviest seen in TTG to date.
Missed shots translated to penalty reps. The cumulative effect was brutal. Athletes who rushed early shooting paid for it with massive sandbag workloads later. The athletes who kept penalties low were the ones who moved up the standings.
Kirt Finnel, a legitimate podium contender, had his Nationals end on day one after a round clipped the barricade. It was a heartbreaking moment for someone who trained and competed all year for this shot.
But Kirt didn’t leave.
He stayed all weekend, encouraged other athletes, and sat with Lauren to provide elite-level analysis in the booth. When we talk about character in this sport, this is exactly what we mean.
More than 25 vendors lined the central area, turning the ranch into an ecosystem of recovery, repairs, food, and gear.
(Disclosure: Action Gunner is a JP Enterprises master dealer. JP shared our trailer space for onsite support. Vortex Optics has no affiliation with Action Gunner — we simply worked from the same area. All impressions below are independent and honest.)
JP stayed busy all weekend. Bolts, triggers, seized parts, squibs — they saw everything. Many competitors walked in stressed and walked out with functional rifles. Real Avid tools made it possible to handle everything from quick fixes to upper rebuilds.
Action Gunner also had a small retail selection out of the trailer — mags, JP parts, Sun Slayer hoodies, and essentials.
Vortex brought real expertise. Travis Vogel and the team provided ballistic app support (now that Vortex owns GeoBallistics), optic advice, and troubleshooting for athletes.
We also got hands-on with the Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot and brought home a demo unit for testing. A full review will go up separately.
“Tent City” filled the spaces around vendor village. People grilled, shared food, stretched out on the grass, worked on their rifles, or just sat and talked. It was relaxed and chaotic at the same time — very TTG.
The last stage had no time cap, which felt a lot like the early days of TTG, and changes everything. Athletes loaded sandbags onto a sled, dragged it uprange, maneuvered bags through a yoke weave, dragged the sled back, shot, and repeated.
Men did 10 rounds (alternating rifle and pistol).
Women did 8 rounds.
Missed shots meant extra yoke weaves. A single weave took 20–30 seconds when fresh, much longer when tired. Penalties stacked quickly.
This was pure attrition. No hiding behind a time limit.
Champion: Jacob Heppner — Fourth consecutive Nationals title. 100% score. Lowest penalty count in the division. His dominance wasn’t about being the fastest on the sled or the strongest on the sandbags. It was about discipline. When the pressure was highest, he shot clean. That’s the difference between a good competitor and a four-time champion.
For context: Heppner competed at Nationals in 2021 but finished second to Jared Halbert (98.47% to Halbert’s 100%). Since then, he hasn’t lost. 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 — all his.
2nd: Jose Sahagun (91.93%) — Last year he finished fifth and couldn’t even complete the final stage due to injury. This year he stayed healthy, stayed focused, and locked in a podium spot. His training partner Sal said it best: “I cannot describe how proud I am of that guy.”
3rd: Aaron Clark (90.74%) — His comeback story is remarkable. Two weeks before Nationals, an ATV accident put him in the hospital with severe injuries. He’s lucky to be competing. He’s lucky to be alive. And he podiumed. His rifle shooting in the finals was some of the best of the night.
4th: Deaven Miller (87.73%) — Didn’t compete at Nationals last year. Came back and proved he belongs. His efficiency on the weave was unmatched, and his shooting was clean when it mattered. One to watch in 2026.
5th: Mike Palmer (86.42%) — First year in Elite after coming from Men’s Tactical. Top five on his debut. The Tactical division continues to produce athletes who can compete at the highest level.
Champion: Jenay DeCaussin — Third consecutive Nationals title. 100% score. Lowest penalty count. She’s now tied with Heppner for active title streaks, and she did it the same way: staying calm, shooting clean, and trusting the process.
2nd: Ehea Schuerch (90.92%) — Fourth consecutive year finishing second. Fourth consecutive year on the podium. And she did it while sick. Food poisoning, then illness, no voice — she was a trooper all weekend.
3rd: Jordan Sessions (86.68%) — The fitness was undeniable. She pushed DeCaussin harder than anyone has in years. With another year of shooting development, she’s going to be dangerous.
4th: Lupe Hernandez (84.93%) — One of the best shooters in the field, male or female. Her husband Sal joked that she could shoot clean and beat all the guys. She very nearly did.
5th: Katie Batiste (83.69%) — Won the penalty stage earlier in the weekend and showed her shooting ability again in the finals. Started behind, finished strong.
Nationals isn’t just about Elite. Every division brought competition, stories, and moments worth recognizing.
Men’s Tactical
1. Tory Kirkland (100%)
2. Paul Gross (98.63%)
3. Tyler Hunter (98.53%)
4. Ivan Cortes (98.18%)
5. Timothy Gross (98.02%)
Notable: The Gross brothers both landed in the top five. Sal mentioned them during the broadcast as future Elite threats: “Just wait till the Gross brothers get to Elite. They’re going to be a huge impact.” Based on these results, he’s probably right.
Women’s Tactical
1. Megan Kennedy (100%)
2. Bailee Manchego (99.83%)
3. Jessie Curtis (93.97%)
4. Jin Chung (88.06%)
5. Katie Hohmann (84.47%)
The battle between Kennedy and Manchego was razor-thin — just 0.17% separation. That’s the kind of margin that comes down to a single penalty or a few seconds on one stage.
Men’s 40+
1. Timothy Simansky (100%)
2. Clint Gower (97.84%)
3. Ross Polk (90.23%)
4. Joey Roush (90.11%)
5. James Kling (84.86%)
Women’s 40+
1. Becky Wagner (100%)
2. Lauren Sharpless (94.88%)
3. Jamie Lasco (93.70%)
4. Karla Herdzik (92.77%)
5. Tamara Radtke (87.56%)
Men’s 50+
1. LeEarl Rugland (100%)
2. Todd Thompson (99.21%)
3. Chad Smith (98.05%)
4. David Jun (97.77%)
5. Darin King (87.58%)
The Men’s 50+ division was one of the tightest fields at Nationals. The top four finishers were all within 2.23% of each other. That’s a battle.
Women’s 50+
1. Andrea Hilderbrand (100%)
2. Tara Figueroa (92.42%)
3. Chrisa Dustman (84.72%)
4. Michele Toomey (69.08%)
5. Marcey Gavidia (58.51%)
Men’s 60+
1. Jeff Craddock (100%)
2. Mike Griswold (96.13%)
3. Robert Hansen (95.72%)
4. Michael Trocino (91.06%)
5. Jason Poindexter (89.32%)
Men’s Intermediate
1. Marcin Galazka (100%)
2. Adrien Hartmann (95.12%)
3. Jason Eisenman (93.95%)
4. Chris Morrison (90.58%)
5. Michael Kuenzler (89.55%)
Women’s Intermediate
1. Anna Fulton (100%)
2. Leann Rominger (88.51%)
3. T Williams (87.46%)
4. Aundrea Powell (87.18%)
5. Michelle Waterson (85.93%)
The Tactical Games continues to grow at a pace that’s hard to wrap your head around. Nationals 2025 proved that this sport is evolving — not only in competitive depth, but in how spectators engage with it.
The commentary over the PA changed everything.
The broadcast changed everything.
The centralized layout changed everything.
And in 2026, TTG is going international. Poland is confirmed. Italy is lining up. The sport that started in 2018 as an experiment now feels like it’s entering its next chapter.
Action Gunner wants to thank Nick, Amanda, and their team for driving this sport forward. They’ve built something that feels competitive and welcoming at the same time — the kind of community where people stay long after they’re done competing.
The old saying still holds:
You come for the competition — but you stay for the people.
If you were at Nationals this year, dust and all, you already know you’ll be back stronger next season.
