Something thats been bugging me lately.

[Mean Matt McCord, SASS #24683]

You know it, I might even have to break out some Abba or maybe even some Elton John at the load table, if the mood is right Gordon Lightfoot is not out of the question either.

Abba? ABBA???? Please, for the love of God, say it ain't so!

 

To all you pards in Michigan, the next time you see this poor, demented soul, lay yore hands on him and pray for his healing! (And sneak in a couple of Ted Nugent CD's on him...)

[Ventura Slim, SASS #35690]

Its a rough crowd sometimes.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

Abba? ABBA???? Please, for the love of God, say it ain't so!

 

To all you pards in Michigan, the next time you see this poor, demented soul, lay yore hands on him and pray for his healing! (And sneak in a couple of Ted Nugent CD's on him...)

 

Amen!

 

GG ~

[Grizzly Dave]

ABBA? I think I'm gonna hurl.

 

 

[Lone Dog, SASS #20401]

Anyone who doan like ABBA jist doan know good moosic when dey hears it. Deuce is obviously a pard of good taste as well as fast. Just needs a lil thicker hide on that big ole bod is all.

 

Luv me some ABBA.

[crooked jake,4371]

Deuce ,

 

Put yer ear plugs in before gettin outa yer rig

 

yeah ,fun onna whole different level ......there's is a shirt that reads ......If I have to explain it .....you wouldn't understand .

 

edit due to it didnt make sense after i reread it hahahaha

[Carolina Cowboy]

This seems to keep coming up. I will be at the back of my car in the parking unloading my gear in getting ready for the match and someone will say to another newer shooter or buddy who is there to watch " Thats Deuce, he's really fast,I just shoot for the fun he's on competative side of things". Why the heck do you think I am here....for the money? This constant banter of "I'm in it for the fun" is getting on my nerves. I AM IN IT FOR THE FUN TOO!!!!!! I don't cut corners,don't ask questions during a stage reading and pretty much just mind my business. Yet folks seem to think they have a window to what I'm all about simply because I don't take 55 seconds to shoot the stage. If I didn't have fun I wouldn't spend $60 in gas and 6 hour round trip to shoot 5 monthy stages and do it 2-4 times a month. I enjoy the competition and pushing my self and my like minded friends in the game, but just because you don't give a rip about the timer does not mean you play a morally superior game than we do. The people are the game for me, I get to shoot with my wife and son and best friends I have ever had every weekend, it just does not get any better than that for me. So please before you act like you have a handle on what is fun and what's not remember that it's different for everyone. I need to get ammo loaded and guns cleaned for the weekend. Rant mode off.

 

PS. I used myself and my experience as an example above just to get the meaning of this thread acrossed. There are many that run into the same thing every weekend. Just as foks have the right to say it I have the right to give it right back.

 

 

 

Anyone that thinks you are not having FUN when you shoot, have never shot with you friend, shooting with you and your pards from Rockford is fun no matter how slow or fast you are, you can't help but have fun when on a posse with you guys, no matter how hard you try not to

[Conestoga Smith, SASS #18219]

Shootin' fast is fun, hittin' while shootin' fast is more funner than fun. Shootin' leisurely and not hittin' everything- not fun to me ( please note this is my opinion, not a statement about how EVERYBODY should feel about our sport).

I got tried of hearin' how some so & so is "too competitive" 'cause they can do. I try to see what I can pick up from the technique of those folks.

As soon as my finances are mended, I'll commence to ( gasp! sounds almost like cheating!) PRACTICING to regain what little range pride I once had, so I can have some fun again, too! Can't imagine not tryin' to do my best. If all I personally wanted was to dress up and have a little company, well, that's what I'd do. Maybe some day I'll have to go that way, but not right now.

as always, your mileage may vary.

[Crazy Mingo]

Heee Haaaa.. Doots,Doots,Doots.. What can I say that aint already been said.. Just forget the ABBA..

 

Heee Haaa Crazy Mingo..

[Utah Bob #35998]

My wife says, "I can't believe you have an ABBA cd in your truck.

 

I also have Chris LaDoux, George Strait, Various Mariachi albums, John Denver, Bach, Marty Robbins, Eagles, Le Ann Womack, Beatles, bagpipes, Navajo singers and drummers, Creedence, and John Phillip Sousa.

My musical tastes are...... eclectic.

 

Not big on show tunes though.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

Abba is fine...in your truck. Not at a cowboy match. Lol!

 

G(who also has a broader than most musical affinity)G

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Some folks just don't know how much "FUN" it is to push and test yourself to get through a stage as quickly as you can and get that good feeling of doing all you could at the time and with the equipment you have. Being a "winner' just puts a bullseye on your back for anyone else striving to compete as best they can.

 

Howdy

 

I have refrained from posting on this topic so far, but I have to say something.

 

I find that I often run into the attitude expressed above. My reply is that some folks just don't know how much fun it is to simply shoot at the targets and have a good time at it and not care where we wind up in the final standings. I completely understand the thrill of competition. I simply choose to follow a different drummer. It has nothing to do with being too 'lazy' to practice, it has nothing to do with making excuses because I really am not very good. I simply am not interested in the competition end of the game. Why is that so hard to understand? I play this game simply to have fun shooting Black Powder. I don't give a whit where I come in in the standings. About all I care about is getting a clean match.

 

I recently overheard one top shooter saying he just did not understand the attraction of shooting Black Powder. All that is important to him is shooting as fast as possible and winning as much as possible. And he takes every single shortcut and uses every single modification that is legal to achieve that goal. Please don't tell me that he could probably beat me with my own guns, that is not the point. And please don't start in about how modifications are OK, that is beside the point too. The point is, I simply am not interested in that end of the game. For me, making lots and lots of smoke, hearing earth shaking reports, weaving and dodging so that I can see the targets, and shooting very cool old guns is what CAS is all about for me. Period.

 

So I have to ask Deuce, since you are in it for fun too, and since me saying I am only in it for fun is offensive to you, how would you prefer I refer to myself and the way I choose to shoot the game? Shooting Black Powder as slow as I feel like, and trying for a clean match? Or is it OK for me to simply say that I don't give a rat's butt about the competition end of the sport? Will that tick off those that do?

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

To add my two cents to Driftwood's, comments. I've shot with him, watched him have FUN, and had a ball along with him, and he didn't tell you one detail. Driftwood CAN shoot fast if puts his mind to it, I've seen him cut his average "yucking it up" stage time in half when he felt like it ONCE, but that's just not what trips his trigger shooting CAS most of the time.

 

 

What Deuce and other really fast guys might not appreciate is that from the perspective of the "just for fun" guys on the posse, we are playing a DIFFERENT game. I;ve posse'd with Driftwood, Blackerby, Iron Pony, and a few other "Just for fun" guys at a regional, and there's all sorts of nonsense (safely of course) when WE are shooting, then we have to switch gears and be SERIOUS, not "messing with the head" of a "competitive" shooter when it's their turn to shoot.

 

That is the odd, wonderful magic of a SASS shoot. It CAN BE and often is "Caddy Shack" and "the Masters" simultaneously, and BOTH can and do work. From the perspective of the "serious" shooter, perhaps each shooter's stage is the same. Each is given the same respect and serious consideration, allowed to concentrate and so forth, AS IF it matters, (whether it does or not). But from the perspective of the "Just for fun" guys, there are two games at once, and when one of "our" guys is shooting, you might well hear a spotter yell out "ARE YOU BLIND?" while the guy is shooting, and if it's Driftwood, he mght stop long enough to tell you, in at least 100 words, on the clock, what he thnks of your remark......

 

So yeah, the "just for fun" guys often HAVE TO make a judgement about which camp a shooter falls into, so as not to "mess with" the serious ones.....

[Utah Bob #35998]

Abba is fine...in your truck. Not at a cowboy match. Lol!

 

G(who also has a broader than most musical affinity)G

 

Heaven forbid. The posse might have access to a rope!

[Silver Shadow]

Howdy

 

I have refrained from posting on this topic so far, but I have to say something.

 

I find that I often run into the attitude expressed above. My reply is that some folks just don't know how much fun it is to simply shoot at the targets and have a good time at it and not care where we wind up in the final standings. I completely understand the thrill of competition. I simply choose to follow a different drummer. It has nothing to do with being too 'lazy' to practice, it has nothing to do with making excuses because I really am not very good. I simply am not interested in the competition end of the game. Why is that so hard to understand? I play this game simply to have fun shooting Black Powder. I don't give a whit where I come in in the standings. About all I care about is getting a clean match.

 

I recently overheard one top shooter saying he just did not understand the attraction of shooting Black Powder. All that is important to him is shooting as fast as possible and winning as much as possible. And he takes every single shortcut and uses every single modification that is legal to achieve that goal. Please don't tell me that he could probably beat me with my own guns, that is not the point. And please don't start in about how modifications are OK, that is beside the point too. The point is, I simply am not interested in that end of the game. For me, making lots and lots of smoke, hearing earth shaking reports, weaving and dodging so that I can see the targets, and shooting very cool old guns is what CAS is all about for me. Period.

 

So I have to ask Deuce, since you are in it for fun too, and since me saying I am only in it for fun is offensive to you, how would you prefer I refer to myself and the way I choose to shoot the game? Shooting Black Powder as slow as I feel like, and trying for a clean match? Or is it OK for me to simply say that I don't give a rat's butt about the competition end of the sport? Will that tick off those that do?

 

Driftwood,

Thank you for summing up the appeal of black powder for me. When I got into Cowboy shooting, I had to do it on a very tight budget. So I discussed Cowboy shooting with a couple of experienced Cowboy shooters. I expressed a desire to shoot my 2 1851 Navy replicas because I alresdy owned them, and ammo cost would be lower than cartridges. They both replied that they would be legal to shoot but I would be at a disadvantage competitively. At that point all I cared was that I would be able to participate. After a few months experience now, I'm with you. Although I have purchesed a couple of cartridge pistols, they mostly stay in the box until winter indoor shoots. The appleal of the holy black has really upped the fun level for me. Sure I can shoot the navys reasonably fast but a couple extra turns around the cylinder per stage to get a cap to fire or shucking a spent cap out of the action really sends the timer into calander mode. The truth is for me, the appeal of this game for me has alot to do with stepping into a B-western for a few hours and making some noise. And I'm sorry if the man with no name was blasting away at the Italians with the crack of a downloaded .38, I'd probably turn the channel.

 

Anyway; Back on topic. Deuce, you seem like a good guy. Like me(and your overheard commentators), and many others I see here on the wire, we may be a little to sensitive. We all got in this game for the fun.(certainly not for the money) And we all decided what appealed to us, wether it be bragging rights, guns, smoke and noise, costumes, people, or whatever. So let's have fun and try to understand that our fun and their fun may be two different but equally appealing things.

 

SS

[Utah Bob #35998]

I think the phrase "I'm just in it for the fun", could seem to infer that the true competitors are not. There are all kinds and all levels of fun. Some folks like Golf, some like NASCAR. Some like the competition, some like winning (well who doesn't) I can see where it might irritate a top shot like Deuce.

I think maybe I'll discontinue the use of that phrase myself. I know why I shoot. That's good enough for me. Anybody who watches me can figure it out. No need to proclaim to the world why. If a guy enjoys whuppin my pants off in a match, that's his fun. I'm okay with that.

 

It's not necessarily about why people do what they do anyway. It's about how they behave while they're doing it. And in this sport it's rare to see anyone behaving poorly. I like that.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

Fun - something so simple and gratifying turned into debate and science. Lol!

 

GG

[Snakebite]

..

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

..

 

 

 

Deeper deep thought Snakebite

 

 

 

GG ~

[Snakebite]

I hear a GREAT deal of complaints, whinning, bitching, Pi$$ing and moaning, and I can tell you that VERY little of it comes from the "Top Shooters".

 

Snakebite

[Snakebite]

GG... I had to retype what I had to say.... this crazy computer decided to send before I could get all the &$@(*&&6%# out of my comment.

 

Snakebite

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

I should have used a different example and not my own personal experience. I was not offended nor hurt. It just is something that is said time and time again. And judging by the dozen pm's I have gotten I am not alone. Driftwood, I have ALWAYS supported doing whatever you want in the game of CAS that makes you happy as long as you are safe. This intent of this thread was simply to create some conversation on the subject. I could care less how much powder you put in a case or how often you stop to talk in middle of of a stage. It's your game. But what the real root of what really bothers me is when new shooters are "enlightened" and given the run down of who is in it for fun and who is the serious competitor. It creates a stigma that does not help anyone in the sport. I don't say "Hey there Driftwood Johnson, he shoots full case BP and does not care about his time". I would say "Hey there is Driftwood Johnson, he loves to smoke it up and really enjoys the game". So again, what was said in the parking lot last week and whats been said to me a thousand times does not bother nor affect my fun. I just don't think it helps the overall health of the game.

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

I should have used a different example and not my own personal experience. I was not offended nor hurt. It just is something that is said time and time again. And judging by the dozen pm's I have gotten I am not alone. Driftwood, I have ALWAYS supported doing whatever you want in the game of CAS that makes you happy as long as you are safe. This intent of this thread was simply to create some conversation on the subject. I could care less how much powder you put in a case or how often you stop to talk in middle of of a stage. It's your game. But what the real root of what really bothers me is when new shooters are "enlightened" and given the run down of who is in it for fun and who is the serious competitor. It creates a stigma that does not help anyone in the sport. I don't say "Hey there Driftwood Johnson, he shoots full case BP and does not care about his time". I would say "Hey there is Driftwood Johnson, he loves to smoke it up and really enjoys the game". So again, what was said in the parking lot last week and whats been said to me a thousand times does not bother nor affect my fun. I just don't think it helps the overall health of the game.

 

 

Deuce, you don't seem to realize this "identification" is actually HELPFUL information for the new shooter if the match is one where there is a goodly amount of silliness, the "in it for fun" crowd has to KNOW who it is safe to mess with, and who is serious about their times (and NO, it ain't always the top shooters. Some you could time with a sundial still make a serious attempt, and are POed if anything distracts em) and who is "safe" to raise the devil with. If we're at GOA, and you, or Jimmy or a few dozen other SERIOUS shooters are there, I will make a point NOT to even talk to em on any stage until after they have shot and cleared their guns. If I was showing a new shooter around, I'd say "Hey, that's Deuce Stevens, he's wicked fast, might could win this thing. Don't mess with him like we do when he's shooting." I'd say the same of Jimmy or Widder or Lassiter...... But I might also say "Here comes Driftwood. You've seen him on the wire. He's funnier than heck to watch shoot....."

 

It's not a slur, it a FACT. Folks who take their shooting seriously need a little wider berth on shooting day than those clowns who could care less.

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

I think the phrase "I'm just in it for the fun", could seem to infer that the true competitors are not. There are all kinds and all levels of fun. Some folks like Golf, some like NASCAR. Some like the competition, some like winning (well who doesn't) I can see where it might irritate a top shot like Deuce.

I think maybe I'll discontinue the use of that phrase myself. I know why I shoot. That's good enough for me. Anybody who watches me can figure it out. No need to proclaim to the world why. If a guy enjoys whuppin my pants off in a match, that's his fun. I'm okay with that.

 

It's not necessarily about why people do what they do anyway. It's about how they behave while they're doing it. And in this sport it's rare to see anyone behaving poorly. I like that.

 

Bob, very well said, simply saying that "I only shoot for the fun of it" to me sounds as if someone is trying to justify the way they shoot,therefore Mr. I don't give a hoot really down deep does give a hoot otherwise he would not feel the need to lable or explain why he/she shoots the way they do. Any more explanation gives way to further seperation of folks in this game, which I think we have enough of. We are CAS shooters,thats all that needs to be said.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

GG... I had to retype what I had to say.... this crazy computer decided to send before I could get all the &$@(*&&6%# out of my comment.

 

Snakebite

 

I hear ya on the typin' thing ~ try doing that on a BlackBerry ~ OY!!!

 

OK - sorry to get off subject Deuce...

 

HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

GG ~

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

DJ starts talkin' in the middle of a stage?? and I thought it was just limited to the Wire

 

oh my, can only imagine...now that's fun!

 

No offense of course DJ I'm sure ya can take a little ribbin'....

 

GG ~

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

On the subject.

 

I would say that Deuce is not in it just for the fun, but rather he, and other top shooters, have a special passion to bring the game to the highest level through competition. The time and effort to shoot as these folks do is immense - and respected - to do what they do. At the monthly matches Deuce (the only time I get to see him shoot) engages his posse members and all have a great time. He's a blast to shoot with and makes everyone feel invited and like family....Now at a state, regional, or national match I could understand how it may seem a competitor is having less fun because of the seriousness of the match. It's perception...they, like any professional sportman, are focused soley at the task at hand and must remain so to 'get the job done'. They are still having fun out there, but it's a level most of us simply can't comprehend.

 

If I am on a posse with Deuce or another top shooter I know that the 'funnin' that happens at the monthly level is probably going to be much less at a state or higher level match, but I know that they, and a slow shooter like me, are having fun at a high level, but in a different manner.

 

GG ~

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Duece, cool it, we all have our own crosses to bear when relating to each other. I find that most people think of me as this extremely handsome cool dude without realizing that I am also extremely intelligent and witty, not just another pretty face, but I am just a bit shy also. But back to you, ever think of what an unspoken compliment that remark really is? What you really heard, "That guy is my friend he works hard to excel in what he does while on the other hand I take that which is easy and settle" but there is always a personal excuse for not being the best! You want to bet your bottom dollar that the individuals, of whom you speak, always try to make sure those friends get to see you shoot also. Most top shooters are in the center stage, even when you think we are not appreciating your efforts. Down here in my part of the country, we would rather watch ole RRR shoot than have a bag full of Krystals, but I could out shoot him if I were willing to quit having fun! (and that is my excuse but it doesnt mean we are bad guys, just human)

 

 

And not a shovel in sight.

 

Hey, Deuce, grin at 'em and use one of my daughter's lines (she used it a time or two when guys were discussion her "assets" within her hearing): "Yeah, and I can carry a full sack of grain in each hand and a bucket of water on my head, too." The embarrassed silence was downright heart-warming.

[Boondock Saint, #70146]

Deuce,

 

Are you a fast shooter? I've only got to shoot one match with you, and you seemed to be having so much fun I really didn't notice how fast you were.

 

I'll be honest with you, I have had the same problem, but coming from the opposite direction. I will hear a shooter tell another shooter "That's Boondock over there, he just shoots for fun, he's not really here for the competition."

 

Well let me just tell you, that's a crock. I am just as competitive as the next guy, it just so happens that I'm not any good.

 

Seriously though, there isn't much you can do about the way other people think. I don't know why some folks think that it has to be either/or, that you can't be competitive and have fun at the same time. Personally, I have fun at every match, regardless of where I place, but I can guarantee you one thing, if I ever win a match it sure won't have decreased the fun level for me.

 

See you down the trail,

Boondock

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Deuce,

 

Are you a fast shooter? I've only got to shoot one match with you, and you seemed to be having so much fun I really didn't notice how fast you were.

 

I'll be honest with you, I have had the same problem, but coming from the opposite direction. I will hear a shooter tell another shooter "That's Boondock over there, he just shoots for fun, he's not really here for the competition."

 

Well let me just tell you, that's a crock. I am just as competitive as the next guy, it just so happens that I'm not any good.

 

Seriously though, there isn't much you can do about the way other people think. I don't know why some folks think that it has to be either/or, that you can't be competitive and have fun at the same time. Personally, I have fun at every match, regardless of where I place, but I can guarantee you one thing, if I ever win a match it sure won't have decreased the fun level for me.

 

See you down the trail,

Boondock

If this were Facebook, I'd be using the like button.

[Hoot Hamilton]

Well Deuce, my unsolicited advice would be to just consider the source. Once that is done, figger out what kind of lemonade you are gonna make. There are obviously many choices, as many as attitudes that come down the pike. People are people, and none of us will change that. It's a shame that many put their mouth in motion before their brain is engaged, but that's something none of us have any control over. Those of us who know you and respect your dedication to Cowboy Action Shooting understand why you have concern with "loose" comments that can affect us all and have negative effects on the sport. If you were only a "gamer", you wouldn't be concerned. It's obvious you have a deeper connection.

 

Now for my testimonial:

 

I have been shooting CAS for two years. I am 71 years old (but feel much younger, and lie about my age on occassion). I am competitive, but a bit slow. Deuce treats me like I was 30 something and gives me the same ration of crap he gives other shooters, while bending over backward for any aspect that can help make me a better shooter. At first, I was surprised he gave a rip about a new Elder Statesman. Then I realized he was genuinely interested in me and every other shooter at our range. It's a pleasure to be able to shoot on his possee, and I always shoot better when I'm in the company of Deuce (and have more FUN). He's the backbone of any possee. I will continue to learn from him, perhaps soon (before it's time for a tombstone) I will opt out of ES and shoot Cowboy and give him a run for his money......

 

hOOt

 

 

This seems to keep coming up. I will be at the back of my car in the parking unloading my gear in getting ready for the match and someone will say to another newer shooter or buddy who is there to watch " Thats Deuce, he's really fast,I just shoot for the fun he's on competative side of things". Why the heck do you think I am here....for the money? This constant banter of "I'm in it for the fun" is getting on my nerves. I AM IN IT FOR THE FUN TOO!!!!!! I don't cut corners,don't ask questions during a staging and pretty much just mind my business. Yet folks seem to think they have a window to what I'm all about simply because I don't take 55 seconds to shoot the stage. If I didn't have fun I wouldn't spend $60 in gas and 6 hour round trip to shoot 5 monthy stages and do it 2-4 times a month. I enjoy the competition and pushing my self and my like minded friends in the game, but just because you don't give a rip about the timer does not mean you play a morally superior game than we do. The people are the game for me, I get to shoot with my wife and son and best friends I have ever had every weekend, it just does not get any better than that for me. So please before you act like you have a handle on what is fun and what's not remember that it's different for everyone. I need to get ammo loaded and guns cleaned for the weekend. Rant mode off.

 

PS. I used myself and my experience as an example above just to get the meaning of this thread acrossed. There are many that run into the same thing every weekend. Just as foks have the right to say it I have the right to give it right back.

[Wigley Down Yonder #67002]

Duce, we all do things for one reason or the other.

 

I shoot to release stress from work. It fills a void that developed after I retired from the Military.

But what I do know is that my son’s Badlands Drifter and Throwdown love shooting with you. I have pictures proving it. I also have pictures and videos of you three Drifter having the time of your life shooting, laughing and playing Cowboy together.

 

I have pictures of you proving a positive roll module to young shooters at a Georgia State Match. Where you were showing them your techniques and critiquing them as they shot.

 

So, ya …you’re a good, fast shooter who is always ready to lend a hand. You work hard for you Posse, so I think that’s what you call a friend and someone you want to have on your Possee. And by the way, thanks for being a friend to my boys!

 

Wigley

[Wild Bill Blackerby SASS # 34989]

An he likes Bacon for breakfast too! Just like everybody else! LOL

 

 

RRR

 

Mmmmmmmmm, Bacon.

[Noz]

I have reached the point that, shooting Frontiersman, I am averaging in the low 40s, sometimes dipping into the 30s.

Do I shoot for fun? You betcha!

Would I like to shave another 10 seconds off of my average. Of course I would. Would it make my shooting any less fun?

Don't see how.

[DocWard]

I anticipate that, like with my running, I will ultimately be competing with myself. If doing so makes me competitive with others, then great, if not, I will continue enjoying what I am doing and the camaraderie that goes along with it. Will I find myself on occasion saying to myself that I wish I could shoot as well as the top shooters? Probably. It is no different from me wishing I could run like Alberto Salazar or play guitar like Jimmy Page. Does it lessen my fun to wish it so? Not for me. Others, though, feel the need to justify why or how someone comes to be at the top while they are an also-ran. I suppose it is somewhat a function of human nature, helping keep one's ego intact. Some need that function, others don't.