EOT 2027 Applications

[Rattlesnake Slim]

Applications for End of Trail 2027, the final EOT at Ben Avery Shooting Center, will go live in two weeks!

 

Saturday August 15th at 10:00am ARIZONA TIME. 

 

We are dedicating the match in memory of our long time former President and Match Director, Blackjack Zak, with a Cavalry theme and a Celebration of life scheduled for Wednesday night following the Opening Ceremonies.

 

You won't want to miss this incredible event, so keep watching the EOT website for additional information.

Edited August 2 by Rattlesnake Slim

[Rattlesnake Slim]

And now the 2027 Category List is HERE

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

So there are currently 158 cowboy categories until you have to collapse?

And 28 for Wild Bunch?

Wow!

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[Waimea]

9 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

So there are currently 158 cowboy categories until you have to collapse?

And 28 for Wild Bunch?

Wow!

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

Thanks for counting. 

I used up all my fingers and toes and I was working on using my wife's but she wouldn't sit still so I gave up.

That's a bunch of categories.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

15 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

So there are currently 158 cowboy categories until you have to collapse?

And 28 for Wild Bunch?

Wow!

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

Kinda blows your mind, huh?

🫣

[Flying W Ramrod]

16 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

So there are currently 158 cowboy categories until you have to collapse?

And 28 for Wild Bunch?

Wow!

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

Now, go look and see how many were awarded in 2025

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

2 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

Kinda blows your mind, huh?

🫣

Given my limited mental capacity that is kind of a given LOL 

AS a first time state match director back in May with about 30 categories, over a hundred made my jaw drop 

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[Joe LaFives #5481]

Yeah the Categories are mandated by SASS so the World Championship has to offer them to start with.  

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

7 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

Kinda blows your mind, huh?

🫣

BTW we will be in space 41 campground east. Where did you say you were staying?

Gateway

[Singin' Sue 71615]

46 minutes ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

BTW we will be in space 41 campground east. Where did you say you were staying?

Gateway

You're going to make me look!!

I want to say space 50.

We are at the end on the same row...at the intersection of the bath houses.

[Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator]

19 hours ago, Flying W Ramrod said:

Now, go look and see how many were awarded in 2025

 

15 hours ago, Joe LaFives #5481 said:

Yeah the Categories are mandated by SASS so the World Championship has to offer them to start with.  

Kind of cool to see the list posted.   I have been making all EOTs since my first in 2000, I have sure got first hand experience in "the cut",.  I certainly understand the collapsing as I have followed it for so long.  I have shot FCD since 2004 when the category was in its second year..  Since age-base division has come into play and since God has blessed me with ability to continue to compete and enjoy the great sport I am now about to enter at 81.  It is almost comical when I think of a El Patron Frontier Cartridge Duelist World Champion category.  And, usually who ever calls me to deliver the sad news that there is only one person (me) entered in that category, well we can chuckle about it,  But then the collapse begins, and goes on and on and on.  While I do think pulling a shooter "of age" down four places is a bit stiff, it is the rules and I live with them (the cookie crumples).  If I am called to awards platform then it feels well deserved being up there with them young whippersnappers. If there, I am not usually alone as there are usually some other old friends like Stoney, Coffee, Roadrunner, and Four Bucks there too.  Hey, I will be the oldest of that bunch and proud of it.  Got a feeling this EPFCD may be in a SFCD for 2027 but maybe I'll get lucky and be SSFCD.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

17 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

BTW we will be in space 41 campground east. Where did you say you were staying?

Gateway

I looked...#53 is where we will be

[Waimea]

21 hours ago, Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator said:

 

"them young whippersnappers"

This will be my last Silver Senior year as the calendar is forcing me to turn 70 in March.

 

I am happy to still be included in the young whippersnapper category though!

 

Bless ye, Billy Boots. 

May your health allow you to shoot til the Good Lord calls you home.

 

Waimea

[Flying W Ramrod]

On 8/4/2026 at 12:44 PM, Flying W Ramrod said:

Now, go look and see how many were awarded in 2025

I just counted.

50 Categories were recognized at 2026 EOT.

That means, 108 were collapsed or otherwise eliminated.

[Rattlesnake Slim]

200 days till the Wild Bunch cuts loose!!

[Rattlesnake Slim]

This email was sent to all 2026 EOT participants. I'm copying it here for everybody else. The attached document referred to is linked in post #2 above.

 

Howdy....

 

Only a little over a week until the EOT 2027 on-line application goes live.  August 15^th at 10AM Arizona time.

 

So, in preparation of that, we are sending you a complete list of possible Shooting categories for the Cowboy Match, The Wild Bunch Match and the Plainsman Match.  We want you to be able to peruse the complete list so that you will be ready to choose the correct category on the application.  We have edited the application so that the complete list will present itself on the screen for you to choose the ONE for each of those matches that suits you.  

 

And remember, on November 1st, we will collapse the categories that do not have enough registrants to meet the SASS guidelines.  You will then be notified if your category is no longer being honored in case you wish to change rather than go into the collapsed category.  Those guidelines are:

 

Cowboy match:  Ladies categories must have a minimum of 5 and the Open categories must have a minimum of 10.

Wild Bunch match:  Ladies categories must have a minimum of 3 and the Open categories must have a minimum of 7.

 

And there will be no category changes allowed after December 15^th without medical documentation of necessity.  We will send out a final confirmation of your category prior to December 15^th so that any administrative errors can be caught and resolved prior to the deadline.

 

See the attached document so that you can be thinking about your choices prior to August 15th.

 

We have made on additional change to the EOT policy for 2027.  We still have the same Refund policy of:

 

• $25 non-refundable cancellation fee prior to 1/1/27
• 50% refundable during the month of January 2027
• No refunds after 1/31/27

 

BUT, if you must cancel and would prefer, we will carry over the full amount to Winter Range 2028 rather than refund the partial to you.  If you do not choose to shoot, WR2028, those monies will not be refundable at all nor usable after WR 2028.  We are hopeful this will help those that have emergencies come up and are not able to attend EOT 2027.

 

Enjoy the reading material and get your keyboard fingers ready for August 15^th at 10AM Arizona time.

 

Sunshine Kay

Kay Brand

VP and Registration

602.397.3434

www.endoftrail.org

register@endoftrail.org