Howdy Linn Co. Ranger and y'all others, too!
There seems to be something of a misunderstanding and I hope some of our posts will help clear it up.
I'm one of the "authenticity crowd." By that, I mean that my hopes are for NCOWS to continue as a viable alternative to the "Fantasy Cowboy" or even the "Pure Competitor" mentality of SASS. However, if you'll read the bottom of my post, you'll see that I'm a Life member of SASS. I'd be a Life member of NCOWS, too, but the ol' wallet won't stand for that just yet.
That said, there's room in NCOWS for the competitor. Our own newly elected Marshal of NCOWS, "Irish Dave" Scott, is consistantly at the TOP of our club's shoot results. He likes a bit of the competition - but he (I think) like many of us mostly compete against ourselves. Do you see the difference? My personal goal is to shoot a clean match; something I've come close to (by 1 miss!) several times, but not yet reached.
There will
never (if I may be so bold to use a word that should
never be used
) be an end to the "competition" phase; there will always be members who want to be the fastest and some will want to look their pre-1899 best, and some will only care about reaching the minimum dress standards. The NCOWS tent (like SASS') is a BIG one, with room for all kinds of folks. Ruger Vaqueros were one of the few guns available (that weren't Colts) when SASS
AND NCOWS started: they'll be a welcome Company for as long as we play this game, IMHO. It was only the Bisley Vaquero, which really only
sorta looked like the Colt Bisley which got the axe. As to the Single Six, I think that was a safety issue - steel targets and 22s don't generally mix well. And, I THINK that local clubs can still allow the Single sixes & Bearcats if their range can support their use; they just can't hold a major event and use them in the main stages, just side matches. Pretty much like SASS. Very little in NCOWS has changed; mostly things have been
added to accomodate the "authenticity first" members, not replace all the members who may not care as much about clothing and accessories.
And by the way, I doubt that your well-stated post riled any of us! I think I speak for all (or at least most) members: we hope you and your wife continue on as NCOWS members!