Coached by Grok
The 53 Challenge
- I'm 53. My first shotgun lesson was on 2 October 2026.
- My coach is an AI. My human coach at the range has the final say.
- The goal is a national class medal. Every score and every miss goes up in public.
From beginner at Sterkfontein to winning at my home club
Seven chapters. One is fact, one is now. The rest are goals, and they stay labelled as goals until they happen.
Prologue: first lesson Fact
2 October 2026. My first shotgun lesson.
Chapter 1: the new Browning 525 Now
A gun of my own. My AI coach drafted questions for my range coach. My range coach's answers are what count.
Chapter 2: a practice camera Planned
A camera to show my misses in practice. Practice footage only.
Chapter 3: fixing the mount Goal
Current focus. Done when my range coach says the mount is good enough to move on.
Chapter 4: first full round Goal
A complete round. The score goes up once it's checked.
Chapter 5: first event Goal
My first entry and my first result sheet.
Chapter 6: climbing the classification Goal
Join Compak SA and earn a class from registered events.
Chapter 7: winning at my home club Goal
Sterkfontein Shooting Academy. My range coach confirms which event counts.
Latest from The Ladder
No scores published yet. My first lesson was on 2 October 2026. Scores go up here once they've been checked, misses included.
Follow along
Instagram is where most of it happens.