New AC for Mid-South Region
IDPA Headquarters is pleased to announce the appointment of Skip Darden (A51158) as Area Coordinator for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. 
Skip resides near Phenix City, Alabama, where he has served as Match Director at East Alabama Gun Club since 2019. He joined IDPA in 2012 and shot his very first match at EAGC.
For five years, Skip primarily competed in Carry Optics. “When I’m shooting, I want to process as much information as possible. CO allows me to effortlessly stay target-focused while maintaining a high degree of accuracy.” This year, he has also competed, or will soon compete, in major matches across CDP, SSP, ESP, and CCP divisions. “Make hay while the sun is shining. My vision is starting to change, and I want to spend some time with iron sights before I need progressive lenses.” He has earned Master classifications in SSP, ESP, CDP, CCP, BUG, and CO.
Skip congratulates Seth Hayden on his recent promotion to RACL. “Seth leaves big shoes to fill in the role of AC, about a size 13. That can work for or against him when the start position is toes touching the SP.” He plans to continue Seth’s successful strategy of increasing the number of major matches as a key way to sustain IDPA participation in the area.
Skip spent most of his career running his family’s shoe stores. In 2022, product shortages made that work untenable, prompting a strategic transition into the self-storage industry. He is now a facility owner/operator and also self manages his commercial rental properties.
Outside of IDPA, Skip’s favorite hobby is night hunting coyotes and feral pigs. “They’re wily animals, and hunting them is a challenge. Reducing invasive populations is a big help to farmers and native wildlife. Most people don’t realize coyotes only migrated to this part of the country in the 1970s.”
Skip’s first major match was the 2012 Mississippi State Championship at Ridge Crossing. The following year, he branched out to the Alabama State Championship at CAGC, Georgia State at South River, and The Masters at Brocks Gap. “Competing in those early major matches was hugely influential in building my interest in the sport,” he recalls.
He acknowledges the challenges IDPA faced during recent ammunition and primer shortages. “Some great matches in my area went away,” he notes. “Under Seth’s leadership, we saw the Alabama State Match return at Brocks Gap. This April, Brocks Gap will host the Bama Belle all ladies match and the Bama Bo Tier 2 staff match for the men. The Tri-State Shootout Tier 3 in Daleville, Alabama, is entering its second year, and Battle at the Boondocks is underway in Mississippi this week. I want to do everything I can to support Match Directors who answer the call to host Tier 2 or higher matches.”
While Skip sees the growth of state and regional matches as vital to maintaining membership, he believes increasing the number of female shooters is the key to expanding the sport. “I was an NRA Basic Pistol Instructor for eight years, and about 85% of my students were women. Women are the fastest growing demographic of gun owners. It makes sense, their need for self-defense is arguably more urgent than a man’s. It all starts at the grassroots level: the club match. Match Directors need their most knowledgeable, outgoing, and personable Safety Officers giving the new shooter briefing. That briefing is the face of IDPA to new shooters. I urge club level match directors to place great emphasis on the new shooter brief. It’s not only crucial for upholding our high standards of safety; that first experience determines if the shooters come back next month.”