Count Sandor, SASS #74075

Know that feeling on a "larger" scale - two summers of part-time driving a mid-1950's Chevy dump truck with manual steering and a 4-speed with Granny Low that needed regular double-clutching with the "muscle-builder" clutch pedal while making those giant throws...then the Village popped for a 1965 International Loadstar with power steering and a synchroed 5-Speed with two-speed electrically shifted rear axle (a whole new and fun ball game there!) that had Granny left and back, Reverse left and forward. With a load on, it took a deliberate move from 1st to 2nd to avoid just barely nicking Reverse and making a bad sound that was very embarrassing to the kid who thought he was a hot shot driver!

The Illowa Irregulars - Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois - for several years have used the categories "Working Cowboy" and "Working Cowgirl," which are no shotgun categories. They were added to our list in response to a number of our regular shooters having had shoulder surgery, and I think, one case of a recent cataract surgery. Scoring here is done electronically, and our scoring guru has it set up that we can pull scores for those categories from the overall scoring, so they stand alone as separate categories. Since folks in those categories compete only with themselves, we do not assign either misses or "P's" for the shotgun targets - no point. Since most "regular" shooters are very much interested in overall scoring, these are not well-supported categories here - there haven't been more than a few times where we actually had two shooters enter the category at an event - but it costs us nothing to keep them on the books as an option to accommodate folks who might have a physical limitation, while at the same time not affecting the overall scoring one way or the other. CS

We waited until she graduated from college. Since Catholic weddings were only done on Saturdays, that much was a given. As a JUCO transfer, Sandy had two classes to finish during summer quarter before beginning her teaching career on August 27th, while I had one to finish - and a decent-paying State job in the AV Department - before I started my student teaching, also on the 27th. This left us with a choice of August 17, 1968, her birthday, allowing time for a short honeymoon, or August 24 and off to work in two days with no honeymoon. We agreed on the 17th, and after our 1st anniversary celebrated birthday/anniversary on alternate years - her idea, not mine. Count

The Illowa Irregulars and the Illinois River City Regulators are sad to report that our long-time friend and competitor, Will Dunn., aka Robert Gauley, passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Will was a highly competitive shooter, who posted wins in every category in which he competed, often dropping down to a better-supported category, just to take on - and often beat - the "youngsters," even when he was eligible for "El Patron." He was always ready with a good story, or joke -or three- and was hardly ever seen without a smile on his face. An accomplished amateur gunsmith, Will was always available to help solve a problem for any other competitor, and quietly mentored many of the new shooters who came into our sport. His laugh, smile, and firm handshake will be missed by all of us. The photo was taken at Gunsmoke, 2017, when Will won his Regional Championship. He is pictured with his long-time traveling companion, Fillmore, who passed away in 2019. Obituary is available at https://www.wheelanpressly.com/obituary/Robert-Gauley Count Sandor, T.G.

My son, Colonel Kit Coyote...anyone remember the source of the alias?

Finally! The photo really I wanted to include back in Post #5 - found the thumb drive lurking in the bottom of my travel bag! Also, adding a photo of Bookworm Sandy, who passed away a few years ago.

Alias: Count Sandor SASS # 74075 From: Rock Island, IL Shooting: 10 years

My diploma reads "Bachelor of Science in Education in Geography." That meant that I would spend the first eight years of my career teaching only literature, grammar, spelling, and anything else that was covered by my minor in English. The rules were such that both the major and minor fields were covered by the "in Education" part. Of course, I taught a number of other subjects, but had to have more than 1/2 my class load in the major/minor fields. CS

Creeker: This past September, the theme for our annual, Fall Round-Up, was "New School vs. Old School." Half the stages incorporated some things we don't usually do much any more. According to the surveys I received, the "Old School" stages were well received. One example: a full sized cutout of "Little Johnny," the brat who tormented you all through grade school. Shooter started standing in school house doorway with an old fashioned felt chalkboard eraser in one hand, ready for revenge. Starting line..."Hey, Johnny!" At the beep, toss the eraser at Little Johnny, step forward and retrieve rifle. etc. I awarded a 3 second time reduction for the stage for a "hit" on the brat - about the same amount of time it took to react, throw, and actually start shooting. Most everyone hit Johnny, but some of the misses were monumental, and provided some interesting "talking points" at the socials. CS

Thanks again, UB.

Will be done as soon as we get everything taken care of. I really appreciate the site, but it seems to me I have had to make too many submissions in the last couple of years. CS

I have seen them successfully used with APP. Nothing there to keep the fouling soft with Holy Black, so not a good idea, IMHO. CS

BTT for info. in original post.

We have just learned that the Illowa Irregulars' former TG Trader Dave passed away this morning after a long illness. Dave was my mentor when I first came into Cowboy Action. He took me under his wing, introduced me to "the power of the darkside," and eventually passed the TG baton to me. Although he hasn't been able to shoot in a while, his presence has been felt at every match, as he was the driving force behind the construction of Camden Mills, our cowboy town. Arrangements are pending. I will post them as they become available. ******************************************************************************* I have added a link to Dave's obituary and visitation information. http://www.wheelanpressly.com/notices/David-CatherSr I think perhaps it would be appropriate to consider a "yellow shirt day" in honor of Trader Dave at the Illowa Irregulars' first monthly shoot in April '17. We can discuss this at our annual cowboy meeting Jan. 15. CS

The Illowa Irregulars have coffee, donuts, and occasionally breakfast pizza available during sign-up. During and after the match brats and hamburgers are grilled on-site, and chips/drinks are also available. These services are provided by the ladies of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, international collegiate and service sorority. ESA's primary philanthropic efforts are directed to St. Jude Children's Hospital, and all proceeds from our food sales go directly to St. Jude. Since our "cook shack" is centrally located on the cowboy range, some of our shooters choose to "eat on the run" during the match, others while scores are being tallied and awards presented. We do not have a formal break during the match. CS