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Question - How does it feel?


Joe LaFives #5481

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So lets think of two scenarios.   1) You're a big match and at the awards ceremony you see approximately 20% of the folks get awards but you didn't.

2) You're at the same match and at the awards ceremony, you see 70% of the individuals get awards and you didn't.

 

Which would make you feel discouraged or worse?

Which would make you want to try harder next time?

Which would make you hunt for a category to move into?

Which would make you think of a category that they should add so that you get an award?  :)

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Been there many times and watched my wife get awards while I warmed a chair.  She went home very happy and that made the trip worthwhile.  I earned several clean match pins and felt good.  With slow improvement I started getting buckles myself.  Now my wife and I both go home happy and looking forward to the next big match.  There are some side matches we are working on too.  SASS offers many ways for recognition.  I respect those with great costumes and gun carts as well as shooting skills.  But most of all it's about time spent with wonderful people.

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I don’t want a “participation” trophy, so I’m okay with the 20% getting an award and me watching.  I shoot Frontiersman, I very seldom shoot any other category, so I’m not going to change for a buckle.  I don’t think we need any more categories, however, I think top shooter should be smokeless/BP.  By definition in the SHB BP shooters have more to deal with i.e. smoke obscured targets. 

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If I had fun at a match I go home happy.

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For me,work harder!  I’ve gotten buckles for being 4th out of 4 in a category. Embarrassing. 
 

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I think SASS (Management, Match Directors, etc.....) underestimate the character of its members.  A good deal of folks I

talk to about awards could care less about being 4th or 5th place recognition.

 

To answer your question..... Even after I was making videos of GF speed runs under 2 seconds, I still was a TERRIBLE shooter.

I couldn't hit the broad side of a bright red barn.   So therefore, my 1st trip to the TN State, I sat and watched ATLEAST 5 other

GFer's get recognized while I kept my seat warm.   That was o.k. because I had a blast and afterwards, started working harder

at 'accuracy' if I wanted to win a buckle.

 

I did not feel discouraged.

I was encouraged to work harder on my accuracy.

I was born a GF.   First time I picked up 2 revolvers, I was alternating the hammers and triggers.  No need for another category.

 

 

..........Widder

 

 

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I can only speak for myself but I have never felt discouraged or embarrassed when I haven’t placed as well as I’d hoped. I’ve shown up to awards ceremonies when I was certain my name wasn’t gonna get called. I was there to support those who were recognized. One can choose to feel discouraged or in the same situation choose to feel inspired. That is on the shooter, not the match producers. I’ve received awards that to me honestly didn’t mean a whole lot because I hadn’t performed as well as I had hoped to and then watched those places below me revel in their successes and you know what, I was happy for them, for what they had achieved for themselves. If a match wants to recognize all categories down to 10 places and they can afford to do it, and the shooters want to have it, good for them. I can sit around and clap with my friends. 

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Discovered early on that I wasn't as good as I thought I'd be, and also that I would never get there. I'm a "lower half" of my category, and "middle of the pack" over-all and I'm ok with that. No problem with those who have the natural aptitude and worked to get even better.

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I shoot with quite a few great cowboys and cowgirls in the East Tennessee area and have a lot of fun doing it. They are good people to spend a day with for sure. They have been supportive since my first match in 2019. I have shot at a couple of big matches but I only went to meet new people and had no expectations about earning a buckle.

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1 hour ago, Hoss said:

For me,work harder!  I’ve gotten buckles for being 4th out of 4 in a category. Embarrassing. 
 

At our state match a couple years ago, there were only 4 BP shooters, and all 4 of us were in a category of one - one Frontier Cartridge, one Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter, one Frontier Cartridge Duelist, and one Frontiersman. :lol:

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Being in my 70s, I have realized that I will never be 25 again.  As we age, our expectations or realizations change.  Each year I get a little slower, but I keep coming for the friendships and just the fun of participating.

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1 hour ago, Hoss said:

For me,work harder!  I’ve gotten buckles for being 4th out of 4 in a category. Embarrassing. 
 

Yep!

You know what else is embarrassing? Having the worst match of your life and still winning your category! Embarrassment was only one of my feelings at the time. 

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I finished 4th overall at a big match 20+ years ago.

The top 4 shooters were all in Modern category. I didn't get a plaque. Didn't bother me because I finished 4th out of 200+ shooters. There weren't many categories back then. 

It's interesting that a person can pick a category and finish (for example) 500th at EOT and would be a world champion. Then, the person that finished 11th overall receives nothing because the top 11 were all in the same category, hasn't happened however it could. 

The more categories the higher the price of registration. What if only overall awards were given out and others were recognized at the awards ceremony verbally. I can't wear more than a couple buckles at once. Mine are stuffed in a drawer or box somewhere, I did give my dad a couple of my state champion buckles. Or people can buy their buckles  if they want, it would keep match fees lower and there'd be less stress on match directors.

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Well, someone has to anchor the bottom of the scoring curve. And I excel at it. The rest of you should thank me for making you look good!

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1 minute ago, Assassin said:

Or people can buy their buckles  if they want, it would keep match fees lower and there'd be less stress on match directors.

This is what I was thinking. When I graduated from high school we had to pick out and buy our own class rings, so we could buy it as fancy or as plain as we wanted. It makes sense to me.

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If it wasn't for us middle of the pack and lower folks, there wouldn't be enough pards to put on a match.

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As my ole Pard Jim No Horse used to say “ Shooting last so you don’t have to” 

 

RIP Pard, you are thought of often. 

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32 minutes ago, Assassin said:

I finished 4th overall at a big match 20+ years ago.

The top 4 shooters were all in Modern category. I didn't get a plaque.

Years ago at the State Match, I made the top 16 shoot off but didn't get a plaque in my category.

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7 minutes ago, Major BS Walker Regulator said:

Years ago at the State Match, I made the top 16 shoot off but didn't get a plaque in my category.

You were recognized. Heck, no one remembers the plaque or buckle. You made top 16 and folks remember that.

Did they give out those silver concho's for top 16? I still have one from the divisional shoot. They are very nice! I wasn't expecting one of those.

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So I am at a match, big or small, and afterward what makes me remember it or spend the money and time to attend it again? 

Usually it's the people, atmosphere, fun of playing Cowboy and shooting in that order. 

Do I applaud the better shooters and learn from them, yes I do!

Awards are nice but I appreciate all the work the shooters do as well as the match directors.

I will always try to return to a match were I am welcomed and thanked to attend, award or not.

My 2 bits. :)

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When I was younger, I worked hard at improving... practiced and slowly moved up and got a few place awards, even won category a few times... I have a wall of them for mine, my son's and my late wife's...   Then circumstances changed, no time for practice, no time to even regularly attend a match... so I changed my goal... I wanted to finish every stage n 60 seconds... often stopping to ask the TO what my time so far was...  Must've irked some folks... a couple of years ago, a couple asked me to stop... actually shoot to my potential for a whole match... This has been the most difficult task I have attempted...  Shooting Frontiersman clean @ EOT in 2021 was my goal... and even with wet caps, having to recap the last pistol 3 times on the clock on the last stage was totally satisfying!

 

So watching 70% of shooters get an award is okay... I came, I saw, I participated, I got to meet people I'd only seen on the Wire, I got to laugh and joke with friends new and old... and thoroughly enjoy myself... I'm a WINNER!  (Still waiting for my EOT Clean Match buckle, tho')!

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More often than not I'm shocked I did well enough to get an award. I don't practice the way I need to be as good as I'd like to be and I can't fault anyone but myself. It's nice to get an award but I personally feel like there's to many given out most of the time. There's winners and losers in every game. If I don't win this time there's always next. Next time if I still don't win then did I do better than the last time I was there? Yes, that's a win to me. 

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2 hours ago, Hoss said:

As my ole Pard Jim No Horse used to say “ Shooting last so you don’t have to” 

 

RIP Pard, you are thought of often. 

Nicely said.  One of the hard working scorers at WR and EOT this year is Sagebrush Burns.  He will often (and did so this year as well) shoot the main match with his Spencer - yep.  Only holds 7 so he has to load 3 rounds on every stage plus cock the hammer.  You can imagine where he placed.  His choice.  There was one year where he wanted to be dead last AND shoot clean.  He did so.  This year unfortunately he had a Colt blow up - didn't faze him and he finished the match shooting his lovely wife's pistols.

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Infirmities have been catching up with me and my times are reminiscent of what they were 20 years ago. Luckily I still enjoy the people, the guns and the good times. A day spent at the range with friends is my idea of a good time.

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11 hours ago, Cholla said:

Well, someone has to anchor the bottom of the scoring curve. And I excel at it. The rest of you should thank me for making you look good!

Hah! You never met Major Ned Prentiss of THSS! He is THE slowest. Deliberately! He’d make you look like Matt Black!

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12 hours ago, Hoss said:

As my ole Pard Jim No Horse used to say “ Shooting last so you don’t have to” 

 

RIP Pard, you are thought of often. 

 

What a great Pard he was!

I love that you keep him close to your heart. I have several that travel with me.

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