There are many types of competition to participate in, the three most interesting handgun related ones are the following :

IDPA - International Defensive Pistol Association
USPSA - United States Practical Shooting Association
Fun Steel - Similar to Steel Challenge but local

There are others like 3-gun/multi-gun, Tactical Shotgun etc but the top three above will get you started in the fun sport of competitive shooting.

IDPA is easy to get started with because it's defensive in nature and has the lowest barrier to entry. The equipment required is generally just a gun, good holster that fits on your belt, a mag pouch and 3-4 magazines. You also need a concealment garment like a vest, jacket or a hawaiian shirt. You can find lots of videos on YouTube related to IDPA by searching for IDPA or checkout the video thread in this forum. Also, the best place to find out more about IDPA is on the NWPPA Forums http://www.nwppaonline.org/. There are matches in Whidbey Island which should be closer to you if you're interested, please send Jim an email to find out when and where they're organizing IDPA matches : jetill@frontier.com

USPSA is more a sport. It is an American derivative of IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation). Where shooting is a lot more dynamic and more emphasis is placed on physical and mental performance rather than following a stage description like IDPA. Great place to find out about USPSA locally is here : http://northwestsection.org/forum/index.php

FunSteel is setup by the folks at Shootonthemove.org and the URL is : http://www.shootonthemove.org/funsteel. the objective of Fun Steel is to introduce the "fun-nest" of shooting at reactive steel targets. The matches are very similar to the Steel Challenge matches that are held nationwide. It's a great way to get started in competition shooting as there is very little movement involved and you're usually shooting at steel from a stationary position. This is the only competition sport that allows the use of a .22 caliber pistol. Like I said before, great way to start and fun for kids too.

well, hope that helps, if you need any additional info, please feel free to send me a PM or anyone of the members in the forums above, they're all very friendly. :)

Great post!!!

Great post. I shot IDPA and a little 3gun in Alaska. It took me a while to get the info I just found on here.

they shoot ice bullets in alaska (as seen in the 007 movie)