Cowboys shoot it out in Glen Rose

By JULIET BRISKIN | Staff writer

Hillsboro resident Bob Lewis, aka Old Bob, and Curtis Russell of Arlington, aka Ojo Verde Diablo, clean their guns following their turns at one of the 10 shooting stages. Lewis has been competing in single action shooting events for six years and Russell has been involved with the sport since 1999 . Photo by Juliet Briskin

Sept. 30, 2004 - The larger-than-life imagination possessed by so many as a child is all too often lost in the chaotic storm of adulthood. Car pools, full-time jobs, a pasture full of livestock, and one kid competing in a rodeo here while the other has an FFA judging over there, do not leave much time for dressing up like Miss Kitty or Marshall Dillon, let alone assuming an Old West alias and competing for bragging rights at a Cowboy Action Shooting match.

Yet, the 100,000-plus members of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), are proving that children do not have a corner-on-the-market for imagination and play. "We have about 450 SASS affiliated clubs spread throughout the world," explained SASS's co-founder, Harper Hale Creigh. "We more or less promote the sport and establish the rules. You can go anywhere in the world and shoot a SASS match, (and) you know exactly what the rules are, what the equipment is, what's allowed and what's not."

Creigh, who uses the alias Judge Roy Bean, founded the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting in the winter of 1979.

"There wasn't any game for the cowboys," asserted Creigh. "There was a shooting game for the Civil War, a shooting game for the mountain men and for the Old Knights of Armor, but nothing for the cowboy."

Creigh explained that the shooting aspect of the game is only half the story; the other half is the emphasis placed on preserving the cowboy lifestyle, philosophies and traditions. All SASS members are required to dress in late 19th century western-style costumes, take on a period-appropriate shooting aliases, and utilize firearms consistent with those used in the Old West.

No two aliases are the same and they cannot sound similar or in any way duplicate another member's alias. SASS keeps an international database of the names and Creigh explained that quite often shooters are only ever known by their alias.

"The aliases, the costuming, historical aspect of it and the overall attitude of everyone involved really makes this what it is today," said Creigh. "We have members that don't shoot, but they love to go back in time to that era and dress up and play cowboy or cowgirl."

The game itself is rather straight forward - it's the venue that really brings it to life. Competitions are held in recreated frontier towns and consist of a varying number of stages. Because every stage is unique and no two frontier towns are the same, the game never becomes repetitious. In addition, competitors are only allowed a short period of time to survey the layout before their turn.

"Each stage presents the shooter with a scenario and series of targets," explained Kip Turner of Burleson. "The shooter has to follow the scenario and shoot guns in the particular order it calls for. We use single-action six-shooters, lever-action rifles, the old Winchester model 97 pump-action shotgun and double-barrel shotguns as well."

Turner is a member of the Comanche Valley Vigilantes (CVV) of Glen Rose and has been participating in Cowboy Action Shooting events for a number of years. He explained that shooters are scored based on the time it takes them to complete a scenario. "Each missed target adds five seconds to your score," said Turner. "If you don't follow the scenario exactly you get a procedural and 10 seconds will be added to your score. The goal is not to miss a target, complete the scenario as accurately and quickly as possible and get the lowest score."

Turner added that competition winners are generally awarded with belt buckles or a new gun, but the chance to win some bragging rights and share in the camaraderie is the real attraction.

On Sept. 16-19, the CVV club hosted the Showdown at Buck Creek and the SASS Southwestern Regional competition. The event drew over 300 registered shooters, offered 10 stages of competition and included the the SASS Southwestern Regional Mounted Championship. Prior to the competition the CVV held their three-day "Unbelievable Shooting School," which offered mounted classes, shooting clinics and Range Officer courses.

Cowboy Action Shooting is not just for adults either. Eight-year-old Mattie Kincannon of West Monroe, La., can attest to that. Under the watchful eyes of her parents Amy and Ted, she has been shooting since she was about 4-years-old.

"My dad taught me how to shoot and we practice a lot," explained Kincannon during the Showdown at Buck Creek. "Dad taught me not to point the guns at anyone and to shoot very good. We always talk about how to be safe because that's the most important thing."

Most clubs offer safety training classes and participants that do not follow strict safety guidelines during a shoot will be penalized. If they continue to breach protocol, they will be asked to leave and not return.

Shooters and non-shooters of all ages are welcome to attend regular CVV shoots, which are held on the third complete weekend of every month. Turner explained that investigating the different clubs is a good idea and visitors do not need to bring their own weapon on their first visit.

"If you've ever seen a western movie and wished you were up on the screen with Gene, or Roy or John Wayne, helping the good guys against the bad," said Creigh, "then SASS and Cowboy Action Shooting is for you."

For a list of all the SASS clubs worldwide, visit www.SASSnet.com and for more information on the Comanche Valley Vigilantes visit www.comanchevalley.org.