IDES of March 2014

[girphoto]

Howdy Pard's

Two weeks ago, the Great Ides of March match was held in Tavares, Florida.
This is one of the best match's of the month and we had about 168 shooters.
Some how, I first was wrangled into sponsor a stage at the match, so I agreed.
I gave away a photo shoot for one lucky shooter and it was a friend who I shoot with on the third Saturday of ever month at her club........But never learning how to say "NO" I was than asked to be a Main Match sponsor and photograph the match and the 10 posse's.
Well, that will never happen again

I was not only shooting on Posse 9 but going between all 10 posse's to cover their shooting and posse photos.

Than there was the match its self...If you think it is hard to focus on shooting and focus on shooting it is very had.

We had 6 stages on Saturday followed by a Cowboy dinner and 4 stages on Sunday followed by an awards event (all of which I had to photograph).

But I usually shoot in the Senior Senior Duelist (SSD) category but the match director decided to join the SSD with the Senior Duelist, those shoots are a little younger and have better knees and move a lot easier than I do.
But after the first 6 stages I was holding my own in and around 4th. place in the category .
On Sunday, the weather could not be better....we started shooting at 8:30 A.M. and I was still holding on through 3 of the 4 stages.

We advanced to the last stage of the match which consisted of 10 rifle, 6 shotgun in 3 different moves through the stage and 10 pistol.
So at the sound of the BEEEEEP, I lifted my lever action and went though 10 rifle, moved to the first shotgun position and shot 2, unloaded and started to move and reload in my trusty CZ Ringneck shotgun loaded and shot 2 and started to move as I shucked the two empty shells and went to the third shotgun position, shot 2 more and then 10 pistol.
At that time the TO (timer Operator of RO) came over and said let talk at the unloading table, where I was told that I had shuffled mu feet on the second shotgun area (rule says that you can not move more than one foot in a position once the gun is loaded or shot gun closed or hammer back).
I said that I did not shuffle and to show me in the sand where my feet made those marks, bu someone else had already started shooting.
Well, you guessed it it gave me a Stage DQ, and dropped me out of contention.
I sat by my self for 10 minutes , had a lot of posse members come over and said that they did nit see me move, checked wit the spotters and they did not see it,but some one else on the pose did and reported it...Unless it is a major Safety like breaking the 170 degree rule it is up to the spotters to pint it out.

But as I have always said "IF YOU WANT FRIENDS AT A MATCH YOU BETTER BRING THEM WITH YOU"

Here are some photos from the match:













LOADING BLACK POWDER GUNS



YOUR POSTER REDSTONE RIDER










SOME OTHER SHOOTERS





AND ONE 11 YEAR OLD COWBOY








AND DOC SHOOTING PLACK POWDER

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AND SOME FUN













So Pard's that is my story and I am sticking to it


GrayR