If you’re from my generation, you’ll remember that when you went back to school – about this time of year – you would have to write the dreaded essay with the topic of “What I did this summer.” If I had experienced DRIFT Academy back then, I would most definitely have included it as a highlight.
Set on the stage of the exciting venue of the Viriginia International Raceway, where you’ll get to see race cars that cost more than the average home, speeding around the track, A Girl & A Gun’s DRIFT (Dynamic Real-world Immersive Firearms Training) Academy introduces women to a range of training that includes personal security, firearms tactics and ballistics, in combination with time on the track learning vehicle dynamics and evasive driving techniques. After all, we spend so much time in our vehicles, that it’s only natural to train as if your life depends on exiting one, or defending yourself and your loved ones while in one.
Robyn Sandoval, president and CEO of A Girl & A Gun, said, “To me, DRIFT Academy represents what can happen when we stop accepting the limits of what’s traditionally been available to women and start asking what’s possible instead. I’ve spent years teaching situational awareness and helping women recognize the vulnerabilities that exist in transitional spaces like parking lots, gas stations and roadways, and I can teach her options for the escalation of force if she recognizes a threat. But I knew there had to be more, and began looking for who could teach her about the vehicle?”
She continued, “The answer was surprisingly few people. While RFH Tactical Mobility has spent decades developing the world’s best vehicle management, mobility, recovery and evasive driving programs for military, law enforcement and security professionals, those skills had rarely been made accessible to everyday women. I believed they should be.”
The instructors at RFH Tactical Mobility offer a wide range of courses, and throughout the training conducted themselves professionally and respectfully to our class of 16. Rick Henson, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and Lead Instructor with RFH, led the training. Other instructors included U.S. Marine Corps veteran Matt Black, U.S. Marshal Kelton Jago, intelligence and risk management expert Angie Jago, Deputy Clayton Myers and professional race car driver Colin Garrett.
The instructors brought a wealth of experience from the military, special operations, federal law enforcement, intelligence, executive protection, motorsports and the public safety world, and managed to tailor it to everyday situations that may crop up in the life of a modern woman.
The course offered the following skillsets, as listed by A Girl & A Gun:
I attended all of the above-listed briefings, scenarios and drills, and especially enjoyed driving fast around a racetrack, and having to react quickly to commands from the instructor in regard to making turns, stopping and avoiding threats. We also learned valuable skills – such as what to do if a driver passes out, and you are in the front seat. They called it “Driver Down,” and believe me, this is one skill I’m going to teach my grandkids to use, and have already talked it over with my husband and a granddaughter (with a learner’s permit to drive).
Another valuable lesson showed us what to do in case of a rollover, and some women participated in actually strapping into a vehicle and then, having it rolled over before exiting. Although I chose not to participate in this one (knee replacement issue), I now know how to extricate myself and hopefully, I’ll never have to use this skill. I am also going to fasten my seatbelt cutter to my vehicle’s interior so that I can actually retrieve it, if necessary, instead of hoping to get it out of the console while upside down.
I also liked the POM pepper spray training session. In the past, I’d always associated pepper spray as something I would employ if I didn’t have a firearm along, and now, it’s something I’d consider using until I can deploy a firearm for personal defense.
The most thrilling time occurred on the skid pad, when the instructor discovered I had grown up in the Dakotas, and really challenged my abilities to control a spin. Let’s just say, the adrenalin pumped during that scenario and Miss North Dakota (me) went a lot faster than Miss Alabama (another participant).
Throughout the course, the women developed a camaraderie that led to new Facebook friendships, and promises to meet up later (more than likely at another AG&AG event). As usual, women supported each other during specific challenges, for example, rooting for someone who might feel a bit squeamish about ramming another vehicle. That’s another thing I really liked – ramming.
Robyn summed up the experience here, “Bringing DRIFT Academy to A Girl & A Gun members has been one of the greatest privileges of my career because it reflects what our organization has always stood for: giving women access to professional training that expands their capabilities, their confidence, and their choices. To me, DRIFT is about strength and control. It’s about understanding your options, remaining composed when circumstances become unpredictable, and knowing you have the skills to keep yourself and your family safe. Every woman deserves the opportunity to develop that kind of confidence, and I’m proud that we are the ones who make it possible.”
I highly recommend DRIFT Academy. It would be an amazing women’s or even mother/daughter trip, and yes, there’s even shopping – over at the Raceway’s gift shop.
Learn more about DRIFT Academy 2027.
Read more about DRIFT Academy at The WON.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
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