As most of you know, I kind of started in CAS when I was living in Norway and when I became a SASS member in the early 90's, very few knew about this sport and its existence over there. When I started the caslist and Cas City in 1995, I was still a "CAS loner" in my neck of the woods, but I was ready to learn more. So I started thinking and cooking up some plans in my head about how to get this sport established in Europe and to get an organization up and running.
The first years, my CAS activity was limited to being all by myself at the shooting range, trying to copy as much as I could after reading about the sport in gun magazines, from the SASS Handbook and the Chronicle. I even had my own loading and unloading table and just kept tellin' myself that one day, I would start competing in this sport. I practiced by myself, talked to myself and was, in my mind, shooting with the best of 'em.
Finally the day came when I was invited by my friends on the caslist and by SASS, to compete at End of Trail '97.
Lord, I was excited. I was like a kid at Christmas. Couldn't sleep the night before, and of course, that is all I thought about the whole week before. I don't think anybody knew that this was, in fact, my very first CAS match. I knew annual events like this was not for beginners, and I was one of the biggest beginners in the pack. But I was thinking...I had a bit of knowledge from competing in different shooting sports and I was armed with years of experience in firearms safety, so maybe I could get through this without too much embarrassment,
And I wasn't going to try to be the fastest gunslinger east of New York. So with all of these thoughts in my head going a hundred mile an hour.. I decided all I could was load up...let if fly and do my best.
I.M. Nobody from BCVC, set me up with 2 Colt SAA, a Winchester 92 and a double barrel shotgun. I had the rest, the outfit and leather. Tioga, Dogface and other BCVC members took good care of me.They didn't question or say anything but I do believe they thought I had a bit more experience than I actually had.
I guess they thought the Marshal of Cas City couldn't be a complete greenhorn. But a complete beginning greenhorn was exactly what I was.
During the briefing of stage 1, I don't think I have ever in my whole life, concentrated so hard.
I paid attention to every detail. I tried to notice every little thing and my hours reading the handbook and everything else about this sport, became very valuable to me. I gave a silent thank you also for all my mental preparations. Cause, I know it made it look like I had been in this situation before.
It was time.I was ready....
Nothing so far was feeling unfamiliar and I felt comfortable and in good spirits. To my surprise, when the posse started to line up to the loading table, I was not even nervous, just anxious to get started.
At the loading table and with the plugs in my ears, I could both feel and hear my heart was starting to pump a little hard and fast.
It was my turn at the firing line. The reality of the situation suddenly hit me. I could hardly breathe.. my mouth was drier than the Sahara desert...and my dang heart was beating so loud, I was sure everyone could hear it.
The timer went off! The world kind of disappeared around me. The posse was gone, the spectators behind the fence weren't there. It was just me, the RO, the course of fire, safety, 170 rule, aiming and firing. And fire away I did !. What a feeling!
It was when I heard the applause of everyone, that I realized I was done. Wow. It felt like I had been shooting for 3-4 minutes (in fact it was only 41 seconds). I had two misses, no procedural and my very first CAS stage in a competition was over.
I was just in my own world for a minute...a bit dazed, I guess you could say. If the RO hadn't tapped me on the shoulder, I guess I would have stood there for an hour wondering if there were more targets to shoot.
So I am at the unloading table, and the delayed reaction came swooping down on me. When I opened the loading gate on the first handgun, I shook so much that I didn't even have to push the empties out. They just came spilling out all over the place, my hands were shaking so bad that I could hardly hold the gun. I bet the poor guy standing there had a hard time not laughing, cause when I looked up at him, his face was all puckered up... I can't remember what I said, (trying to joke about myself I guess), but my voice shook real bad too. Whatever it was, he couldn't stand it any longer and burst out laughing. We both did and so did the rest of the posse when they heard the story of my "unloading technique".
Stage 1 at EOT '97 was the beginning of years of good laughter and fun and friendships.
I went back to Norway and convinced a few individuals to help me found Scandinavian Western Shooters and well.... the rest is history.