The 2025 Steel Challenge Association World Speed Shoot was held in Talladega, Alabama at the Civilian Marksmanship Range May 28-June 1. Over 600 shooters attended the event with one being ZeroTech’s very own, Ashley Krenek. Ashley shot Limited Optics C class and Rimfire Pistol Open B Class, placing first in both divisions! She ran the ZeroTech H.A.L.O Enclosed Aspherical Reflex Sight on her Ruger Mark IV Lite to bring in the gold metal.

So, why does Ashley shoot competitively? We asked and in her words:

“I’ve always shot. When I was a kid we’d shoot tin cans at our family deer camp and targets out at our local ranges. In 2001 I got my License to Carry and thought, wow - that’s a lot of responsibility. I started looking to improve my handgun skills in a way that would apply to everyday life and in 2005 I stumbled upon IDPA at my local range, Pearland Shooting Club. I was HOOKED! The other shooters were all super welcoming and I felt like I found an extension to my family. Soon after shooting USPSA, Steel Challenge, and even found a women’s only shooting group called A Girl And A Gun with chapters all over the country.”

Ashley shot matches for a few years but got serious about competing in 2014 when she hired her first coach, Jim Duncan, for the 2015 IDPA World Championship AND the 2015 Benelli Shotgun Championship. Both events were organized through A Girl and A Gun. She trained all summer for two of the biggest matches in the nation… with ZERO major match experience! She remembers it as “the hardest shooting training I’d ever done but it was so much fun”.

Since then, Ashley hasn’t slowed down. In 2017 she became a sponsored shooter for Orr Tactical, a veteran owned ammo manufacturing company in Needville, Texas and was recently chosen for a sponsorship from ZeroTech Optics. In 2020, Ashley picked up another coach, Kita Busse who has helped her gain speed in all shooting sports through the use of effect movement. Ashley now shoots all sports in the Houston area, including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Outlaw, 3-gun, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. She has competed most with her CZ 75 paired with an optic, but recently switched to shooting a Ruger Mark IV Lite with the HALO back in August 2024 after she broke her left arm in a motorcycle accident. Due to the lighter recoil, the. 22 caliber pistol was the only 22-calibertinue practicing without pain. She mostly shot Steel Challenge and practiced strong-hand-only for months till her left arm was healed through rest and rehabilitation. When her doctor released her in March she was elated! She’s still not at full strength on the left side but works daily to get there.

Ashley has shot many major IDPA and USPSA matches including the Gulf Coast Championship, Dragon’s Cup, Space City Challenge, and Texas State Open, and Steel Challenge majors like Area 4 and Lone Star, but this was her first World Championship Steel Challenge match. She has frequently stated that Steel Challenge is her favorite shooting sport. She says Steel Challenge is “instant gratification or instant disappointment, because you get feedback as soon as you pull the trigger”. She adds “while shooting paper is fun, but it doesn’t give me the same thrill as shooting steel”.

In addition to shooting, Ashley is the match director for the Gulf Coast Championship, a 501c3 which holds weekly and annual matches to help raise money for Homes For Our Troops. Homes For Our Troops builds mortgage free homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. Ashley also is on the board for the Ascend Officer Appreciation Day where she is the match director for their annual shooting match during the appreciation day events. She also manages a monthly Steel Challenge and USPSA match at her local club with her original coach, Jim Duncan, and is an active member and assistant for the South Houston and Alvin A Girl And A Gun chapters.

Ashley also promotes the local shooting matches with her website and social media under the handle “Tactical Poppins”. So if you are ever in the Houston area, look her up and she can help you find matches to shoot.

We at ZeroTech are proud to have such an accomplished shooter, volunteer, and advocate for the shooting sports on our team!

Media Contact:
For media inquiries, please contact:
Contact: sales@zerotechoptics.com
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Helpful Links:

ZeroTech Optics: https://zerotechoptics.com/

Tactical Poppins: http://www.tacticalpoppins.com

Steel Challenge Association: https://scsa.org

IDPA, International Defensive Pistol Association: https://www.idpa.com

USPSA, United States Practical Shooting Association: https://uspsa.org

Gulf Coast Championship: http://gulfcoastchampionship.com

Homes For Our Troops: https://www.hfotusa.org

A Girl & A Gun: https://www.agirlandagun.org