women in CAS

[Butch Brass]

Ok ladys:ty since I am a man I need some advice our local club is trying to get more women into the sport and would like to host a seminar in May or June
the problem is that I know some good women shooters but would like to know if you would help me with some that could help with this seminar in way northern Utah.

[Wallaby Jack]

Now Mr. Brass, you ain't that alien whot's gunna abduct all tha sexy, good lookin' wimmens, .... are ya ? (;))

Nah, ... ya'll just wanna borra 'em fer a time, spoil 'em rotten, an' then give 'em back ... right ??? :w2

:wallaby

[Butch Brass]

I've heard about you and no I aint gonna abduct all the perdy women the misses won't let me

QUOTE=Wallaby Jack;71153]Now Mr. Brass, you ain't that alien whot's gunna abduct all tha sexy, good lookin' wimmens, .... are ya ? (;))

Nah, ... ya'll just wanna borra 'em fer a time, spoil 'em rotten, an' then give 'em back ... right ??? :w2

:wallaby[/QUOTE]

[Coffee Em]

Speaking as a woman who'd like to be a shooter... Has your club considered hosting new shooter clinics just for women? Advertise 'em in shooters' venues, but also on local bulletin boards, notices in cable access events calendars around the area, small weekly papers--places where folks might spot them who wouldn't already be hanging out at the gun shop and the sporting-goods store. Make it sound fun and lively and not a big-deal challenging adventure thing. Use photos of women in costume shooting; they really are worth a thousand words.

Why clinics just for women? New shooter clinics are going to have a good many men who're familiar with guns and shooting, but who haven't shot Cowboy Action before. Women are more likely to have very little experience with guns, or with shooting sports. They'd like a chance to begin at the beginning, in a context where they don't feel as if they're the Special Ed student holding up the line, as it were. A lot of the women you're trying to attract are a whole different kind of new shooter; they'll have more fun and learn faster in an environment where they aren't expected to keep up with folks who are already comfortable with handling firearms.

Of course, once they get there, you'll have to have a teaching plan that creates that familiarity and comfort level and reinforces the fun and the self-confidence. How do you do that? Hey, I'm just a would-be shooter, remember? :D :D :D

Gotta say, though, thank you and your club for setting out on this journey. This is a good thing to do!

[Butch Brass]

Coffe Em our intent is to bring in the women that are interested in learning to shoot but more so toward the women that areinterested in CAS like my wife Vindictive Violet and some of the other shooters Wifes that would rather learn from someone other than there spouses we intend to post the dates of this in our local news papers .

Thanks for your advice

[Wallaby Jack]

........... ah, yes ... sometimes the "new shooters" spouse should be invited to be somewhereselse ...


Sir, I applaud yer endevour ....

...... an' yer kin borra as many of our wimmins as will let ya ... :D


:wallaby

[Winston Dawg]

Never mind the PM. Missed this post.

WD:go

[Prairie Wildflower]

Coffee Em, I totally agree with you. Women will feel much less intimidated if they're in training sessions with other women and not men. Yes, shooting safety and all things shooting related are the #1 priorities, as we want everyone to be safe, but having a lady (or ladies) there to also put some emphasis on the costuming aspect of CAS can't hurt! I know I've talked quite a few ladies into CAS based on the costuming part of the sport. And also maybe put together a little fact sheet containing info and web addresses for them to check out concerning costuming and other women-related CAS topics.

[Cinnamon Teal]

I think this idea is wonderful. However, playing the devil's advocate here, it was easier for me to learn to shoot from a man than it would be a woman. Not to say I couldn't learn from a woman but the men that taught me were very good and didn't treat me like a fragile flower. I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I wasn't taught by my husband (he was my boyfriend at the time) but he was there. I have found over the years that I learn stuff like this better from a man than a woman.

When it comes to the clothing, however, that is a totally different subject. Put me in a room with all the women who make this clothing and I'm ecstatic.

Good luck with your venture. I look forward to hearing about how the sessions go.

[Coffee Em]

Cinnamon, you betcha--a good teacher is a good teacher, whether male or female! I was only thinking of the curriculum and students being all-gal-oriented. All the teacher needs to be is savvy.

More nattering on this ('cause your question got me thinking, Mr. Brass! And it's all so relevant to my own sitch-ee-ay-shun). There are plenty of women who have the same sort of background in shooting that my brother has: a BB gun at an early age, hunting varmints with a .22, military service, and an ongoing interest in hunting, sport shooting, and firearms-collecting. But most women didn't do any of that, and if they find the idea of CAS interesting, they have to make up for a lot of lost time and experience.

Someone who's used to showing experienced shooters the ropes of CAS will need a bit different lesson plan to effectively teach folks who are starting with a lot less familiarity with firearms. (Male or female folks, I have to add; there are plenty of guys who also never get experience handling guns in the usual way of things.)

[Nevada Skye]

How are ya BB? Glad to see you are working on getting the ladies into CAS. My personal opinion....be sure someone other than the husband/boyfriend teach the prospective shooter. I think the teacher can be a man or a woman, as long as they are good teachers. My husband knew how to shoot CAS, but for my "advocate" the first time I shot I had a very enthusiastic and fun woman to walk me through with no rush. It was great even if I was so nervous I thought I couldn't breathe right!!
Have some nice but not tooooo fancy shooting costumes for the ladies to see, (don't want to scare them off thinking they can't come up with costumes) and maybe an album with other costumes and dresses from banquets (or here!) for them to see. Stress safety, fun and new friends just waiting to be discovered. How the cowboys LOVE to have the ladies come shoot with them and treat them with respect. (Not all shooting sports welcome ladies and juniors with open arms). Point them to places like Recollections and Wild West Mercantile where they can buy clothes, and of course to here for help with sewing their own.
I am sure you and Vindictive Violet have thought this all out, but maybe a new idea will pop up.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Skye
j

[Sweet Jenny-Lynne]

Howdy, BB. I'm a good woman. And a SASS shooter. I'll volunteer to help. It sounds like fun.

Other women who shoot in this part of the area are Dog Woman, Light Angel, Kitty Roper, Bodaxious Moombeam, Red Desert Vixen. I can send out the word and have them get back to you.

SJL

[DogWoman]

I'm following the thread, SJL. I already sent him a PM.

[Boss Lady]

Our club put on a CAS clinic for ladies only in November; called it a 'Petticoat Shoot', and had 20 enthusiastic ladies participate. Two stages were set up for pistols and rifles. They all did great with the pistols, but not as good with the rifles. Another clinic is planned for the spring using rifles and shotguns. We've also put together some 'gift bags' for each of them that have past issues of Cowboy Chronicles and shooting magazines (contributed by some of our SASS members), and contact info for clothing, leather, guns, etc. I saw one of the ladies earlier this week and she excitedly told me she already has all her cowboy guns together and can't wait for the next shooting event. And now we've also had some of the fellows expressing interest in a clinic so they can get into this great sport as well. Good luck and keep us all posted!

[Bloomin']

Blackheart and I picked up some steel cowboy poppers with pigeon flippers. We're taking them to our local gun club tomorrow just to let some of the members use our pistols, rifles, and shotguns. A few of the guys already have 97s. Everyone is curious about CAS so we're going to give them a little taste.

[Coffee Em]

Wow, Boss Lady, that sounds great! Wish I coulda been there--it sounds like just what I need.

But they didn't do so well with the rifle? I remember trying out a pistol and a rifle at EoT mucho years ago. Shot the pistol, finally hit a couple of things (and was very excited), then switched to rifle...and clang, clang, clang! I stopped in the middle of the business and said to the guy with the timer, "Oh, so when you really want to hit something, you use one of these, huh?" :rofl

[Boss Lady]

Hi Em. I think the problem was that none of them had ever tried a lever action rifle before, where most had at least tried some sort of pistol. But it sure didn't deter them. They're all very excited about the next clinic. I like the rifle the best too. The instructors were all guys from our club and they had just as much fun as the ladies did! I'm going to get involved with the costuming aspects at the next clinic. Thought I'd take along some of my stuff. I thought the hats would be really fun.

[Coffee Em]

Boss Lady, they'll go nuts over your hats. What fun that's going to be!

[Madame Olive Yew]

Coffee Em, I'm with you, Until last May I hadn't ever shot a pistol in my life & couldn't hit squat. I had grown up shooting a .22 bolt action rifle & was fairly acurate with it back then. When we started shooting I was much better (confident) with the .357 rifle than with the .357 pistol, & shotgun just scared me to death. (I'm over that now.) Rifle is still my favorite gun to shoot.

BB & VV, Great idea getting a class together for ladies.

[Yankee Belle]

Sorry to answer this so late. But our rifle and pistol club offered a Ladies Field Day at the end of October. Where any ladies who was interested in shooting could come out for the day and learn about guns. I think that we had about 150 ladies who showed up. They had between 8 and 10 different classes to take . It took all day to do this and we had a lunch also. they learned CAS, self defense shooting, etc. They said that they really enjoyed it. I was there helping out with the CAS. CAS members where in costume. We supplied the guns and ammo.

[Alpine Lil]

Interestin' thread! I spoke with our local club's TG at the convention, letting him know that I wanted to start CAS. I trap shoot only so rifle and pistols will be new to me. He has a "Sunday school" once a month for anyone new coming into CAS and he loves newcomers, especially women. He's promised to go slow and steady with me and I'm excited!!! So excited in fact, that I took Dixie Belle's class and walked straight out to the vendors and bought a rifle. Since I won't get it for a couple of months (waiting for an action job and California laws!!!) so in the meantime, I'll use my husbands during Sunday School and figure out just what will work for me re: pistols. Then....I'll invest in the holster and be on my way. I'm tired of just playing Single Action Shopping Society, Single Action Sewing Socity....I'm wanted to do the Shootin' Society stuff too!!!! I've waited this long for fear that my reconstructed breast from cancer would be hurt in some way from shooting but once I started back to trap shooting, I remembered that the darn butt of the gun doesn't come anywhere near that new puppy. :tban

[Bloomin']

Ohhhhhh, here she goes!!! Good luck Alpine Lil! You will love it!!

[Iona Vaquero]

Alpine Lil, welcome to the world of "Honey, I'd like a new gun for Christmas". I started out watching and then going to the truck to read when I got too bored. Three months of that and I decided that either I was going to stop going to watch hubby shoot, or I was going to start shooting myself. I think my first raw time was 120 seconds, who knows how many misses I had. Now, I'm the first one to say "What time do we have to leave to shoot tomorrow?"

We also discovered that I don't learn well from hubby. I read all kinds of nuances into his tone and gestures and get too mad to learn anything. Madd Mike is the one to tell me what I did wrong and how to fix it. I think it just works better to have someone you trust, but don't live with guide you through the learning process.

[Alpine Lil]

The advice my hubby gave me regarding CAS...

"Be safe, go slow and just have fun."

Not trusting him...I think he's really saying to me,

"Be safe...Don't shoot me Marcia." "Go slow...don't get better than me." and "Have fun...don't get winny on me if you're not good!" :lalala

You're right....I best take advice from someone I trust! :ty

[Iona Vaquero]

I don't think I've wanted to shoot Jus BN Cocky, but I've considered hitting him on the head with the butt of my shotgun. That'll learn him.:lool:lool

[Ida Hands]

Interestin' thread! I spoke with our local club's TG at the convention, letting him know that I wanted to start CAS. I trap shoot only so rifle and pistols will be new to me. He has a "Sunday school" once a month for anyone new coming into CAS and he loves newcomers, especially women. He's promised to go slow and steady with me and I'm excited!!! So excited in fact, that I took Dixie Belle's class and walked straight out to the vendors and bought a rifle. Since I won't get it for a couple of months (waiting for an action job and California laws!!!) so in the meantime, I'll use my husbands during Sunday School and figure out just what will work for me re: pistols. Then....I'll invest in the holster and be on my way. I'm tired of just playing Single Action Shopping Society, Single Action Sewing Socity....I'm wanted to do the Shootin' Society stuff too!!!! I've waited this long for fear that my reconstructed breast from cancer would be hurt in some way from shooting but once I started back to trap shooting, I remembered that the darn butt of the gun doesn't come anywhere near that new puppy. :tban

Well now, Miss Alpine Lil, this is an exciting post for me. I have been looking for a while now for a local CAS/SASS club. Descanso seems to be the only one other than Escondido(I think) And I neither one seems to have a website for CAS. I shore would appreciate some information on this if you would, please. (Look! A place to wear our creations, I hope.)

[Alpine Lil]

Absolutely!!! My hubby, Lightning Will, belongs to the Dulzura Desperados and you're welcome to go with us to the next shooting. The club meets the second Saturday of each month....the next being on January 12th. The contact is Hashknife Willie and his wife is Sassy Cynthia. The contact number is (619) 271-1481. If you'd like more info, I'll ask LW to have Hashknife email you. Also....I think the "Sunday School" is the fourth Sunday if you want to come along. There isn't one this month but there will be in January.

[Ida Hands]

COOL! Thanks! That sounds very good. My son, Don Ten Bears, is very interested too. He recently had a lesson with the uncle of his best friend (my "Other" son). The uncle is very involved in Hollywood. He is an actor that has done quite a bit of work including stunts. He was even beaten up by Patrick Swayze in one of his films.