Age and the Game

[Snakebite]

I just read Roger Rapid's article on Fitness for Cowboy Action Shooters. As always, Roger does a great job addressing the topic at hand. In this case it is a topic that effects the vast majority of Today's Cowboy Action Shooters, AGE! We could all benefit from paying a little more attention to our physical condition. It will not only help us to do better when playing the game, but it will also help to increase the quality of our life. No amount of training is going to make an Old person young again, but it will indeed help us to compete against our peers. Playing the Game is fun and does not require a stiff dose of competition in order to enjoy the game. However, competition is still an inherent factor in any game that keeps score. Fair competition is paramount when it comes to any competitive sport/game. To that end SASS has recognized the fact that our membership is ageing. To their credit hey have addressed this issue by expanding the game with more Age based categories. This has certainly had a positive effect on the game.  Just because we are old does not mean that we don't want to compete. Without doubt every match you attend has ever increasing numbers in the Senior, Silver Senior, Elder Statesman and above categories. To all the clubs that have followed SASS's Lead, Thank you.

 

Snakebite

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

sorta on topic:

 

at my last RO refresher the instructor reminded us that SASS would be fading in future years cause kids today don't have the movie and tv westerns like we did (I'm 71).  

Now days they are watching/playing entirely different shows (Call of Duty etc)

 

sure there will always be some youngins that will tag along with Dad and/or Mom but vast majority have moved on from the 1880s.

 

Got me to thinking there is truth in his words.  

[MizPete]

Absolutely.  Everybody keeps saying that youth is the future of our game but, in truth, our future has always been middle-aged men with disposable income.  Our grandchildren shot with us; now one plays AirSoft and one plays cello.

[J-BAR #18287]

“You are not an old man, Mr. Bohannon, but you are no longer young...”

 

[watab kid]

my back went out of place again , i had to go in and get it put back today , generally takes two to three days to recover if im careful , i feel old today , 

[Major BS Walker Regulator]

April 14th and 15th I'm hosting the Gunfight at the Double-C, our clubs championship annual, my largest registered category is Cattle Baron.

[Joe LaFives #5481]

We must protect the base categories as well though.  It would be a shame to NOT allow a base category (such as Gunfighter) and have Senior and Silver Senior - those few younger folks cannot move to an older category but the older folks can move to a younger category.

[Kirk James]

Is there a good reason why Cowboy is considered an open category?  Those coming out of Juniors have it tough enough, and many are just getting started.   Do we really need shooters dropping into an already tough category?  There is no place to hide.  They are all tough at a National and World level.  Seems like we should shoot our age categories only.  I hope I am not opening a can of those ugly worms.  I like the idea of a Shootist Category, but do not like the idea of adding one more category.  Cost is already to high.   

[Trailboss (Santa) Dave]

I'm 70 and still enjoy the game.

But have not been able to make many events the past 6-7 years due to a misspent youth ( Horses, fast cars, Ladders, and several other things) that  left me with over 20 broken bones and other injuries.  And I'm still baying the bill for all that fun.

 

I was just at my Ortho Doc and managed to avoid surgery  on both feet for another 6 months   

 

One thing I can say  is that my Motorcycle never hurt me

 

 

[Lawman Mays]

I'm in the Silver Senior category. Glad that they have this category for guys in my age group and one, Elder Statesman, above me. For me, I play tennis twice a week, year round, and in the summer add golf and yard work, so I stay in good shape. I can attest that being in good physical condition will improve performance in any sport including ours.

[Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494]

  Plus 1 to all the good advice (If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself).  Being in good HEALTH, and good CONDITION, which are two different aspects of our existence,  will certainly aid in the enjoyment of our activities.  Advancing age can deteriorate abilities, and interfere with employment of skills, but physical conditioning can keep us in the game and enjoying it.

Health issues incident to aging and misspent youth are rearing their ugly head at this stage of my life.  My wife and I joke (?) that the winners in the advanced age categories probably have the best Doctors and pharmacists.....

Kudos to Roger Rapid for writing and the Chronicle for printing helpful and timely advice.

[Grizzly Dave]

10 hours ago, Kirk James said:

Is there a good reason why Cowboy is considered an open category?  Those coming out of Juniors have it tough enough, and many are just getting started.   Do we really need shooters dropping into an already tough category?  There is no place to hide.  They are all tough at a National and World level.  Seems like we should shoot our age categories only.  I hope I am not opening a can of those ugly worms.  I like the idea of a Shootist Category, but do not like the idea of adding one more category.  Cost is already to high.   

 

Well, since I qualify for 49er by age, but always shoot in Cowboy, I reckon I'll reply...

 

At any match with a fair number of folks, it seems that 49er is often the biggest category, and Cowboy has barely enough to fill out the awards, or perhaps a couple more.  I'd rather find myself in the scores as 9th out of 10 cowboys or whatever than at 39th of 45 in 49er.  And at many matches, the overall top ten is full of Cowboys who by age have no other age based option.

 

With arthritis in my hands and knees, and a new bionic knee, I'm in no danger of taking an award from a shooter who's only age based choice is cowboy.

 

Besides, I enjoy trash talking all the young fast fellers as I wave my cane at them and tell them I'm gonna smoke them!

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

11 hours ago, Kirk James said:

Is there a good reason why Cowboy is considered an open category?  Those coming out of Juniors have it tough enough, and many are just getting started.   Do we really need shooters dropping into an already tough category?  There is no place to hide.  They are all tough at a National and World level.  Seems like we should shoot our age categories only.  I hope I am not opening a can of those ugly worms.  I like the idea of a Shootist Category, but do not like the idea of adding one more category.  Cost is already to high.   

Hi Kirk,

 

My opinion is NO!

 

However, the TGs voted their club's wishes on closing the upper end of the age-based groups and the vote was to keep them open.

 

At the Western Regional one year, there were more advanced-age shooters in the Cowboy category than shooters who would have been in that category if it had a closed upper end. As a result some of the youth did not place as high as the older shooters. I didn't check if any youth were not in the top 10 due to that. It would have been a shame if there were. I do know one youth placed 10th.

 

Regards,

 

Allie

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

I like to play this sport.

 

I could care less where I end up at the end as long as it's above ground.

 

I tip my hat to the fun games, love to watch them and wish them well

 

Something about the smell of gunpowder, the feel of the six gun in my hand and being surrounded by friends is what makes "it" for me

 

[Sixgun Sheridan]

It's hard to attract younger men to this sport when the equipment is so expensive and hard to find. I disagree that the Old West isn't in fashion, as modern Western movies and TV shows still tend to be very popular. But for example I've shown off my Schofield to people, and to a man they all say "wow, that's a neat gun!" followed by "but for over a grand... no thanks." They rather buy a bunch of AR-15s and Glocks which are dirt cheap, and shooting games built around them are commonplace. You also don't have to spend an additional $1000 in period-correct clothing and holsters either. But I suspect if new laws are passed restricting ARs and high-cap mags some shooters may start looking for other types of fun, and CAS might enjoy a resurgence. Until then however everybody under 40 wants to pretend they're SEAL Team Six, not Wyatt Earp.

[Major BS Walker Regulator]

Quoting Mr. Sixgun

(Until then however everybody under 40 wants to pretend they're SEAL Team Six, not Wyatt Earp.) 

This my friends is the true problem with SASS today, nothing more.

[Kirk James]

As I have said before I love SASS and so does my family.  There is something for everyone.  Cheyenne Ranger said it well, "something about the smell of gunpowder, a six gun in my hands".   For me it is the adrenaline I still get before and after shooting a stage.  I love it.  It is good to see so many new families participating.   I don't see the loss of participants in AZ.  Our club is doing well and so are the clubs around us.  We meet new people each year.  Bordertown and Winter Range are selling out;  Bordertown sold out in 4 days!!!!!  EOT in incredible and keeps getting better.  The competition is fierce and represents shooters from all over the world.  It is true my kids do not know who Roy Rogers and Dale Evans is.  But they do know the Cowboy Way.   I appreciate the article on fitness.  It should be a reminder that we need to stay fit and treat the movement properly.  I am going through therapy after a total shoulder replacement and a the stretches are very similar to the stretches I do in therapy.  Thanks, and I hope it reminds me to stay on top of it.  I am three and a half months out of surgery and I shot 20 rounds out of my 12 gauge at a clinic the Yavapai Rangers put on for our club and others.  No problem so far.  I am taking it easy and listening to my therapist and doctor.   By the way, I love the smell of smoke out of the black guns, but when it comes to competition I shoot my cowboy firearms.

[Snakebite]

Good points about those younger folks being limited as to where they can shoot. I agree with Allie Mo, there is no good reason to have the Cowboy category be an Open Category. In fact, I  would like to see everyone shoot in their age group when ever possible.  It's humorous to watch some of the long time Top Shooters Jockey for position selecting their category at big matches, moving up and down to avoid each other. Anyway, we all know, if we admit it, that the youth are NOT going to be who saves the game.  Anyone that doesn't recognize that the numbers are dropping just has their head in the sand. We need to do all that we can to excite the Middle age group of shooters. 50+ will be the group that has the best chance of keeping things alive. In the Mean time it is the Oldsters who are keeping the Boat Afloat. Our annual match is as vibrant and as full as ever. Year after year we draw a full crowd, and in fact, it is growing..... WHAT! You say... I just said that our numbers are dropping! Yep.... they are, but the crowd that is showing up now days are signing up in one of the Geriatric categories.  

[Lawman Mays]

17 hours ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

I like to play this sport.

 

I could care less where I end up at the end as long as it's above ground.

 

I tip my hat to the fun games, love to watch them and wish them well

 

Something about the smell of gunpowder, the feel of the six gun in my hand and being surrounded by friends is what makes "it" for me

+1 to this brother!