I got interested in long range shooting after a few of my uncles decided to see who could hit a 12"x12" piece of farm scrap metal the furthest at the yearly family get-together when I was 17. I had never shot anything except a shotgun before that but it was awesome (at the time) to see two guys hitting a target at 300 yards (340 yards won it that year).
The next summer I was 18 and I bought a rifle of my own (Rossi Wizard in 308) to compete and to try deer hunting. I didn't win that year and my competitive side didn't like that so I got an extra job and started donating plasma for money and bought a Remington 700 VTR in 308, Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50, and bedded it in a Choate stock. Then the yearly get together came along...and I still didn't win (500 yards was the distance to beat that year).
I sold the VTR shortly after hunting season that fall and for the next year I decided to build a rifle off a Savage action in a caliber that was new to the scene, the 6.5 Creedmoor, after my local gun store owner and his son showed off their freshly built Creedmoor at their private 1000 yard range during a store promotion. I built the gun that winter and all spring and summer I practiced with the shop owner and his son. When the family get together happened at the end of the summer I finally won with 970 yards and set a family record that stood for two more years.
Nine years later and we still have the yearly family distance competition. It's a lot more competitive now and there are a lot (Dad has 12 brother's and sister's and I have just over 40 cousins) more of us in the family that compete. I shoot a .338 Lapua but we had 300WM, 7mmRM, and even another 338 Lapua and a 416 Barrett out there this year. It's a lot of fun and everyone walks back to the house happy. The current family record is 1370 yards by the 416 Barrett wielding cousin of mine this year and I am already planning a practice regimen for next spring to not lose like I did this year. As much as I want to build a CheyTac for next year, I know the Lapua is capable of more and my money is better spend on ammo and range time (especially since I was invited to join a semi-private 1 mile range that's an hour from my house).
Sorry for the long post but I thought this group especially could appreciate the journey that I (and my family) took to get into long range shooting. What started as two uncles "schooling" their nephew has turned into a whole family tradition that now involves three generations of family.