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 THE
SPIRIT OF THE GAME
The 10th Edition Shooters
Handbook, published by the Single Action Shooting Society
(SASS), describes the Spirit of the Game as when, "You fully
participate in what the competition asks.
You do not look for ways to create an advantage out of
what is or is not stated as a rule or shooting procedure.
Some folks would call "Spirit of the Game" as nothing
more than good sportsmanship."
What does this mystifying term
"Spirit of the Game" mean to us?
How does it impact our sport?
Why is it important?
Who exemplifies the term?
Why do some events have a Spirit of the Game award?
How can we encourage ourselves and others to strive to be
part of such a spirit? Is there a relationship between this term and another known
as "The Cowboy Way?" These
are all questions that I feel we should take some time to think
about.
Tex, the editor of the
Chronicle and one of the SASS Wild Bunch, has, in more than one
editorial, covered SASS's viewpoint of how to shoot a stage
under the influence of the Spirit of the Game, and I totally
agree with their viewpoint.
When I think of a person who embodies the Spirit of the
Game, I envision an individual who finishes the stage not only
as the scenario is written, but without trying to find a way to
shave off a tenth of a second because of
"what is or is not stated as a rule or shooting
procedure." This
individual also doesn't get upset if he/she misses a few shots
or gets a procedural. This
is a shooter who jumps in and picks up brass and helps out with
posse responsibilities. And when he/she sees an interested bystander at a monthly
match, this person offers to loan the bystander guns, ammo,
leather, and anything else they need to help them get started.
I shot with a young man last year in
Missouri that was recovering from an accident.
His muscle control was good enough to shoot safely, but
it was very difficult for him to hold steady on small targets at
any distance. On
one stage, where you could keep shooting until you got all the
targets, he continued to drop cartridges down into the chamber
of his '92 for a good two minutes until he hit every one.
Not only that, he also, without a word, jumped in to help
the posse at every stage. That
is what I call Spirit! Editorial
Continued
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