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Costuming


Smokestack SASS#87384

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Has anyone else noticed an increase in the number of barely cowboy looking shooters at matches lately? 
I understand that we have a pretty low standard as the costuming minim and the reason for that is to reduce the entry barrier for new shooters just starting out in this game and that is a good thing, IMO. However at some point should we expect people to start dressing cowboy rather than showing up at a match dressed like half of the people at Walmart? Maybe it’s time for a new minimum standard, and maybe it would make sense to start at the top and apply it first to championship matches and or annual events? Do we/should we do something to keep COWBOY Action shooting cowboy, or do we just watch it devolve into 3 gun with single actions? Curious what your thoughts are on this and I’m sure I’m gonna get flamed, but…..

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COWBOY action shooting, right?

 

Kinda says it all in the name. Kinda exactly says it in the name.

 

Dressing the cowboy part is the least costly part of this game unless you are Elvis B Western. But that comes much much later for most of us. I don't think it's too much trouble to ask people to make an effort to look cowboy, either old timey or modern. I always thought that was part of the fun.

 

Granted if you want to dress pre 1900 it doesn't have to be cowboy but an effort should be made to costume for the time period.

 

Modern cowboy? Easy to do. And still very cowboy for the game. Just no Dallas Cowboys please. :D

 

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3 minutes ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

Has anyone else noticed an increase in the number of barely cowboy looking shooters at matches lately? 
I understand that we have a pretty low standard as the costuming minim and the reason for that is to reduce the entry barrier for new shooters just starting out in this game and that is a good thing, IMO. However at some point should we expect people to start dressing cowboy rather than showing up at a match dressed like half of the people at Walmart? Maybe it’s time for a new minimum standard, and maybe it would make sense to start at the top and apply it first to championship matches and or annual events? Do we/should we do something to keep COWBOY Action shooting cowboy, or do we just watch it devolve into 3 gun with single actions? Curious what your thoughts are on this and I’m sure I’m gonna get flamed, but…..

I agree completely.  There was one person that wore , what I would have called a clown costume.

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What kind of Cowboy?  From where?  What about Townies, what about Military, what about Law Men, Movie Folk, Foreign visitors, etc.  Hard choices.  I was in one club where you got the bad eye if you had belt loops on jeans. If you say Period, and add Hollywood it is still difficult.  Spirit of the Game would indicate that participants do their best in respect to costume.  I sure wouldn't want to be Dress Code Enforcer!

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36 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

What kind of Cowboy?  From where?  What about Townies, what about Military, what about Law Men, Movie Folk, Foreign visitors, etc.  Hard choices.  I was in one club where you got the bad eye if you had belt loops on jeans. If you say Period, and add Hollywood it is still difficult.  Spirit of the Game would indicate that participants do their best in respect to costume.  I sure wouldn't want to be Dress Code Enforcer!

It ain’t that hard. 

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Pair of lacers, pair of Levi's, LS Henley shirt and I'm good.   I don't do Wal-Mart, but that's been my street clothes many times.

 

Don't even need a hat (although if you shoot a toggle-link you'll want one).

 

Look at the "shotgun belt" thread with the video of JJ (from many years ago).  Take the hat off and...

 

51 minutes ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

Maybe it’s time for a new minimum standard, and maybe it would make sense to start at the top and apply it first to championship matches and or annual events?

 

It is.

 

And now the proverbial slippery slope:  "I don't care what the super golden dragon El Senor Grande guy wears.  Just glad he's still out here shooting with us!"  

 

Or buckaroo, or lady, or...  we're always "just so glad" to have not-male 18-to-60 y/o folks "out here shooting with us" that we don't mind.

 

OTOH, if you're Lead Dispencer and win EoT and you're on the cover of the CC wearing a Henley you get fried here on the SASS wire. 

 

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2 hours ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

...Curious what your thoughts are on this and I’m sure I’m gonna get flamed, but…..

 

You bring a very pertinent topic up for discussion. No need for anyone to flame you because of your observation on our game.

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7 minutes ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

If the SASS minimum dress requirements are not "cowboy" enough, what would you add to the current minimum requirements I to make it acceptable?

 

Good question with lots of subjectivity here.

 

Obviously "some" cowboy accoutrements is going to be subjective no matter what. And being that a cowboy hat is not needed/required but for certain costume categories that really put the onus on even more subjectivity which I am not sure gets us anywhere.

 

 

 

 

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My avatar is the way I dress, sometimes a vest and sometimes just the shirt. Notice the jeans? I can't get cowboy pants to fit me right so I've been wearing jeans for the last 10 years! I wear stovepipe boots unless my feet hurt then I wear work boots.

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Well...

 

The boots match the belt which match the shades which compliment the hat...

 

And everything matches the shirt buttons. A great B Western dude!

 

 

 

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Rockmount Western Wear used to have something called "The Yellow Shirt".  Was never willing to to pay for one, now since the founder has passed, I don't see it in the catalog.  Wouldn't have worn it for SASS, just a dress nice Saturday night on the town.

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10 minutes ago, Beartrap SASS#57175 said:

Can-See-By-Your-Outfit-730x800.thumb.jpg.2f1a6f8b3c3184f77781b2b539a1702f.jpg

 

The irony here is that in this humorus picture we see two figurines probably more cowboyed out than some of what the OP is observing. 

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2 hours ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

Has anyone else noticed an increase in the number of barely cowboy looking shooters at matches lately? 

Yep, and an amazing number wearing Danner, Keen, whatever, hiking boots "because my feet hurt".

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Even though I have only been shooting Classic for about 4 years now, I always would have met the requirement for Classic since I started shooting 11 yrs ago. To me costuming and dressin' up like a cowboy is a major part of our game/sport. If you shoot anything other than a costume category, as long as you meet minimum, you're good to go. My pet peeve is people in a costume category that wear as little or as few of the required items as possible. IT'S A COSTUME CATEGORY - GO ALL OUT OR GO HOME. When I shoot I am wearing 11 of the 12 items for Classic. I don't wear a jacket or coat as I would take it off to shoot anyway. I will wear shotgun chaps regardless of the temperature. I did just get a pair of Botas for hot weather. I do enjoy the costuming aspect of CAS and it's what sets us apart from other disciplines. It also shows that we're probably having fun while we are doing it. My wife and I have won a fair share of costuming awards over the years. I know my place in the pecking order and probably won't ever be on the highest podium at the awards ceremony but dagnabbit, I'm gonna look good on the bottom rung. It's not how good you shoot, it's how good you look when you shoot.:D 

 

My 2¢ worth.

 

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I watch carefully the spectators who are drawn to our game.  They are almost always attracted by the old west town or ranch props we use and by the attire worn by our shooters.  Women in particular are attracted to the idea of old fashioned dress-up. 

 

Most of our club recruitment does not come from our website, or from promotional efforts made through posters, banners, or social media.  Most of our new shooters get started by just happening to come across or being invited, word-of-mouth, to our matches and being caught up in the "old west" nostalgia, at whatever level. 

Our nostalgic TV-movie cowboy  dress is a big part of what catches their eye  and brings them into the fold.   

If we allow that visual uniqueness to erode, we are just another shooting club on the long list of options.  We cannot compete with all of tge ones offering monetary or high value prizes.   IMO, through our dress and appearance, we are attracting the right shooters for the right reasons. 

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17 minutes ago, Tennessee williams said:

I'm one of those minimalists I think. I really like those hornady dry goods cooler cowboy shirts. 

But! If I could find a set of black buckskins that fit me, I'd be an injun for sure!

I don’t think you’re a minimalist! You absolutely dress cowboy. I started in BW and love the costuming! Then, my feet hurt with the boots so I switched to LGF and wear the Ariat lacers. MOST ladies that I know and shoot with wear “proper” dress. There are some men (the spectrum of ages) who wear the minimum - and I’m ok with that. However, the SHOES have gotten out of hand. There are a lot of lug soles etc.  However, if match directors don’t do anything about it…

 

Hugs,

Scarlett

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Besides all of  the gun carts that I saw up at my first visit to Norco the cowboy  attire was a major attractant to me too. I was fortunate to be befriended by Captain Cooper who was a real stickler on the correct attire and I learned a lot about how they dressed in the old west. Even on the days in the summer when the dress code is relaxed I dress the part, some folks can’t and I understand that. 

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26 minutes ago, Sixgun Seamus said:

Even though I have only been shooting Classic for about 4 years now, I always would have met the requirement for Classic since I started shooting 11 yrs ago. To me costuming and dressin' up like a cowboy is a major part of our game/sport. If you shoot anything other than a costume category, as long as you meet minimum, you're good to go. My pet peeve is people in a costume category that wear as little or as few of the required items as possible. IT'S A COSTUME CATEGORY - GO ALL OUT OR GO HOME. When I shoot I am wearing 11 of the 12 items for Classic. I don't wear a jacket or coat as I would take it off to shoot anyway. I will wear shotgun chaps regardless of the temperature. I did just get a pair of Botas for hot weather. I do enjoy the costuming aspect of CAS and it's what sets us apart from other disciplines. It also shows that we're probably having fun while we are doing it. My wife and I have won a fair share of costuming awards over the years. I know my place in the pecking order and probably won't ever be on the highest podium at the awards ceremony but dagnabbit, I'm gonna look good on the bottom rung. It's not how good you shoot, it's how good you look when you shoot.:D 

 

My 2¢ worth.

 

You do a great job with your garb. I don't know many cowboys by name when I see them. But I recognize you.

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From the handbook:

Cowboy Action Shooting™ is a combination of historical reenactment and Saturday morning
at the matinee. Participants may choose the style of costume they wish to wear, but all
clothing must be typical of the late 19th century, a B-Western movie, or Western television
series.

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Hey Smokestack, would you mind doing me a favor and describing what a "barely cowboy looking shooter" is wearing?  I don't think this conversation can really go anywhere unless we know what is being discussed. 

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46 minutes ago, Sixgun Seamus said:

Even though I have only been shooting Classic for about 4 years now, I always would have met the requirement for Classic since I started shooting 11 yrs ago. To me costuming and dressin' up like a cowboy is a major part of our game/sport. If you shoot anything other than a costume category, as long as you meet minimum, you're good to go. My pet peeve is people in a costume category that wear as little or as few of the required items as possible. IT'S A COSTUME CATEGORY - GO ALL OUT OR GO HOME. When I shoot I am wearing 11 of the 12 items for Classic. I don't wear a jacket or coat as I would take it off to shoot anyway. I will wear shotgun chaps regardless of the temperature. I did just get a pair of Botas for hot weather. I do enjoy the costuming aspect of CAS and it's what sets us apart from other disciplines. It also shows that we're probably having fun while we are doing it. My wife and I have won a fair share of costuming awards over the years. I know my place in the pecking order and probably won't ever be on the highest podium at the awards ceremony but dagnabbit, I'm gonna look good on the bottom rung. It's not how good you shoot, it's how good you look when you shoot.:D 

 

My 2¢ worth.

 

Costuming is what brought us to the sport in 2004!

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42 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Our nostalgic TV-movie cowboy  dress is a big part of what catches their eye  and brings them into the fold. 

I've experienced the opposite. "I want to shoot, I just don't want to dress up to do it'! This especially applies to the younger generations.

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2 minutes ago, Doc Shapiro said:

Hey Smokestack, would you mind doing me a favor and describing what a "barely cowboy looking shooter" is wearing?  I don't think this conversation can really go anywhere unless we know what is being discussed. 

Can you describe to me everything that’s not an apple? It would be a pretty exhaustive list. I’m sure we all know what a cowboy looks like, and by association what something that doesn’t look cowboy looks like. 

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5 minutes ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

Can you describe to me everything that’s not an apple? It would be a pretty exhaustive list. I’m sure we all know what a cowboy looks like, and by association what something that doesn’t look cowboy looks like. 

 

Well, on this one the rules are reasonably clear.  If MD's aren't enforcing it, that's a different problem.  Jean, boots/brogans/shoes that aren't "sneakers" but a shooter can actually walk in due to injuries or other problems, long sleeve button up shirt, hat optional.  It's not that much of a requirement.

 

I really don't know what constitutes a "barely cowboy looking shooter" in your mind.  So I'll bow out of this discussion as no one can really know what we're actually discussing.

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