Outlaws will demonstrate ridin' and shootin' abilities
Janessa Hill, a member of the Northern Ohio Outlaws, competes in one of the group’s shooting events.
Kathy Zadra is a wanted "Outlaw," but she doesn’t carry a gun.
In fact, she’s often perched on the fence, cowboy hat in place, watching her fellow “Outlaws” shoot during one of their competitions. She is an avid promoter, fan and helper for the Northern Ohio Outlaws, an affiliate of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association based in Wooster.
Some of those “Outlaws” will bring their horses to the Wayne County Fair for a two-hour demonstration starting at noon on Thursday, Sept. 14 in front of the grandstand.
Zadra believes it’s worth seeing.
“I promote the sport because it’s cool,” she said. “It’s the Old West I can’t get to.”
Riders will show the audience how they guide their horses through patterns in the ring as they try to shoot 10 balloons — five white and five red — with .45 caliber single action revolvers like those used in the early 1800s. Each is loaded with cartridges of black powder, enough to break a balloon at 15 feet.
Zadra of West Salem often helps reset balloons during competitions or assists riders with their gear or other needs they have.
“We love Kathy so much we made her an honorary lifetime member,” said NOO member Lynn Busell of West Salem, who competes along with her husband Jim. "She’s a great advocate and talks up (the association) all the time."
The association originally started in the basement of a small church in Uhrichsville but now is based in Wooster and holds all of its shoots at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.
The group has 139 riders and 17 wranglers age 12 and under. The wranglers don’t compete but train to be a mounted shooter. They learn to shoot the balloons off a fence and how to properly use the gun. “It teaches them gun safety,” Zadra said.
Mounted shooting combines the disciplines of riding and shooting into a fast-paced sport.
The riders are scored on time and accuracy. There is a five-second penalty for each missed balloon, a five-second penalty for dropping a gun and a 10-second penalty for not running the course correctly. Speed and accuracy are important. A typical pattern can be run in 15-35 seconds.
Each competition begins with a safety meeting, followed by the national anthem and the Cowboy Prayer, Zadra said. “Then we start shooting.”
At each event a person is assigned to load the riders’ guns as he or she enters the arena, and a person is assigned to unload the guns after the rider is finished. The levels of competition range from novice levels to the seasoned professionals.
It doesn’t matter at which level a rider competes; everyone helps each other, Busell said. “We’re like a great, big family.”
In addition to Zadra's work with the Outlaws, she also volunteers for Boots, Paws and Troops, a group that assists military veterans and advises the Bounty Hunters 4-H Club.