First Match

[Camille Eonich]

Marshal'ette got me thinking about my first match when she posted that she was nervous about getting up and shooting in front of people.

I was real excited about CAS but I was scared to death at the thought of all those people watching me shoot.  I've been shooting all my life and have shot all kinds of guns but Ihad missed out on pump shotguns, lever action rifles and single action revolvers.  We attended two or three matches before we started shooting and several people let us try out their guns.  Even so I only got to shoot a few rounds through them.

Then when we got all of our gear together another cowboy friend took us out to the range and made up a few stages and let us shoot.  That helped a lot!!!!  I was still nervous about shooting in front of all those people though.  I made Stump go over my guns with me again and again to make sure that I was handling them right loading and unloading them.  That helped a lot too.


Well we got to our first match and got to the first stage and my knees were trembling at  the loading table.  I didn't think that I would be able to make it to the line.  Then it was time!  Too late to back out then so I staggered up to the line and got ready, still shaking.

The timer went off and I sooo forgot that there was anybody else there.  I didn't hear anything going on behind me I didn't notice the RO.  I was just concentrating on shooting and doing things right.  I shot my first stage clean.  I was all grins.  I was all grins for the rest of the match, the rest of the day and the rest of the week.  Stump and I stayed up late that night just talking about shooting and the people and what we did right and what we did wrong.  (We still do that after a match)

Shoot, four or five matches later we went to a match that we had never shot before and even though we knew everybody by that time someone told us that we were "shaking like two queers in a weenie factory".  His words not mine!!!!!

I still get nervous before I shoot sometimes.  The first stage is the worse and I have to make myself calm down and take my time on it but I wouldn't give this up for anything.

What happened at your first match?  How'd it go?  Were ya nervous?

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

"shaking like two queers in a weenie factory". 



Ohhh... I can tell already!!
This is going to be my favorite thread..

Everybody..
Please Please Please..tell about your first shooting match.

Wait just a second.. let me get some popcorn and get all settled in..
Ok... I'm ready!



Let the stories begin!

[Doc Bonecutter]

I had read all about SASS on the wire, saw it on TV and decided it was for me.  I bought the guns--a couple Rugers, a '73, and a '97 over the winter.

I went to Fleet Farm and bought a long sleeve western shirt for $12.  I had an old hat and some old harness-style boots....I ordered a belt and holsters from a guy I saw on the wire and waited for spring.

April came around and it was time--I had convinced another friend and potential shooter (Doc One Shot) to come with me.  The only problem was--the leather hadn't arrived!  We decided to go anyway.

At Oconomowoc, the cowboys at the Oconomowoc Cattleman's Association welcomed us with open arms.  Big Grit took us under his wing and cowpokes acted as our holsters--they handed us the pistols when it was time to shoot and took them back when they were empty.  One Shot and I had a GREAT time.  And on the way back, we decided that we could do this at our home gun range....

That was 6 years ago---the Liberty Prairie Regulators have been shooting for 5 years now, my 2 youngest kids shoot with me, and we have had a GREAT time the whole while.

[Stump Water]

I shot my first stage clean.

.... And a cowpoke turned to me and said, "Boy, a lady what can shoot like 'at, when she says 'Jump', you better say 'How high?'" 

[Big John Denny]

Went to a shoot of Doc Holiday's Immortals at my local gun club I'm a member of. Didn't come to shoot, just to watch what was going on.

Went back to the next shoot the following month with two of my 45 Colt Vaqueros in tow, a 1894 Marlin Limited Edition in 45 Colt, and a SXS 12 gauge. Like EC, I was nervous on the first stage, which had a complicated shooting pattern. I shot all the targets, but got some of them out of the proper sequence, so I earned my first and only "P".

What made it harder for me was the Marlin only held 8 rounds, which I thought was safe since the SASS information indicated rifle targets should be set for 7 shots. Wrong. The Immortals like rifle targets and all but one stage required 10 shots from the rifle. You guessed it, I loaded on the clock to make those other two shots.

Had a hell of a time though and have enjoyed SASS shooting ever since.

[The Arapaho Kid]

In my first match I easily qualified for the bottom of the barrel on the score sheet.  It's been like that ever since!  Can't seem to get higher than the bottom of the barrel....but...I have a lot of fun getting there!  So ask me if I care!

The Bottom of the Barrel Kid

[Arcey]

Well now, I'd been shootin' bowlin' pins.  Went 'n watched them cowboys shoot 'n they wuz shootin' big ole targets real close.  Liked that.

Had me a Blackhawk 'n a Rossi '92 way 'fore I knew what CAS was.  Hadn't messed with the 'hawk much, didn't really like it but I could shoot it.  Done a bunch ah plinkin' with the '92, mostly pins left over from the pin matches 'n that at fifty yards.  Heck, that card suit I seen them cowpokes shootin' was gonna be a piece ah cake!

Whut I hadn't done wuz shoot a double barrel shotgun 'n when I stepped up ta shoot my first stage that wuz the first gun.

Now I'd done test fired the thing.  After I got it I took it ta the range ta make sure it worked.  Made me some good dust shootin' inta the berm from fifty yards.  Nuttin' to it.

Sos, ennyways, there I am.  No sweat. I know I ain't gonna win, too new.  I know I can shoot, done shot everything from PPC ta NRA Action Pistol.  Tarnation, I'd shot a pin match the weekend before fer money.  My job 'n a steady paycheck depended on me qualifyin' with my service pistol 'n a pump shotgun loaded with real stuff once a year.  This silly CAS stuff is gonna be EASY!

First stage ever.  I'm in jail.  On the signal, ya reach thru the cell door 'n grab a cleanin' rod.  Use that ta get the keys ta the cell off a hook - slide 'em down the rod 'n grab 'em.  Unlock the cell door, get ta the shotgun - load 'n blast a couple clay pigeons.  In front of ever'body 'n their kid sisters I missed them things bigger'n heck!

Ya do sumthin' like that 'n ya get real humble in a hurry..........................

[Camille Eonich]

 

Arcey I remember when we was just watching being confused about how they hit them big ol close targets.  And shotgun targets!  How could you miss a shotgun target that was almost within arms reach.




Very very humbling.


Very humbling.

[Missouri Marshal]

I remember my first match, it was at Pungo, I was as green as ya git.  I had been shootin all my life, 22yrs in the military, huntin, target shootin.  Watched a CAS match at Pungo and couldn't figure out how the heck they were missin them targets.  I soon learned that CAS can be very humbling experience when ya think yur good.  Well my first match I showed up wearin a green plaid, pearl snap western shirt, Wranglers, modern cowboy boots.  Had me a pair of Rugers, a Marlin 94c and a SXS.  I was ready.  Yea, right.  First thing I noticed was this scraggy lookin guy with long hair and a beard wearin a hat with an arrow through it.  He was all over the place, seemed like he knew everyone.  He sure looked like he was havin fun.   Me I didn't know anyone.  Well my turn comes around ta shoot.  First match, first stage, nervous as hell.  Sure didn't want ta look like a fool in front of all these strangers.  Get up to the line, Beep, draw ma pistols,  missed a couple but didn't screw up, git ma rifle, Click, lever, click, lever, click, lever, what the heck was goin on, click, lever, click, lever.  Heard someone behind me yellin SAFETY, SAFETY.  God, thought I violatin a safety rule, then the RO says, "take the safety off!"  Managed to eject 5 live rounds before I took the safety off.  Man did I feel stupid.  I didn't have any spare rounds on me to reload.  Must have been 3 people tryin ta hand me more ammo.  Now here I'm thinkin, I screwed up and these folks are jumpin over each other ta help me and this is competition.  I was hooked right then.  Oh, that scraggy lookin pard with the arrow in his hat soon became ma best Pard and Cuzin.  Sure have learned allot from him.  Thanks Pard, I will be eternally grateful.  Ya know who you are.

[Arcey]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yanno, I'd been shootin' CAS 'nuff ta know whut the hell I was doin' - BUT - West Point one affernoon.  Half way thru a shoot.  Grab that l'il Marlin 'n 'CLICK'  lever it 'CLICK'.

Justin is runnin' the clock 'n he's yellin' 'SAFETY SAFETY!'

I yell back, 'I got the damned thing pointed downrange!'

'No, ya danged fool!  The rifle's safety!'

'Oh........................... Ok'

Yup.  This game kin keep ya humble........... 'N that safety thingy is long gone now.

Thinkin' I got a hat wit an arrow thru it.  Yup, there it is.  A few feet away sittin' on the stereo.  Used ta have hair down ta my shoulders.  All gone but I got pitchers.  Happy ta have a couple I know callin' me a pard.  That too is humblin' 'n makes life better.

[litl rooster]

My first shoot I forgot to load my shot shells in the belt, got to those targets had a pair of them in my belt and most of a full box on top of the cart. Just waiting there for me. I took two missus. Everyone there said to me should have said something they could/would  have handed them to me. ,Tooo Green yet.

[Camille Eonich]

I ran out of shotgun shells one time when I forgot to refill my belt after a stage.  That hasn't happened again.


I ran out of shotgun shells one time when I went to a match with a cold that was almost but not quite gone.  There was a stage with a ton of knockdown targets that all had to go down.  You could shoot your rifle and pistols anyway that you wanted.  My .45s were hitting too low on the targets to take them down and I ended up with a bunch left standing.  Yup run my shotgun belt plum dry and about killed myself with a coughing a fit afterwards. 

It was fun though.   

[Arcey]

Blue Ridge.  We wuz jokin' 'round (imagine that....) 'n they call me to the loadin' table.  I get my irons out the cart.  Shove my shotshell slide on my belt.  Get ta the table 'n load up.

My turn.  I go ta the line 'n stage up. 

'Shooter ready?' 

'Shooter wuz born ready, hit the beeper.'

BEEP!

Went thru the pistols went thru the rifle.  Grabbed the shotgun, snatched shells 'n the shell slide goes flyin' thru the air like a freakin' frizbee.  Hadn't snapped the thing down.

[Micheal Fortune]

Ah, my first time, what memories........Shy and awkward moments, soon to be gotten over by the thrill of the moment, a massive rush of color, movement and sound............

I heard once that while you are standing at the firing line, before the buzzer goes off, try and wiggle your toes, if you can't then you are too wound up, relax a bit, wiggle your toes and have at it.

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

Just want to tell you all to "keep 'em coming".
I love this thread...
It actually is helping me, and I am sure other greenhorns "get ready", more than you could possibly know.

I am one who rely's on my sense of humor for a whole lot of life's issues,
and every new thing that I have learned to do, I have laughed at myself in that process.
I have taught many many people to water ski behind the jet boat,
and I've also shared those laughs and first time learning screw ups with the people I am teaching,
so I know the positive side of what first time stories do.

It really DOES help to know that everyone has, at one time, had to be the 'new kid on the block'.
Can't wait until I have stories of my own to tell.

So, I have fresh ice tea and my popcorn bowl is all filled up again.
I'm ready.
 
**The Toe Wiggler**

[Marshal Halloway]

As most of you know, I kind of started in CAS when I was living in Norway and when I became a SASS member in the early 90's, very few knew about this sport and its existence over there. When I started the caslist and Cas City in 1995, I was still a "CAS loner" in my neck of the woods, but I was ready to learn more. So I started thinking and cooking up some plans in my head about how to get this sport established in Europe and to get an organization up and running.

The first years, my CAS activity was limited to being all by myself at the shooting range, trying to copy as much as I could after reading about the sport in gun magazines, from the SASS Handbook and the Chronicle. I even had my own loading and unloading table and  just kept tellin' myself  that one day, I would start competing in this sport. I practiced by myself, talked to myself and was, in my mind, shooting with the best of 'em.

Finally the day came when I was invited by my friends on the caslist and by SASS, to compete at End of Trail '97.

Lord, I was excited. I was like a kid at Christmas. Couldn't sleep the night before, and of course, that is all I thought about the whole week before.  I don't think anybody knew that this was, in fact, my very first CAS match. I knew annual events like this was not for beginners, and I was one of the biggest beginners in the pack.  But I was thinking...I had a bit of knowledge from competing in different shooting sports and I was armed with years of experience in firearms safety, so maybe I could get through this without too much embarrassment, 

And I wasn't going to try to  be the  fastest gunslinger east of New York. So with all of these thoughts in my head going a hundred mile an hour.. I decided all I could was load up...let if fly and do my best.

I.M. Nobody from BCVC, set me up with 2 Colt SAA, a Winchester 92 and a double barrel shotgun. I had the rest, the outfit and leather. Tioga, Dogface and other BCVC members took good care of me.They didn't question or say anything but I do believe they thought I had a bit more experience than I actually had.
I guess they thought the Marshal of Cas City couldn't be a complete greenhorn. But  a complete beginning greenhorn was exactly what I was.

During the briefing of stage 1, I don't think I have ever in my whole life, concentrated so hard.
I paid attention to every detail. I tried to notice every little thing and my hours reading the handbook and everything else about this sport, became very valuable to me. I gave a silent thank you also for all my mental preparations. Cause, I know it made it look like I had been in this situation before.

It was time.I was ready....

Nothing so far was feeling unfamiliar and I felt comfortable and in good spirits. To my surprise, when the posse started to line up to the loading table, I was not even nervous, just anxious to get started.

At the loading table and with the plugs in my ears, I could both feel and hear my heart was starting to pump a little hard and fast.

It was my turn at the firing line. The reality of the situation suddenly hit me. I could hardly breathe..  my mouth was drier than the Sahara desert...and my dang heart was beating so loud, I was sure everyone could hear it.

The timer went off! The world kind of disappeared around me. The posse was gone, the spectators behind the fence weren't there. It was just me, the RO, the course of fire, safety, 170 rule, aiming and firing. And fire away I did !. What a feeling!

It was when I heard the applause of everyone, that I realized I was done. Wow. It felt like I had been shooting for 3-4 minutes (in fact it was only 41 seconds). I had two misses, no procedural and my very first CAS stage in a competition was over.

I was just in my own world for a minute...a bit dazed, I guess you could say. If the RO hadn't tapped me on the shoulder, I guess I would have stood there for an hour wondering if there were more targets to shoot.

So I am at the unloading table, and the delayed reaction came swooping down on me. When I opened the loading gate on the first handgun, I shook so much that I didn't even have to push the empties out. They just came spilling out all over the place, my hands were shaking so bad that I could hardly hold the gun.  I bet the poor guy standing there had a hard time not laughing, cause when I looked up at him, his face was all puckered up... I can't remember what I said,  (trying to joke about myself I guess), but my voice shook real bad too. Whatever it was, he couldn't stand it any longer and burst out laughing. We both did and so did the rest of the posse when they heard the story of my "unloading technique".

Stage 1 at EOT '97 was the beginning of years of good laughter and fun and friendships.

I went back to Norway and convinced a few individuals to help me found Scandinavian Western Shooters and well.... the rest is history.

[Camille Eonich]

Marshal...that is the BEST first stage, first match story I have ever heard! 


Thank you!  People like you...WOW!

[Arcey]

Heh, heh.

Yanno, Marshal.  Back in the CAS-L days, I looked it you 'n Hooligan 'n Major E.A. Sterner as ole pros.  The way things turned out, we ain't that far apart in experience.

I had no thoughts of going to EoT.  Don't now.  This thing just looked like pure fun and I wanted to do it.

I was thrilled when the club I was playin' with decided to shoot R.D.'s P.E.C.  Kindah sad that we don't have that to look forward to anymore.  R.D. went above 'n beyond.  I'm grateful to 'im.  That was some kindah fun.

Been an unreal number of laffs since then.  More pards have been made face to face than I could have ever dreamed.

Want ya ta know a lot of that is your doin'.  Somethin' I can never repay.

[Marshal Halloway]

I was thrilled when the club I was playin' with decided to shoot R.D.'s P.E.C.  Kindah sad that we don't have that to look forward to anymore.  R.D. went above 'n beyond.  I'm grateful to 'im.  That was some kindah fun.

Yep, we had a lot of fun with PEC. I miss many of the guys that rode with us back then. When I have time, I read some of the post from the cas-list and I often wonder where some of the oldtimers went.

Btw, I found some of the graphics from the Pony Express Challenge. Here is one:

[Four-Eyed Buck]

My first one was in '97 also. Had the leather together, a .45Colt Marlin, a borrowed '97. My first pistola was still in lay-away. One of the other pards said come shoot anyway, ya'll kin borrow one of my pistolas. So, down to Tusco I went. That particular day it was pourin down rain, we actually had little creeks runnin' through the shelters behind the line.
First stage went by in a blur, gee, after that buzzer went off things just happened. Think I missed one, got some instruction on the correct way to shoot Traditional. didn't seem to notice the rain after that! It was rainin' so hard that you could actually see yer lead goin' down range at the longer distance rifle targets.
In short, I was hooked. Had never shot in a competition before, just plinkin' around and a little hunting. Think I shot more ammo in that first match than I ever did hunting.........Buck