Mounted marksmen take aim during competition

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By Sean Miller | Monday, August 14, 2006 6:44 AM CDT | () comments

Nick Loomis/QUAD-CITY TIMES Pregnant with her fifth child, Stacy Runyon of Lansing, Iowa, takes aim at a balloon with her Colt .45-caliber revolver during a cowboy-mounted shooting contest on Sunday morning at Schone’s Friendship Farm in Milan, Ill. The guns are loaded with blanks that project gun powder, which can pop balloons at close range.

MILAN, Ill. — The Broken Spoke Mounted Posse rode, guns blazing, into the Quad-Cities over the weekend. About 20 riders brandishing pairs of vintage Colt .45-caliber revolvers and dressed in traditional cowboy — and cowgirl – attire competed in the area’s first mounted shooting competition at Schone’s Friendship Farm in Milan.

The leader of the posse is Gene Cockrum, who’s been president of the club since he founded it six years ago. The group, based in Quincy, Ill., is affiliated with the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, which certifies the sport.

“This is the fastest growing equestrian sport in the United States,” said Cockrum, a retired UPS courier, shortly before he mounted his horse, J.J. Knight.

Atop his horse, Cockrum rode into the dusty rodeo ring, snapped his reins and galloped toward a row of five pylons. Floating above each of the pylons was a balloon, which Cockrum blasted with his six-shooter. At the end of the row, Cockrum pulled his second pistol from its holster, whirled his horse around and took off after the second row of pylons. Again, he blasted each balloon before pulling his horse up sharply before the ring’s metal fence. His time: roughly 24 seconds.

Mounted shooting is based on time and accuracy. Riders must blast all the balloons on the course, while following the correct lane. Any deviation from the designated lane, or leaving a balloon intact, costs the rider time added to his score.

Riders must dress, and effectively act, like real cowboys.

“These are real guns,” Cockrum, 63, said after his ride, except they’re loaded with black powder blanks that effectively puncture the balloons with a cloud of hot powder.

But it’s not just cowboys who compete. There were four women among Sunday’s 17 riders.

Sandi Baum, of Lima, Ill., was of the female contestants. She’s been riding and shooting for three years.

“I love shooting and I love riding, and this sport puts the two together,” she said.

The skill and intensity of the contestants drew cheers from the crowd of about 15 people who gathered to watch.

“It’s pretty good,” said Jerry Baele, who brought his wife, Yvonne, to watch the performance. “This is the first time we’ve seen it.”

Throughout the day, the course was rearranged four times. Each contestant rides the different course once, and the one with the best cumulative time overall wins. Sunday’s winner was Rick Weber, of Rochester, Ill., who completed four runs in 97 seconds.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.