I write this post in support of our current target size, target distance and lack of a time limit. I think our events are well balanced and give all shooters the opportunity to compete. The current format does an excellent job sorting out who the best gunslinger is on a given day.
By far the most dominant characteristic of a competitive gunfighter is mental toughness. The second most dominant characteristic is accuracy. Quickness comes in a distance third in importance. That is why in most titled events about half the Magnificent field will be mentally tough accurate shooters regardless of quickness.
We have a good balance now, why make more silly rules or change target size or distance. I think WOW is right when he tells the whiners and poor sports to shut up and go practice. Those complaining have spent time practicing speed when they should have been honing their mental toughness and accuracy. If you can't win on the line, no rule is going help when you face that mentally tough accurate gunslinger. You might as well stop complaining and practice more.
The Oklahoma State Championship was a great example of how well the current format works. For the men the seeding rounds did an excellent job of sorting out the top 7 gunslingers. You can tell that by the fact that the final standings were identical to the seeding standings. That is not always the case and was not for the women. In the men not all were the quickest but all were mentally tough accurate shooters. Shane reach the Magnificent 7 via a CFDA resurrection shoot off. I did not shoot against any of the bottom 3 but I know by observation they were tough gunfighters.
Of top four gunfighters, two had 2 x s, and two had 3 x s. All of the top four had received most of their main match x s from the other top 4 shooters. It was clearly definitive that the order on quickness was Whiplash, Delta Whiskey, Quickstrike, and Everett. Almost as definitive the order on accuracy was Everett, Whiplash, Delta Whiskey and Quickstrike. Needless to say it was a brawl. Quickstrike losing to Everett and Delta Whiskey for fourth; Delta Whiskey losing to Quickstrike and Everett for third; Everett losing to Whiplash twice for second; and Whiplash losing only once to Everett for the Championship.
On competitive balance, it is interesting to note that the Magnificent 7 included based only on quickness the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th,16th, 24th and 26th quickest guns out of 42 shooters. Our current format is working!
For the women the sorting process did not work nearly as well. Corkey won the event from the seventh seed. This seems to be characteristic of the ladies. Slow Poke won the Four Corners Territorial after being eliminated in the seventh place. I think this results from the top gunslingers (toughness, accuracy, quickness) among the ladies not being as well defined. The entire field of shooters among the ladies is more uniform as to the three dominate gunfighter characteristics. Also among the ladies, quickness is much much much less important. This should be important to match directors and hosts. There may be a thought to reduce the magnificent shoot off to five for the ladies because of the smaller numbers of competitors when in fact it should be expanded for the ladies because of the uniqueness of the field. Had the shoot off been a Magnificent 8, the results may have been different, the current top gun lady sitting in the eight slot.
For the men at Oklahoma expanding the magnificent field would not have made any difference. However, I may be tripping on my spurs here, at the Four Corners, had the field been seven, the results would have been different. At the Southern had the field been five, the 2nd place shooter would not have made the shoot off.
Generally, the larger the magnificent field the more likely that the top gunfighter will win. We do shoot larger magnificent shoot offs than 7. Oklahoma was in effect for the men a Magnificent 8.
In summary, the current format is working, let's not screw it up.
"Quickness does not matter much in a gunfight." Little Bill, Unforgiven
Showing posts with label magnificent five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magnificent five. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
What a blast!
Having just finished my second Magnificent Seven of the year all I can say is "what a blast." Great competitors, great outcome, more fun than one person should be allowed to have! Looking forward to meeting Quickstrike, Delta Whiskey, Whiplash on the line again.who knows maybe with a black badge in the balance, them boys need to practice missing more, not fast enough yet.
Had a chance to lobby some for my pet project, a championship with a true resurrection, to the uniform outcry of "you can't do that." By the way, by CFDA rule, 7th place was resurrected in the men's match. I think it is the "word" so I decided to quit using it.
Positives:
What would be wrong with a three day championship where:
- Every shooter would get 6 x s in main match;
- Every shooter would be alive through day two;
- Half of the field would get to shoot in a Magnificent shoot-off:
- Half of the field would be alive until their last shot on day three;
- Preliminary sorting after day one, half of the field would be shooting for their lives in a 2 x match; half the field would continue in main match and be shooting in 2 x category championships;
- There would be 18 champions on Championship Sunday:
- Eighteen Championship Buckles; balance in gold coin, no frills or goodie bags;
- All matches on Sunday would be set by Saturday night;
- No computer needed on third day;
- If less 120 shooters, shot on two 6 lane ranges;
- All matches on Sunday set at a specific time, you would know the schedule and opponents Saturday night;
- All included in one entry fee;
What do you think? And if you say "you can't do that" think about it some more.
Last man standing favors me, would have won in that format, those speedy guys would have knock each out, but a Magnificent shoot-off is a blast.
Oklahoma was a great event, great venue, great folks. Looking forward to the Southern Territorial there next year. Next year, loverboy will come so you better be practicing missing to get faster. Bring me the next shooter cause I ain't missing!
Had a chance to lobby some for my pet project, a championship with a true resurrection, to the uniform outcry of "you can't do that." By the way, by CFDA rule, 7th place was resurrected in the men's match. I think it is the "word" so I decided to quit using it.
Positives:
What would be wrong with a three day championship where:
- Every shooter would get 6 x s in main match;
- Every shooter would be alive through day two;
- Half of the field would get to shoot in a Magnificent shoot-off:
- Half of the field would be alive until their last shot on day three;
- Preliminary sorting after day one, half of the field would be shooting for their lives in a 2 x match; half the field would continue in main match and be shooting in 2 x category championships;
- There would be 18 champions on Championship Sunday:
- Eighteen Championship Buckles; balance in gold coin, no frills or goodie bags;
- All matches on Sunday would be set by Saturday night;
- No computer needed on third day;
- If less 120 shooters, shot on two 6 lane ranges;
- All matches on Sunday set at a specific time, you would know the schedule and opponents Saturday night;
- All included in one entry fee;
What do you think? And if you say "you can't do that" think about it some more.
Last man standing favors me, would have won in that format, those speedy guys would have knock each out, but a Magnificent shoot-off is a blast.
Oklahoma was a great event, great venue, great folks. Looking forward to the Southern Territorial there next year. Next year, loverboy will come so you better be practicing missing to get faster. Bring me the next shooter cause I ain't missing!
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Four Corners, Rule 17, and Resurrected Shooter!
The 2016 Four Corners shoot is in the book. Although Ruah did not show up Everett did and took copious mental notes.
The shoot ran well with few problems. Although Arizona Gunslingers were the primary host the Rio Salado Vaqueros pitched in with one range. Many thanks to them and especially Muletrain and Southwest KC. The San Juan Shootists provided equipment, guidance and did the scoring with help from Miss Betty. Wench can run one of these in her sleep, many thanks! Our club was a little short on tear down labor, but those bandits from down south (Old Pueblo Gunfighters) helped get the club in a box back in the box in just a little over an hour. It is amazing how help just seems to appear from out of the crowd, I am thinking of all the range officers, for example that cowboy from Idaho who is not only dangerous on the line but behind the mic
One of the great strengths of CFDA is how the folks all pitch in and get the job done but that is also one of the weaknesses. It was humorous how the board had spend a lot of time discussing and making decisions on minor details and then when the workers went to work all that planning went out the window. You can't make water run uphill, all you can do is shrug your shoulders and go with the flow.
Ground Breaking Event: Don't know how many noticed but we had the first ever Territorial Tenderfoot Championship with Lil' James taking Coyote Kid to three matches in a Magnificent Two. Also first time at a titled event that three Magnificent shoot-offs were held simultaneously on one range. We were prepared for 15 shooters, would have had 8 except Dismal could not handle the heat after a week of flu. We had separate championships and awards for Billy the Kid, Anne Oakley and Tenderfoot. We got a prep talk from the newest Annie Oakley before the first round was fired on how it was okay to lose as long as you were having fun.
The Resurrection: We did have a Second Chance Shoot, which is many times misnamed as a resurrection match. Top five there received "Almost Made It" bottles filled with wax so they could practice more. Following CFDA rules the true resurrection occurred in the ladies' main match . After 11 rounds 6 were left with 5 having 3 Xs and 1 having 2 X s. Round Twelve ended with Southwest KC getting her 3rd X and Slow Poke and Holli Day being eliminated. That left only four for a Magnificent Five, so following the rules, Holli Day and Slow Poke squared off in a resurrection shoot off to get back into the match. Slow Poke being the more accurate shot her way back into the fifth seed.
Slow Poke then proceeded to show that though she had been eliminated she was the best gunfighter there by gunning down the next four seeds in a row. The world record holder, Honey Badger, fought back from the loser bracket and defeated Slow Poke in their second match of the Magnificent Five. (Slow Poke had been lamenting that she had been 2-2 with Honey Badger in the main match only to have Honey Badger win the match setting a new world record, which Honey Badger did twice over the weekend.) The third match went to 2-2 before that ice in the veins gunslinger from Washington DC, Slow Poke, won with a accurate shot on the plate to Honey Badger blazing miss.
From facebook comments I learn that some of the credit should go to WOW who helped her get a stuck cleaning brush out of the barrel and the hand judge, Cowboy Up, for reminding Slow Poke to breathe. Slow Poke won best dressed ladies award and 50/50 raffle. But all good fortune has to be paid for and I understand as I write this that Slow Poke is still stuck in the airport gridlock trying to get home. I am sure glad she can't be holstered and heeled or someone would have to be repainting TSA staff.
Men"s Magnificent Five: When I made it to the top seven, I thought I had a chance to make the Magnificent Five or at least a resurrection shoot-off to get in. The men's event was unusual in that the top five had really conserved their X s with Master Gunfighter being in jeopardy being eliminated. Only one, I, was eliminated in round 13 and only one, Pork Rind, was eliminated in round 14, so there was no resurrection shoot-off. Lawless Speed was first out followed by the Draw. Rodeo Romero was on (better than 60%) hitting in the low 3s but not quite quick enough. The Championship was determined in three matches between Marshall Cooper and Master Gunfighter with the final match going to 2-2 with Master Gunfighter hitting and Marshall missing. Master Gunfighter had also won Fridays jackpot shoot.
School is in Session: A CFDA event is a great place to learn life skills. It is especially good for our kids. They learn discipline, responsibility, courtesy and respect. Before you play you got to work. We sold souvenir cups and magnets for shoot for the stars and I tasked AZ Gunslingers and Rio youth to solicit donations. I look around and see Buckeroo Ben with the cutest gal he can find at the time in tow working the crowd. Every time he came to me to report his results he had to tell me how proud of how his little brother, Coyote Kid, was doing with donations. Together they had over half of the total of about $700 in sales. Many thanks to all who bought magnets and cup. Each are individually designed so it will take me a while to work through the orders.
Rule 17: Before the event started the Comish, Quick Cal, announced there would be a change in how Rule 17 would be enforced from what had been published. In essence, the enforcement of the rule was being changed from guilty until proven innocence to innocence until proven guilty. I don't know if this is going to be published or just announced at titled events. The rule was not a problem and there were no loss of shot penalties but two warnings issued. I will tell you that it is a little stressful to have Quick Cal take the range when you are the only one on the line that may have a problem. But what the heck, the gunfighter facing you is a more important worry.
Summation: It was a fun event. Sure glad we have a full time Trail Boss running the show. Now if I just could find another 20 milliseconds, maybe I could get back to hearing some clank in my tin. I'm afeared Shady been looking for a more worthy opponent. Been trying to get Doc into marbles but she won't take the bait.
The shoot ran well with few problems. Although Arizona Gunslingers were the primary host the Rio Salado Vaqueros pitched in with one range. Many thanks to them and especially Muletrain and Southwest KC. The San Juan Shootists provided equipment, guidance and did the scoring with help from Miss Betty. Wench can run one of these in her sleep, many thanks! Our club was a little short on tear down labor, but those bandits from down south (Old Pueblo Gunfighters) helped get the club in a box back in the box in just a little over an hour. It is amazing how help just seems to appear from out of the crowd, I am thinking of all the range officers, for example that cowboy from Idaho who is not only dangerous on the line but behind the mic
One of the great strengths of CFDA is how the folks all pitch in and get the job done but that is also one of the weaknesses. It was humorous how the board had spend a lot of time discussing and making decisions on minor details and then when the workers went to work all that planning went out the window. You can't make water run uphill, all you can do is shrug your shoulders and go with the flow.
Ground Breaking Event: Don't know how many noticed but we had the first ever Territorial Tenderfoot Championship with Lil' James taking Coyote Kid to three matches in a Magnificent Two. Also first time at a titled event that three Magnificent shoot-offs were held simultaneously on one range. We were prepared for 15 shooters, would have had 8 except Dismal could not handle the heat after a week of flu. We had separate championships and awards for Billy the Kid, Anne Oakley and Tenderfoot. We got a prep talk from the newest Annie Oakley before the first round was fired on how it was okay to lose as long as you were having fun.
The Resurrection: We did have a Second Chance Shoot, which is many times misnamed as a resurrection match. Top five there received "Almost Made It" bottles filled with wax so they could practice more. Following CFDA rules the true resurrection occurred in the ladies' main match . After 11 rounds 6 were left with 5 having 3 Xs and 1 having 2 X s. Round Twelve ended with Southwest KC getting her 3rd X and Slow Poke and Holli Day being eliminated. That left only four for a Magnificent Five, so following the rules, Holli Day and Slow Poke squared off in a resurrection shoot off to get back into the match. Slow Poke being the more accurate shot her way back into the fifth seed.
Slow Poke then proceeded to show that though she had been eliminated she was the best gunfighter there by gunning down the next four seeds in a row. The world record holder, Honey Badger, fought back from the loser bracket and defeated Slow Poke in their second match of the Magnificent Five. (Slow Poke had been lamenting that she had been 2-2 with Honey Badger in the main match only to have Honey Badger win the match setting a new world record, which Honey Badger did twice over the weekend.) The third match went to 2-2 before that ice in the veins gunslinger from Washington DC, Slow Poke, won with a accurate shot on the plate to Honey Badger blazing miss.
From facebook comments I learn that some of the credit should go to WOW who helped her get a stuck cleaning brush out of the barrel and the hand judge, Cowboy Up, for reminding Slow Poke to breathe. Slow Poke won best dressed ladies award and 50/50 raffle. But all good fortune has to be paid for and I understand as I write this that Slow Poke is still stuck in the airport gridlock trying to get home. I am sure glad she can't be holstered and heeled or someone would have to be repainting TSA staff.
Men"s Magnificent Five: When I made it to the top seven, I thought I had a chance to make the Magnificent Five or at least a resurrection shoot-off to get in. The men's event was unusual in that the top five had really conserved their X s with Master Gunfighter being in jeopardy being eliminated. Only one, I, was eliminated in round 13 and only one, Pork Rind, was eliminated in round 14, so there was no resurrection shoot-off. Lawless Speed was first out followed by the Draw. Rodeo Romero was on (better than 60%) hitting in the low 3s but not quite quick enough. The Championship was determined in three matches between Marshall Cooper and Master Gunfighter with the final match going to 2-2 with Master Gunfighter hitting and Marshall missing. Master Gunfighter had also won Fridays jackpot shoot.
School is in Session: A CFDA event is a great place to learn life skills. It is especially good for our kids. They learn discipline, responsibility, courtesy and respect. Before you play you got to work. We sold souvenir cups and magnets for shoot for the stars and I tasked AZ Gunslingers and Rio youth to solicit donations. I look around and see Buckeroo Ben with the cutest gal he can find at the time in tow working the crowd. Every time he came to me to report his results he had to tell me how proud of how his little brother, Coyote Kid, was doing with donations. Together they had over half of the total of about $700 in sales. Many thanks to all who bought magnets and cup. Each are individually designed so it will take me a while to work through the orders.
Rule 17: Before the event started the Comish, Quick Cal, announced there would be a change in how Rule 17 would be enforced from what had been published. In essence, the enforcement of the rule was being changed from guilty until proven innocence to innocence until proven guilty. I don't know if this is going to be published or just announced at titled events. The rule was not a problem and there were no loss of shot penalties but two warnings issued. I will tell you that it is a little stressful to have Quick Cal take the range when you are the only one on the line that may have a problem. But what the heck, the gunfighter facing you is a more important worry.
Summation: It was a fun event. Sure glad we have a full time Trail Boss running the show. Now if I just could find another 20 milliseconds, maybe I could get back to hearing some clank in my tin. I'm afeared Shady been looking for a more worthy opponent. Been trying to get Doc into marbles but she won't take the bait.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Philosophy from the Salty River
We have had lively discussion about format with Levi and Mitch. Levi says there can only be one winner. The acorn does not fall far from the tree. Mitch says that when he is 4th in Bracket C he is 32nd and deserves nothing. Both look at this from an individual perspective, Levi from his five year plan to win a World Championship and Mitch under the influence of his father. When you're talking about formats one needs to leave the realm of the individual and think in terms of the whole, the CFDA, the club, and the average shooter. That is why Quick Cal says "CFDA strongly supports the instituting Bracket Matches at all classes of events."
Last Saturday the Rio Salado Vaqueros held a 3x Magnificent Seven Match. As always it was an excellent event with 44 shooters attending. It is informative to consider the results in the discussion of format. The best gunfighter of the day clearly was The Draw (World 3rd) and the 2nd best gunfighter probably was Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot, age 7). Hi Strung was lamenting all day to me that he was shooting poorly (slow) but he was hitting and ended the main match clean with no x s. As such, Hi Strung was seeded 1st in the Magnificent Seven. Although probably in the top 20%, it was clear he was not the top gunfighter at the event.
Resurrection Feature: Although there was no official resurrection feature in the contest, it being a standard CFDA format, a resurrection did occur. In the last round of the main event, Coyote Kid eliminated the Draw reducing the field to 6. Following standard protocol, The Draw, clawed his way back through two other shooters to re-enter the field as the 7th seed.
This is not uncommon. In 2015, Marshall Cooper was resurrected at Winter Range to go onto win in a Magnificent Five format. At Colorado, Bonnie Ringo out shot Marshall Cooper to secure the 5th seed. It happens at most shoots with the magnificent format.
This resurrection feature was instituted for its entertainment value, to have a full field, but many times it serves a better function, that is to determine who the best gunfighter is on a given day. On Saturday, The Draw even though he had been eliminated won a bye round, then 8 matches in a row to win the event. He was truly the best gunfighter on February 13 on the Salty River.
The Magnificent Seven format does a pretty good job sorting out who the best gunfighter is on a given day. Getting ready for the Magnificent Seven, I see Hi Strung in the dry fire area, trying to find some more speed and I lectured him to dance with the girl (draw) that got him the number #1 seed. He and I both could not take my advice, and two losses resulted for both of us.
Lest you think it is easy to shoot in the Valley of the Sun here is the results of Saturday's shoot. 1st The Draw (Two-time National Champion), 2nd Whiskey, 3rd Hi Strung (2nd Tombstone),4th Muletrain (2015 Senior World Champion), 5th Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot age 7), 6th Alleluia Ruah (2014 Super Senior National Champion) 7th Miss Kitty (2015 World Champion and Multi-Territorial Champion).
Getting back to the discussion, I think it is good for the sport to have multiple champions. I love the way the Powderhorn Ranch Regulators shoot the National Championship. On Sunday, championship day, they crown 15 or so category champions and then the overall youth, women and men's overall champions. I hope, but doubt, this year's national shoot will have that format.
The inadvertent resurrection feature has worked so well in determining the best gunfighter, I see no reason that we do not institute it for all shooters and have a true resurrection shoot. Now we have 2nd chance shoots just to occupy eliminated shooters. There is no good reason or rule that prevents us from putting meaning into these shoots by allowing the winner back in as the number 7th seed. (paragraph 4, page 21 would have to be tweaked a bit.) Shouldn't our goal be to determine the best gunfighter on any given day.
It is too late to do much about the 2016 schedule, but 2017 is less then a year away. Got my work cut out for me. I have stated before, the best championship format would be to shoot down to five, (or 6 if not having categories) then let the resurrection winner in as 7th seed and the fastest category champion in as the 6th seed. Don't we want to find out who the best gunfighter is at any given event. One of the weaknesses of the elimination format is that the luck of the draw many times determines how you do, not how you are shooting. To come back from the resurrection match to win is nearly impossible except for the best gunfighter there, and that is what we are trying to determine.
Last Saturday the Rio Salado Vaqueros held a 3x Magnificent Seven Match. As always it was an excellent event with 44 shooters attending. It is informative to consider the results in the discussion of format. The best gunfighter of the day clearly was The Draw (World 3rd) and the 2nd best gunfighter probably was Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot, age 7). Hi Strung was lamenting all day to me that he was shooting poorly (slow) but he was hitting and ended the main match clean with no x s. As such, Hi Strung was seeded 1st in the Magnificent Seven. Although probably in the top 20%, it was clear he was not the top gunfighter at the event.
Resurrection Feature: Although there was no official resurrection feature in the contest, it being a standard CFDA format, a resurrection did occur. In the last round of the main event, Coyote Kid eliminated the Draw reducing the field to 6. Following standard protocol, The Draw, clawed his way back through two other shooters to re-enter the field as the 7th seed.
This is not uncommon. In 2015, Marshall Cooper was resurrected at Winter Range to go onto win in a Magnificent Five format. At Colorado, Bonnie Ringo out shot Marshall Cooper to secure the 5th seed. It happens at most shoots with the magnificent format.
This resurrection feature was instituted for its entertainment value, to have a full field, but many times it serves a better function, that is to determine who the best gunfighter is on a given day. On Saturday, The Draw even though he had been eliminated won a bye round, then 8 matches in a row to win the event. He was truly the best gunfighter on February 13 on the Salty River.
The Magnificent Seven format does a pretty good job sorting out who the best gunfighter is on a given day. Getting ready for the Magnificent Seven, I see Hi Strung in the dry fire area, trying to find some more speed and I lectured him to dance with the girl (draw) that got him the number #1 seed. He and I both could not take my advice, and two losses resulted for both of us.
Lest you think it is easy to shoot in the Valley of the Sun here is the results of Saturday's shoot. 1st The Draw (Two-time National Champion), 2nd Whiskey, 3rd Hi Strung (2nd Tombstone),4th Muletrain (2015 Senior World Champion), 5th Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot age 7), 6th Alleluia Ruah (2014 Super Senior National Champion) 7th Miss Kitty (2015 World Champion and Multi-Territorial Champion).
Getting back to the discussion, I think it is good for the sport to have multiple champions. I love the way the Powderhorn Ranch Regulators shoot the National Championship. On Sunday, championship day, they crown 15 or so category champions and then the overall youth, women and men's overall champions. I hope, but doubt, this year's national shoot will have that format.
The inadvertent resurrection feature has worked so well in determining the best gunfighter, I see no reason that we do not institute it for all shooters and have a true resurrection shoot. Now we have 2nd chance shoots just to occupy eliminated shooters. There is no good reason or rule that prevents us from putting meaning into these shoots by allowing the winner back in as the number 7th seed. (paragraph 4, page 21 would have to be tweaked a bit.) Shouldn't our goal be to determine the best gunfighter on any given day.
It is too late to do much about the 2016 schedule, but 2017 is less then a year away. Got my work cut out for me. I have stated before, the best championship format would be to shoot down to five, (or 6 if not having categories) then let the resurrection winner in as 7th seed and the fastest category champion in as the 6th seed. Don't we want to find out who the best gunfighter is at any given event. One of the weaknesses of the elimination format is that the luck of the draw many times determines how you do, not how you are shooting. To come back from the resurrection match to win is nearly impossible except for the best gunfighter there, and that is what we are trying to determine.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Entertainment, Awards, and Growth
Quick Cal asks about whether we should be a spectator sport. The answer is we are not, never will be nor should we be. We should be accommodating and friendly to spectators which we are and always will be.
Cal looks at these issues as a "Top Gun" and he is influenced by other top guns around him. His perspective is from the top down. Maybe it would be helpful to look at these issues from the bottom up, from the perspective of the average shooter. We grow because it is a fun sport and a true sport, not an entertainment venue. It is not American Ninja Warriors. We grow because a newcomer can try it out and has a chance to be successful right away. Where else can a new competitor line up against a World Champion and win and it may be probable that he will win if the Champion is off target that day.
A good example at the Colorado State Championship was Bar-E. It was his first match, not his first titled match, the very first time he had every been to the line with a gun right off the shelve. He won 4 lost 4, even winning one against a top five finisher. He finished 31 out of 78. He was thrilled. He went home with an action job on his gun and another holster. He is now a promoter of CFDA. Bet there will be a CFDA club in the Loess Hills of Iowa within a few years.
Top down thinking would be that maybe we should do something about this, not entertaining to see a brand new shooter win. Bottom up thinking would be, heh, that is great, maybe I can do it too.
When we talk about these issue, think in terms of what can be done to make it a sport that is enjoyed by all, the top guns as well as the average shooter.
I absolutely love the format at Nationals. I think it is a bottom up format. There is room for 85 shooters to participate in a magnificent shoot-off. At the 2015 Nationals, I moved up to Old Timers, and by my calculation failed to made the shoot-offs. (Old Timers is the toughest category) However, since those in the Magnificent Seven are excluded (there were three in the Magnificent Seven), I made the Magnificent shootoff and finished third. Cal was announcing and he correctly called the winners, National Champions.
Last year I won Super Senior National Championship and I can assure you it has made me a promoter of the sport. I sell the sport ever chance I get. I talk to every spectator that will listen to me. I recruit kids in sporting goods store. I am always selling.
Since this is my soap box let me tell you what I think a perfect Territorial would be. Three day event. First day, seven rounds of the main match. Second day, shoot down to top five in main match and have a true resurrection match for all eliminated in first 8 rounds. Winner is seeded 6th in the Magnificent Seven shootoff. Third day, category magnificent five with the fastest Category Champion not already in seeded 7th. (This is fast draw.)
Nobody is out of it for sure until the last day. Room for 85 shooters to participate in a Magnificent Shoot-off. Lots of Champions, lots of shooting, everyone has a chance to win.
In golf if I go up against Bubba Watson, I have no chance. In Cowboy Fastdraw if I go up against Marshall Cooper, I have a chance, and my attitude today is "I ain't letting him get away again." In what other sport, can an average fella not only have a chance, but believe that he will prevail against a world champion. I love this sport. Let's keep it a sport!
Cal looks at these issues as a "Top Gun" and he is influenced by other top guns around him. His perspective is from the top down. Maybe it would be helpful to look at these issues from the bottom up, from the perspective of the average shooter. We grow because it is a fun sport and a true sport, not an entertainment venue. It is not American Ninja Warriors. We grow because a newcomer can try it out and has a chance to be successful right away. Where else can a new competitor line up against a World Champion and win and it may be probable that he will win if the Champion is off target that day.
A good example at the Colorado State Championship was Bar-E. It was his first match, not his first titled match, the very first time he had every been to the line with a gun right off the shelve. He won 4 lost 4, even winning one against a top five finisher. He finished 31 out of 78. He was thrilled. He went home with an action job on his gun and another holster. He is now a promoter of CFDA. Bet there will be a CFDA club in the Loess Hills of Iowa within a few years.
Top down thinking would be that maybe we should do something about this, not entertaining to see a brand new shooter win. Bottom up thinking would be, heh, that is great, maybe I can do it too.
When we talk about these issue, think in terms of what can be done to make it a sport that is enjoyed by all, the top guns as well as the average shooter.
I absolutely love the format at Nationals. I think it is a bottom up format. There is room for 85 shooters to participate in a magnificent shoot-off. At the 2015 Nationals, I moved up to Old Timers, and by my calculation failed to made the shoot-offs. (Old Timers is the toughest category) However, since those in the Magnificent Seven are excluded (there were three in the Magnificent Seven), I made the Magnificent shootoff and finished third. Cal was announcing and he correctly called the winners, National Champions.
Last year I won Super Senior National Championship and I can assure you it has made me a promoter of the sport. I sell the sport ever chance I get. I talk to every spectator that will listen to me. I recruit kids in sporting goods store. I am always selling.
Since this is my soap box let me tell you what I think a perfect Territorial would be. Three day event. First day, seven rounds of the main match. Second day, shoot down to top five in main match and have a true resurrection match for all eliminated in first 8 rounds. Winner is seeded 6th in the Magnificent Seven shootoff. Third day, category magnificent five with the fastest Category Champion not already in seeded 7th. (This is fast draw.)
Nobody is out of it for sure until the last day. Room for 85 shooters to participate in a Magnificent Shoot-off. Lots of Champions, lots of shooting, everyone has a chance to win.
In golf if I go up against Bubba Watson, I have no chance. In Cowboy Fastdraw if I go up against Marshall Cooper, I have a chance, and my attitude today is "I ain't letting him get away again." In what other sport, can an average fella not only have a chance, but believe that he will prevail against a world champion. I love this sport. Let's keep it a sport!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Winter Range, Tombstone Revisited!
I did not mean to say, but did say, that one of the top four should have intentionally lost for a competitive advantage. That is not the cowboy way. I apologize. My wife has said for years that my thinking is a half of bubble out of plumb.
Having said that, we are now in the planning stage for next year's shoot, be it a jackpot or state championship. It is informative to look at this year's shoot at Tombstone (Last Man Standing) as compared to Winter Range (Magnificent Five).
Had Winter Range been a Last Man Standing shoot the results would have been completely different. Last Man Standing would have resulted in Marshall Cooper 5th, Cobb 6th and Brasanda Spur 7th. Most likely Cowboy Up would have won since only he had no Xs among the top four shooters, although you never know because he would have been shooting the top four in every subsequent round, two of whom were as quick as he. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th places would have been determined on the line between the Draw, Short Keg and Hyde Hunter.
Which do you prefer? Last Man Standing is the fairer of the two. (To highlight the unfairness, 1st place had 4 Xs while second place had only 2 Xs at Winter Range) Magnificent Five/Seven is the more entertaining. Magnificent Seven is used as nationals and world so that is a good reason to use it here. I have been to other State Championships that use Last Man Standing format.
Having won a Magnificent Five I prefer that format. We can do either in a jackpot shoot or a state championship. I have been lobbying for a major shoot with 17 Magnificent Five shoot-offs, I find that format so much fun, even if a little unfair.
Think about it then let the board know which you prefer. I suggest an e-mail to a board member, something in black and white has more staying power than word of mouth.
Thanks for reading the ramblings of an old fool.
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Having said that, we are now in the planning stage for next year's shoot, be it a jackpot or state championship. It is informative to look at this year's shoot at Tombstone (Last Man Standing) as compared to Winter Range (Magnificent Five).
Had Winter Range been a Last Man Standing shoot the results would have been completely different. Last Man Standing would have resulted in Marshall Cooper 5th, Cobb 6th and Brasanda Spur 7th. Most likely Cowboy Up would have won since only he had no Xs among the top four shooters, although you never know because he would have been shooting the top four in every subsequent round, two of whom were as quick as he. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th places would have been determined on the line between the Draw, Short Keg and Hyde Hunter.
Which do you prefer? Last Man Standing is the fairer of the two. (To highlight the unfairness, 1st place had 4 Xs while second place had only 2 Xs at Winter Range) Magnificent Five/Seven is the more entertaining. Magnificent Seven is used as nationals and world so that is a good reason to use it here. I have been to other State Championships that use Last Man Standing format.
Having won a Magnificent Five I prefer that format. We can do either in a jackpot shoot or a state championship. I have been lobbying for a major shoot with 17 Magnificent Five shoot-offs, I find that format so much fun, even if a little unfair.
Think about it then let the board know which you prefer. I suggest an e-mail to a board member, something in black and white has more staying power than word of mouth.
Thanks for reading the ramblings of an old fool.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Lessons learned in Tombstone
It was a great venue, a great day, and a well run shoot, but there are always lessons to be learned.
There was an abnormally high number of no hit times. That must have resulted from either the netting being too tight, there being a hard surface behind the netting or the backstop being set to close to the netting. Anyway it really slowed down the matches. We don't have this problem with our range, but it is good to note in the event someone wants to move the targets closer to the back stop.
Money was paid out to the top five and it was a last man standing event. Since the final five shooters were very consistent in their times and accuracy a comparison can be made between last man standing and magnificent five format. (Analysis of men matches only, assuming the same speed and accuracy) All matches among the top five were decided in 5 shots or less, everyone shooting better than 60%, with the top two shooting 80% or better. Therefore among the top five all matches were decided on speed.
Number of Rounds: There were 5 regular rounds and 4 bye rounds necessary to sort out the top five. 4th and 5th place were not determined on the firing line. Both went out in the second round of the top five after a bye and I don't know how the placings were determined whether by time out or first out. It is normally customary to shoot this off because money is involved but that was not done. (I don't think it was done but I may be mistaken cause I was distracted by the pretty girl in the front row.) So there should have been 10 rounds instead of 9 rounds.
A magnificent five shoot off would have taken five regular rounds. A round of two shooters, three rounds of 4 shooters and a round of two shooters. There can be no bye rounds in a magnificent five format.
Wear and Tear on the Shooter: Alleluia shot in 8 of the 9 rounds (4 bye rounds and 4 regular rounds), Spraying Lead Ned shot in 7 of the 9 rounds (4 bye rounds and 3 regular rounds), Rodeo shot in 6 of the 9 rounds (4 byes and 2 regular), EB and Pillsbury both shot in 2 of the 9 rounds (1 bye and 1 regular).
In a magnificent five format, EB would have shot in 2 rounds finishing 5th, Pillsbury would have shot in 3 rounds finishing 4th, Spraying Lead Ned would have shot in 2 rounds to finish in 3rd place, Alleluia would have shot in 3 rounds to finish in 2nd and Rodeo would have shot in 2 rounds to finish 1st.
Final Placings: Because the quickness of the final five shooters was so well delineated and because everyone was shooting better than 60%, the final placings would have been the same whether in last man standing format or magnificent five format. However, if any of the shooters dropped below 60%, format may have made a big difference. In magnificent five the seeding would have been Spraying Lead Ned, Rodeo, Alleluia, Pillsbury and EB.
Last Man Standing v. Magnificent Five: When shooters are consistent, the biggest difference between the formats is that Magnificent Five will be determined in five rounds whereas Last Man Standing may take up to ten rounds counting byes. The other difference is that if you have a clinger (clinging to that last X) he may have an abnormally high number of rounds, the Magnificent Five spreads the wear and tear out.
Winter Range is Magnificent Five!!!!!!!!!! February 28, 2015.
For those of you that missed it, the venue was awesome. It was set in a natural boulder walled terraced location, targets were set up in the Oriental Saloon, score officials set up in the next door hotel and bordello with the sheriffs office and jail at the end of the street. The terraces were paved and wide enough for shooters chairs. The boulder wall gave radiant heat and protection for the wind. Tourists observed from the lookout on top of the boulder wall. Best venue for observing that I have ever seen, better than Nationals and World. Speaker system could have been better. Great little cafe on site, locals say best food in Tombstone.
Here is photo of the site before it was cleaned up by Old Pueblo Gunfighters taken from the lookout above the site:
Tombstone gave credence to the Appaloosa saying, "Quick only does you good, if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about!"
There was an abnormally high number of no hit times. That must have resulted from either the netting being too tight, there being a hard surface behind the netting or the backstop being set to close to the netting. Anyway it really slowed down the matches. We don't have this problem with our range, but it is good to note in the event someone wants to move the targets closer to the back stop.
Money was paid out to the top five and it was a last man standing event. Since the final five shooters were very consistent in their times and accuracy a comparison can be made between last man standing and magnificent five format. (Analysis of men matches only, assuming the same speed and accuracy) All matches among the top five were decided in 5 shots or less, everyone shooting better than 60%, with the top two shooting 80% or better. Therefore among the top five all matches were decided on speed.
Number of Rounds: There were 5 regular rounds and 4 bye rounds necessary to sort out the top five. 4th and 5th place were not determined on the firing line. Both went out in the second round of the top five after a bye and I don't know how the placings were determined whether by time out or first out. It is normally customary to shoot this off because money is involved but that was not done. (I don't think it was done but I may be mistaken cause I was distracted by the pretty girl in the front row.) So there should have been 10 rounds instead of 9 rounds.
A magnificent five shoot off would have taken five regular rounds. A round of two shooters, three rounds of 4 shooters and a round of two shooters. There can be no bye rounds in a magnificent five format.
Wear and Tear on the Shooter: Alleluia shot in 8 of the 9 rounds (4 bye rounds and 4 regular rounds), Spraying Lead Ned shot in 7 of the 9 rounds (4 bye rounds and 3 regular rounds), Rodeo shot in 6 of the 9 rounds (4 byes and 2 regular), EB and Pillsbury both shot in 2 of the 9 rounds (1 bye and 1 regular).
In a magnificent five format, EB would have shot in 2 rounds finishing 5th, Pillsbury would have shot in 3 rounds finishing 4th, Spraying Lead Ned would have shot in 2 rounds to finish in 3rd place, Alleluia would have shot in 3 rounds to finish in 2nd and Rodeo would have shot in 2 rounds to finish 1st.
Final Placings: Because the quickness of the final five shooters was so well delineated and because everyone was shooting better than 60%, the final placings would have been the same whether in last man standing format or magnificent five format. However, if any of the shooters dropped below 60%, format may have made a big difference. In magnificent five the seeding would have been Spraying Lead Ned, Rodeo, Alleluia, Pillsbury and EB.
Last Man Standing v. Magnificent Five: When shooters are consistent, the biggest difference between the formats is that Magnificent Five will be determined in five rounds whereas Last Man Standing may take up to ten rounds counting byes. The other difference is that if you have a clinger (clinging to that last X) he may have an abnormally high number of rounds, the Magnificent Five spreads the wear and tear out.
Winter Range is Magnificent Five!!!!!!!!!! February 28, 2015.
For those of you that missed it, the venue was awesome. It was set in a natural boulder walled terraced location, targets were set up in the Oriental Saloon, score officials set up in the next door hotel and bordello with the sheriffs office and jail at the end of the street. The terraces were paved and wide enough for shooters chairs. The boulder wall gave radiant heat and protection for the wind. Tourists observed from the lookout on top of the boulder wall. Best venue for observing that I have ever seen, better than Nationals and World. Speaker system could have been better. Great little cafe on site, locals say best food in Tombstone.
Here is photo of the site before it was cleaned up by Old Pueblo Gunfighters taken from the lookout above the site:
Tombstone gave credence to the Appaloosa saying, "Quick only does you good, if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about!"
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