Popcorn Kelly

Thanks, Smokin Gator. As I said in my video, the one and done nature of the stage is probably my favorite change of the three key changes we made from the World Record Stage.

Randy, Yes, everyone is eligible to set the Club Record. They will hold the club record until someone comes along and betters it. PK

Shawnee, your understanding is correct - we are also establishing a Club Record so that anyone can set and hold a record regardless of state residency. It should be an interesting and fun twist. I'd like to see other states adopt the stage and use it in their state championship match as well. From a personal perspective, way back when I was in high school, I held the school record in the two-mile run for a few years. It was a small, meaningless success (in the scheme of life), but I still have fond memories of it. My hope is that this provides others an opportunity for a similar sense of pride. Fleeting pride, to be sure, but still . . . it's nice to be able to say, "I held the record." PK

Yes, it is a stand and deliver stage just like the world record stage, just with closer targets and the shooter gets to select the gun order that suits them best. PK

Merry Christmas from the frigid upper-Midwest and home of Illowa Irregulars. Illowa Irregulars are excited to announce two new developments that will be offered at the 2023 Illinois State Cowboy Action Shooting Championship: The State Record Stage and the Illinois State Record Holder Award. The State Record Stage will be used to identify the Illinois State Record Holder – the Illinois shooter in each category who has the fastest time on State Record Stage during the 2023 Illinois State Championship (i.e., sets the state record). Award winners will receive a pin, similar to what’s shown at the end of this email, for having set the Illinois State Record and will hold the state record until their time is bested at a future Illinois State Championship. We believe this will add a new, fun dimension to the 2023 Illinois State Championship. The State Record Stage is a fun, fast stage and is a pleasure to shoot. Click here to download a copy of the State Record Stage. We created a video describing the State Record Stage, its origins and history, and what shooters will need to do so set the State Record. Click here (or on the video shown below) to view the video. As described in the video, we modeled the State Record Stage after the World Record Stage, but with the following key differences: The State Record Stage uses closer target distances to better reflect today’s target distances and to make it suitable for use at a State Championship match. For example, the World Record stage sets rifle targets at 54 feet, pistol targets at 21 feet, and shotgun targets at 30 feet, distances we felt would be inappropriate to use in a State Championship. Instead, the Illinois Standard Record Stage sets rifle targets at 27 feet, pistol targets at 12 feet, and shotgun targets at 18 feet – distances much more appropriate for a State Championship. Each shooter is allowed to select the gun order they feel allows them to shoot their best time (rifle must not be last). This is a change from the World Record stage which requires gun order to be Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun. Unlike the World Record which allows shooters several attempts, the State Record Stage will be set up as a stage during the 2023 Championship match. This means shooters have one opportunity to set the state record – when they shoot the stage at the Illinois State Championship match. This is consistent with most sporting events (e.g., Olympic records can only be set during Olympic competitions, etc.). This also eliminates the need to video record the shooter as required for the World Record, since each attempt will occur at a State Championship, observed by a Timer Operator, and witnessed by three Spotters. Just as only Illinois residents are eligible to be an Illinois Champion, only Illinois residents will be eligible to set the Illinois State Record. However, non-Illinois Residents will be eligible to set a new Illowa Irregular Club record during the Championship match. Several Illinois cowboys/ cowgirls will go home from the 2023 Championship recognized as holding the state record in their shooting category. If you are from Illinois, it could be you and/or someone you know. We also believe there will be some unexpected surprises along the way. If you’re not from Illinois, don’t worry – you’ll have an opportunity to set an Illowa Irregulars’ Club Record. Those that do will also receive a pin. As mentioned above, Illowa Irregulars will use this stage to establish our local “Club” records. We encourage you and other clubs to do the same. Click here to download a copy of the State Record stage. If you've not done so already, it's never too early to get your Illinois State Championship registrations in. 3 days of shooting fun, an optional Saturday evening dinner cruise on the Mississippi River aboard an old-fashioned riverboat, and now an opportunity to set a stage record. The Illinois State Championship is scheduled from August 18-20, 2023. Click here for more information and to download a registration form. We are pleased to announce we are now offering an on-line payment option in addition to our regular paper form. If you are unfamiliar with our area, the Quad Cities area is conveniently located near the juncture of Interstates 80 and 74 on Illinois' border with Iowa. There are many hotels and restaurants within a few minutes' drive from our range. If you're looking for something to do in August, take a look here. As always, hopefully our paths will cross one day, perhaps at the 2023 Illinois State Championship! Popcorn Kelly, Co-Match Director, 2023 Illinois State Championship Illowa Irregulars Cowboy Action Shooting Club Milan, Illinois Email: illowairregulars@gmail.com I

Watab Kid, Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and thanks for considering heading our way someday. PK

This is just a quick post wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at Illowa Irregulars. We just published are video photo retrospective on YouTube if you’re interested. You can view it by clicking here. While it’s quiet on the range right now, that’s not to say we aren’t busy getting ready for next year. Planning is well underway, including planning for the 2023 Illinois State Championship scheduled from August 18-20, 2023: 10 outstanding stages, an optional Saturday evening Riverboat Dinner Cruise on the Mississippi, on-site dry camping, side matches (including a couple of new ones), and more. Registration is open for the 2023 State Championship. We’ve the same 180-shooter limit as last year. We now offer two options to register The traditional paper form ( Click here for the paper form ); and, An online form which allows you to pay by credit card. ( Click here for the online form ). NEW AWARD: We are introducing a new award at the Illinois State Championship – the Illinois State Standard Stage Record Holder award. To the best of our knowledge, this award is unique to Illinois. The Record Holder Award goes to the Illinois cowboy/cowgirl that shoots the Illinois Record Stage the fastest in each category. If you’re not from Illinois, you won’t be left out. Out of state shooters can set the Illowa Irregulars’ Club Record if they shoot the stage the fastest. Both sets of winners will receive a pin commemorating their feat, and we will publish the names of all record holders on our website. Each shooter will hold the record until another shooter bests their time (shooting the identical stage) at a future match. Suffice it to say there will be a lot of cowboys and cowgirls returning home holding the Illinois State or Illowa Irregulars' Club Record for having shot the Illinois Record Stage the fastest in their category. Will you be one of them? We discuss the new award briefly in the video, and plan to post a more detailed video sometime after the first of the year. Thank you for your interest and support in 2022. We wish you the best. Hopefully our paths will cross one day, wherever that may be. Perhaps at the 2023 Illinois State Championship. Popcorn Kelly Illowa Irregulars Cowboy Action Shooting Club Milan, Illinois Email: illowairregulars@gmail.com

Here is a link to a video highlighting our November 6, 2022, match - our final match of the 2022 shooting season. It includes a few video snippets taken during the match, as well as special ending worth sticking around to see. I hope you enjoy it. Click here to view the video. Illowa Irregulars thanks everyone for their support this year, and we look forward to doing it again in 2023. Hopefully, our paths will cross someday, perhaps at the SASS 2023 Illinois State Championship scheduled from Aug 18-20, 2023.

Old Man Greybeard; There are two easy ways to get to the monthly matches Scroll to the very bottom of any page and click on "Match Finder" Click on Events along the top menu, then Match Locator. Both options show matches by month. Click on the month you're interested in seeing. While it's not on a single page, it's an easy to read and clean interface.

Moonshine, you're quite welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. PK

Vic, thanks. I enjoyed meeting and sharing a posse with you and Kat. I'm sure our paths will cross again. Until then, take care. PK

This post is to announce that I recently published my SASS 2022 National Championship – Land Run highlight video. Click here to view the video. My hope is that this video provides those that attended an opportunity to relive it in some small way and give those that weren’t able to attend a sense of what it was like. This video a bit longer than normal coming in at about 35 minutes. I included a time stamp for each section just after the introduction (at about the 6 min 43 sec mark) which will enable you to skip to any section you like if you wish to do so. Viewing hints: 1. Pop some popcorn and watch it on your television; 2. Watch it on your television with another food/drink of your choice; or, 3. Watch it on any other device. I hope you find something here that brightens your day or entertains you in some small way. Perhaps it’s the videos, the photos, the music, or some combination of them all. --------------------------------------------------------- On another note, Illowa Irregulars are hosting the 2023 Illinois State Championship from August 18-20, 2023. We’d be honored to have you attend. Go to www.illowairregulars.com for more information. Sincerely, Popcorn Kelly PS. We hosting another optional Mississippi Riverboat dinner cruise!

I attached a pdf of the stages to this post. PK Land Run 2022 Stages.pdf

Here you go. PK Land Run 2022 Stages.pdf