I was just thinking about what a unique and wonderful event we have in the Southern Nationals, where a real "Gathering of the Tribes" atmosphere doesn't conflict in the least with the electricity of top-level competition. I always have the feeling that both the shooters and the organizers care about the quality of the entire experience. The officials never seem to mind stupid questions. When you find that the team scope has been moved and your shooter may have a scorer but no spotter, there's a stranger who notices and sets up his expensive equipment post haste! And the guy who has his worst score in years is still smiling and having fun.
It's hard not to have fun when you're at a beautiful range and the weather is great and McLemore is prowling around with a wicked gleam in his eye and national record holders are greeting you by your first name.
This year surely added to my list of great memories. I spotted CB to a 38 which I THINK, subject to official results, was the highest score shot on the weekend. I told him I had never realized I was that good. I attended some late-night conversations that will absolutely improve my shooting. I got to see some youngsters step up to some big-time scores.
And almost everywhere you hang out you find yourself laughing a lot. The match is dead serious but it sure ain't grim. Trust me.
It's sort of a marathon and some of the people who aren't in peak physical condition *ahem* get a little tired by Sunday afternoon. I was sitting under the tent about 3:00 pm looking around at all the bodies slumped in chairs, eyes closed, mouths agape. I caught Doc's eye and gestured to our somnolent compatriots. He lifted one eyebrow and said: "I'd be careful about checking on some of these folks, you might end up having a lot of paperwork to do."
You had to be there.

Taking Limeys hard earned money, seeing everyone, chicken taking jays money, seeing a great beer wagon, BSing with the great BS'ers of our sport, seeing a bottle of scotch with no owner present.....etc

And of course shooting a 35 sunday morning to give me my first leg in master for the STD gun.

I'm tired, hungover and would not have missed it for the world.

Let's all do it again next year, same bat channel, same bat time, same bat station.

Old silhouette shooters never die they just go Winnsboro.

The great weather and fellowship stand out. ajj is right, we have the classiest shooters top to bottom in any sport. Highlight of the weekend was the infectious enthusiasm of our junior shooter, Koby Rasmussen, who has been shooting silhouettes only a couple of months, and his family that followed him down to watch him shoot. Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa (Grandpa with his leg in a cast) all came to support Koby. It's great to see parents and grandparents step up and show that kind of support for their kids. And the look in Kobys eyes when he won the Anschutz rifle in the drawing the first day and went on to shoot his personal best and bringing home trophies and lots of loot. Thank you goes out to David and Jerry again for making this the biggest and best, and also the sponsors, without which it would be impossible to put on such a match.