Hook up with a group of other shooters to go with, makes it more fun! Trust me.
Second, check out attending Small Arms Firing School. It is nice because you get to learn the ropes of the range and get some instruction on firing. Useful for inexperienced competitors, but I found it a bore.
First day of matches, Tuesday I think, is the President's 100. 30 rounds; 10 200 offhand, 10 300 prone rapid and 10 600 slowfire prone. Have your zeros down, otherwise this could get frustrating quickly.
Then you should look at entering the National Trohpy Individual, which is an Excellence in Competition match good for Leg points if you make the cut. And it is just fun to be there shooting!
I don't know about the other individual matches. The M16 match looked like fun, as did the Springfield and Garand matches. I was there on the Gun Owner's of New Hampshire State team, but you don't need a team and support van to show up and have fun.
FWIW, 2005 was my first year and I finished 287th in the P100 (279 with a few IIRC) and in the mid to high 400 position on the NTI (461 with few again). Of course I am looking forward to going back for 2006. Bring it on!!
