An International Women’s Day Feature
On a cold, windy morning at the range in Boise, Idaho, Jade Savage laughs about the weather. The conditions aren’t great—freezing temperatures, heavy wind, gray skies—but for someone who has built her life around challenge, discomfort is just part of the process.
It’s the same mindset that led her into one of the most demanding shooting sports in the world: The Tactical Games.
But Jade’s journey into firearms didn’t begin with competition or training. In fact, it didn’t begin until adulthood.
And it started with a simple question.
Why can’t it be me?
Growing Up Without Guns
Savage grew up in Page, Arizona, a small town tucked along the Arizona–Utah border near Lake Powell. Life there revolved around the outdoors.
“My parents were amazing,” she says. “We rode motorcycles, dirt bikes, went fishing, wakeboarding—everything was outside.”
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Her father encouraged adventure and competition, coaching Jade and her sister in sports from the time they were little. Soccer, basketball, T-ball—if there was a game to be played, they were in it.
But firearms were largely absent from that world.
Her father owned guns. He hunted. He carried concealed. But it was something he kept separate from family life.
“We never really talked about them,” Jade says. “They were just kind of out of sight, out of mind.”
Before she turned thirty, she had only been to the range a handful of times—and even then, the experience was brief and controlled.
“The gun was loaded for me, set up for me,” she recalls. “All I had to do was pull the trigger.”
At the time, firearms felt distant—something other people were responsible for.
That perspective changed in 2019.
A Moment of Responsibility
When Jade’s father passed away, the role he had quietly filled in the family suddenly became very clear.
He had always been the one who carried. The one who took responsibility for safety.
And without him there, Jade found herself thinking about something she had never considered before.
“What’s going to happen to my mom? What about my sister?” she wondered.
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For years, she had unconsciously relied on the idea that someone else—her father—would handle that responsibility.
Then one day, the realization hit.
“Why can’t it be me?”
The thought stuck.
Soon after, Jade convinced her mother and sister to take concealed carry classes together.
It was their first real step into the world of firearms.
But the permit itself didn’t bring confidence.
“Just because I had the permit didn’t mean I knew what I was doing,” she says. “I realized I didn’t know how guns worked or how to actually shoot.”
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What followed was a journey of curiosity, learning—and resilience.
Breaking Into a Male-Dominated Space
Like many women entering the firearms world, Jade quickly realized the learning environment wasn’t always welcoming.
“There were definitely insecurities,” she says. “I felt like I was stepping into a very male-dominated space.”
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Some instructors reinforced that feeling.
Instead of building confidence, they left Jade—and her family—feeling discouraged.
Her mother eventually sold her firearm. Her sister stepped away as well.
But Jade refused to quit.
Instead, she kept searching until she found mentors who believed in teaching, not gatekeeping.
“Once I found people who actually wanted to help and answer questions, it made a huge difference,” she says.
Confidence grew quickly from there.
The Competitive Spark
Competition had always been part of Jade’s life.
She played soccer through high school and later got involved in CrossFit, where she discovered she loved pushing herself physically.
But something was missing.
“I missed that competitive atmosphere,” she says.
Then she discovered The Tactical Games.
The sport combines rifle and pistol shooting with demanding fitness challenges—running, lifting, obstacle courses—creating a hybrid of shooting competition and functional fitness.
When Jade saw it online, she immediately felt the pull.
“I thought, why can’t I do this?” she says.
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So she signed up.
She attended a training camp, gathered the gear she needed, and flew to her first competition.
Looking back now, she laughs at how quickly she jumped in.
“It was a little crazy,” she admits.
And the competition itself? A whirlwind.
“My rifle malfunctioned. My pistol malfunctioned. Pretty much everything that could go wrong went wrong.”
But something else happened that weekend too.
Competitors stepped in to help—offering gear, helping troubleshoot equipment, and encouraging her to keep going.
“That’s when I realized how incredible the community was,” she says.
More Than a Sport
Today, firearms represent something very different in Jade’s life than they once did.
She’s a competitor. A realtor. And now, a mother.
Those roles have reshaped how she thinks about responsibility.
“It’s funny,” she says. “Before I was in the firearms world, it kind of looked like people just thought guns were cool.”
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But being part of the community changed that perspective.
“Now I see how much responsibility people carry with it.”
As a single mother, that responsibility feels even more meaningful.
“One day I’ll teach my son how to respect firearms,” she says.
And with that responsibility comes a quiet sense of purpose.
“It’s a weight I feel privileged to carry.”
The Growing Community of Women
Over the past few years, Jade has watched something encouraging happen in the shooting sports community.
More women are showing up.
More women are competing.
And more women are curious about learning to shoot.
“I’ve seen a huge wave of women coming into the Tactical Games,” she says.
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But curiosity doesn’t always translate into action.
From her experience working with a women’s self-defense academy, Jade noticed that many women were interested—but unsure how to take the first step.
Her advice is simple.
“Start by asking someone you trust to show you how firearms work,” she says. “Once you understand how they function, a lot of the fear disappears.”
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And if competition is the goal?
“Just try it,” she says. “The community is incredibly supportive.”
Leading by Example
One of the most meaningful parts of Jade’s journey has been meeting other women who are walking a similar path.
Some come to firearms through sport. Others come for self-defense.
Many have deeply personal reasons for wanting to learn.
“Hearing those stories is powerful,” Jade says. “If I can play even a small role in helping someone feel confident enough to start, that means a lot.”
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If she could give advice to her younger self, it would be simple:
Get curious sooner.
And don’t let fear—or inexperience—stop you from starting.
Because if Jade Savage’s journey proves anything, it’s that the path into firearms doesn’t have to begin early.
Sometimes it begins with a single question.
Why can’t it be me?