Isn't this Sport Great!

Boxing day 2015 was a pretty typical day for the Arizona Gunslingers except for the cold windy weather. Thirty-three shooters braved the cold weather including some from Texas, Idaho and Iowa.

The format: We shoot a no X "I came to shoot" format for as many rounds as we can get in.  After the seeding rounds, the field is divided into three equal brackets based on Xs and time out and we hold a 1 X magnificent shoot off.  We therefore get three champions and everyone gets to shoot in a magnificent shoot off.  So Saturday we had three magnificent eleven shoot-offs.

Bracket C:  The top seed in Bracket C was Hogleg Willie from the Loess Hills of Western Iowa. He is a new shooter with less than 1.year in the game. Also from the Loess Hills was Council Bluff Ranger seeded seventh.  The Ranger was on a roll putting three or four to boothill.  Isn't this game great.

Also in bracket C was Texas Gunny shooting in his very first shoot.  He is the father of Smoking Shawn, a  deadly new shooter.  In the third round Texas Gunny was matched up against World Champion Miss Kitty and he won.  Where else can a new shooter in his third match go up against a World Champion and win.  Isn't this game great.

Bracket B:  The three top women shooters ended the seeding rounds all with two Xs.  Seeding is by Xs first, then fastest time out in the last round. Therefore there is a speed bias, after all it is "fastdraw."  So, Holli Day went to Bracket A, and Miss Kitty was seeded 1 in Bracket B and Southwest KC seeded 3rd in Bracket B. In the finals of Bracket B it was Miss Kitty against Southwest KC.   Isn't this game great.

Bracket A; It was exactly one year ago that Holli Day started her fastdraw career. No one can argue that she has not entered the realm of the quick.  She finished 10th overall, being sent to compete with the quick and the deadly.  Bracket A was a interesting mixture of the Quick (Sub 4 shooters) at the bottom of the bracket, including Holli Day, and the Deadly (those who don't practice missing) in the middle of the bracket, and near the top of the bracket, the quick and the deadly from Shady Mtn.  Wyoming Ranger, shooting the long gun in the 6s did his part to take care of the Quick. Four shooters from Shady Mtn were left to face the Windmill Kid, the # 1 seed. The finals were between Windmill Kid and Alleluia.  There is a bit of history here, the last meeting of these shooters  making the front page of The Daily Republic of Mitchell, South Dakota, because Windmill just looks like a cowboy shooter.  The results were the same.  We don't practice missing on Shady Mountain.

Isn't this sport great!  Where else can such a varied group of skill levels, ages, and quickness, compete and everyone has a chance to win.