Hi everyone! If you don’t know me by now, give it time. I’m sure we will interact with each other at a match hopefully, but email, social media, or the good ole telephone is fine too.
I’m Billy Herrington and am your Area 6 director. You may see my government name as William, but like many others of the same name I prefer something a little less formal. Billy is perfect.
I live in Mississippi and am just a little South of Hattiesburg in Purvis. It should come as no surprise that I followed in the footsteps of my dad with military service. He did 25 years in the Air Force, and I did 24 years in the Army. I also earned my LE certification in MS and have migrated from patrol into training since 2023.
More of you probably know my youngest son Brayden as he now regularly spanks me in matches. The tables have definitely turned in the last couple years. The old phrase, “youth is wasted on the young” definitely rings true; we started this journey together in May 2021 when he was 14. Now at 18, college and the future occupy more of his time, but I’m still chipping away. Maybe I’ll catch back up one day.
Shooting has always been near and dear to my heart. I’ve never been a hunter due to disliking the cold more than anything. I always liked to shoot though. I’ve moved away from rifles after retirement and enjoy handguns much more. Part of that passion led me to be able to help shift the thinking in law enforcement to red dots on duty guns, and more dynamic training with those handguns. USPSA has been a huge influence on my training strategy and opened my eyes to what before I didn’t see or think about.
By now you’re asking yourself, so why did you run? Well, it’s simple but in a complex way. I have always felt that you should be the change that you want to see. I think I bring a different view and dynamic to not only the board but to our area. The phrase that irritates me the most is, “this is how we’ve always done it.” To me, that demonstrates a lack of initiative, growth, and inculcates apathy. On the same hand, we shouldn’t change something just because we can. My section coordinator was mentoring me as a new match director last year. Something he said really stuck with me. Bill said to me, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
I’ve always had a philosophy about not doing things just to do them. Why? Well, because often times there are unintended consequences that will only become obvious after the fact. I try to approach things will reason, insight, and at the end of the day, what is best for everyone. In my Army days that was for my Soldiers; now it’s for the membership of USPSA. I was led to seek this job as a form of service. I won’t forget who is being served and is the center of the process.
Some things are changing, some are not, and other things will. I’ve always lived by, if you don’t like change, you’ll like being irrelevant even less. It’s with that mindset tempered by each of you that I face the challenges of being your area director. It is certainly an honor and a privilege to serve each of you. I’m looking forward to great things being accomplished not only at the director level, but with each of you attaining your goals and dreams within the world of USPSA and practical shooting.
Feel free to drop me a line anytime [email protected]
