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By Katie Ferraro-Creigh
Robert Hosey first learned about CAS from a friend and customer of his, Tony Rogers, aka Lone Dude, in the summer of 1999. Tony thought Robert would be interested in Cowboy Action Shooting because he knew that Robert hunted and collected different types of guns. Consequently, Tony invited Robert to watch a regular monthly match at the Charlotte, NC, Roughriders. Robert was hooked and decided to join the Single Action Shooting Society (the governing board of CAS) right away. Now Robert, being a smart man, taught Susie how to shoot when they first started dating. After they married and for their first Christmas together, Robert gave Susie a Smith& Wesson .22 revolver. Susie was thrilled and related, "I was a pretty good shot way back then about 25 years ago." Robert's second smart move was figuring out that getting the family involved would lend credence to the game and invited the rest of the family to see a match. At first Susie didn't think she would be interested, since there weren't many lady shooters at that time and thought it was mostly a "guy thing." She resisted Robert's attempts to make a family trip to the local match and kept putting off checking out the sport. But Robert persisted and persuaded the whole family to attend the Statesville Fraternal Order of Police Range where Sam "Splinter" and Todd "Rome Clay" Houser taught the family about gun safety, and the basics of shooting. In November of 1999, Robert, Susie, and their son, Zachary, (who was ten years old at the time) joined SASS. Zack was too young to shoot at regular matches, but he loved practicing with his dad and shortly after his 11th birthday he shot his first match at Piedmont Handgun Association in Lexington, NC.
At first Robert and Susie didn't sign their daughters up in SASS or to shoot CAS because the girls were so busy with athletics and church activities. Kristen was a competitive swimmer with Mecklenburg Aquatic Club, and practice was morning and night, plus she practiced six days a week. Weekends were usually spent traveling to swim meets. Shannon was even busier being a level 8 gymnast, Varsity and Competition cheerleader, and also swam on the swim team. The girls' weekends were full with activities, and Robert and Susie knew the ladies wouldn't have much time to shoot.
About a year later Kristen (Angel Girl, SASS #40464) decided to join SASS at age 16, which meant she didn't have much time to compete as a junior shooter. She selected her alias from one of Susie's best friends who always called her Angel. At the time, Kristen was still very involved in swimming, she began taking self-defense classes, and that led to Tae Kwon Do. In addition, she was a lifeguard, and often had to work on weekends, but she made time for CAS. According to Kristen, her favorite part of CAS is traveling around the country to shoot. "I love getting dressed up in the ball gowns, and really enjoy all the clothing options Mom provides for me." Robert shot 49'er for a few years and recently decided to change to Gunfighter. He shoots almost every weekend as there are clubs nearby (within 30 minutes) that sponsor matches every weekend of the month. Shortly after changing to Gunfighter, Robert won first place at the North Carolina State Match. He shoots Colt SAA .45 pistols, a Winchester '97 shotgun and a Winchester '73 rifle.
Kristen is now 21 years old, and is enrolled in the nursing
program at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. She
has been on the Dean's list every year and graduated in December
2007. She also has her second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do
and teaches Tae Kwon Do classes while attending college. Kristen
is an avid reader, and as such, hopes to write while pursuing
her love of art. This is Kristen's fourth year as a Single Action
Shooting Society scholarship award recipient. Kristen shoots
Colt SAA .45 pistols, a Winchester '97 shotgun, and a Winchester
'73 rifle in the Ladies Traditional category. (
Zachary shoots in the Men's Traditional category and is 17 years old, as well as a senior at Hopewell High School where he is involved in the college experience program. He also attends Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte for a night class in World Religions. Zack is on the track team at school, and his best events are shot put and discus. He is also very involved in his youth group at church and plays bass guitar in the High School Senior Praise Band. He and the girls love water sports of all kinds but specifically enjoy wakeboarding most of all. Zack was a competitive swimmer for several years, but gave that up a few years ago and is still searching for a direction to his college major. He is a very fast shooter, but doesn't get to practice very often; consequently, he misses the targets because he blazes through too fast, but usually beats his older sisters in most every match. He shoots Ruger Vaquero .45, a Winchester '97 shotgun, and a Winchester '73 rifle, placing first at the South Carolina State match in '02, '03 and '04. He also won the '05 Virginia State match and the '04 and '05 North Carolina State Match. Susan has a BS degree in Cytotechnology, and did that for 13 years, but didn't enjoy sitting behind a microscope all day looking for cancer cells on fixed and stained slides from pap smears, urine, spinal fluid and tissue scrapings, so she retired. Now she is a personal trainer for active older adults, and teaches aerobics. She also enjoys sewing 1800s costumes just as much as she does shooting. The favorite costumes she has made are out of leather. She likes making Native American dresses, chaps, and Wild West skirts and vests. When she first got involved with SASS, she wanted an Indian dress because her ancestors are Cherokee. She went to Cherokee, NC, to have an "expert" make a Cherokee dress. About a year later she found out that her dress was not period correct, and most everything did not fit Susie's persona. "The leather color, the texture on the outside of the garment, the beading and even the way the seams were sewn were incorrect." By that time she had used that dress to make her own pattern, and she had made a dress out of elk, just like the one the Cherokee woman made for her.
CAS has been a great hobby for Robert and Susie and a great chance for the family to travel all over the country, seeing sights, meeting new "cow-folk friends," and even visiting museums. "It has been so educational for our family, and the kids really love learning about the history of this country .. which is something Robert and I never experienced. Through our travels I have learned so much about the type of 1800's clothing worn, not only in the West, but also all over the country." Susie shoots Colt SAA .45 pistols, Winchester '97 shotgun, and a Winchester '73 rifle in the Ladies Traditional category.
While reading this article, you may have noticed that the Hosey family shoots the same type guns in the same caliber. Susie says it's because Robert loads all the ammo and "doesn't need the confusion. Loading for 3 to 5 people every week takes up quite a bit of time." She understands that she could probably shoot faster, more accurately and competitively if she would shoot a smaller caliber and concedes that as her arthritis and tennis elbow get worse, she will need to change calibers. Changing calibers might help Susie's arthritis and "tennis elbow," but her shooting skills and those of her husband and children make the Hosey family a force with which to contend. Never pass up the opportunity to shoot with this outstanding family. Not only are they friendly and accommodating, they are whizzes at diagnosing shooting challenges as well as firearm malfunctions. I know...they saved me at End of Trail '06! |
The
Hosey Family from Cornelius, North Carolina, has been a force
in Cowboy Action Shooting for years. They descend in mass on
CAS matches around the country and are a moving force behind
the success of many CAS clubs. Always ready to volunteer for
anything that needs to be done, or assisting new shooters with
firearm or costuming questions, the Hosey Family represents the
epitome of a SASS family.
As
mentioned in earlier CAS articles, choosing an alias can be a
challenge. And so it was with the Hosey family, but they put
their heads together and came up with aliases that fit their
interests and represent their lives. Robert chose Big Jake Hosey,
SASS #28066, because he loves John Wayne westerns and Zack automatically
chose Little Jake, SASS #28068, when he was little and to distinguish
him from his dad. Susie had the most difficulty since she wanted
to choose an Indian name to reflect her Cherokee heritage. She
couldn't think of an appropriate name, so she decided to choose
a name to honor her father, Sylvester, who had passed away. In
her eyes he was a great man, and she greatly respected him. Susie
says "My dad would have loved that I am involved in this
sport, since he was a hunter, a sportsman, and collected guns.
He would also have been so proud of his grandchildren, had he
lived to see how much they enjoy this sport." So that is
why Susie chose Sly, SASS #28067, as her alias.
Occasionally
Shannon would attend a match and pick up brass or do what she
could to be a part of the posse. As Shannon "fell in love"
with CAS, she asked her dad if she could shoot. Shortly thereafter,
Shannon joined SASS at the NRA Convention in Charlotte, in June
of 2000 when she was 13 years old. Fortunately, she had no trouble
choosing an alias because of her involvement in gymnastics. She
chose the name "Tumbleweed" Hosey, SASS #31828, which
has been shortened "Weed" or "Weedy." Shannon
is consistent and steady and that makes her a good shooter.
Susie
can't shoot every weekend, because she often has to work on Saturdays,
but never misses a chance to play when she can. She and Robert
consider the Iredell Regulators in Statesville, NC, as their
home club, and Robert is serving his second year as the Regulators'
President. They also enjoy shooting in Salisbury, NC, with the
Old North State Posse, in Charlotte with the North Carolina Roughriders,
and in Lenoir, NC, at the Gunpowder Creek Club.
It was
a surprise to the family that Shannon enjoys playing "dress-up"
with them because she has often been called a tomboy. She has
won several "Best Dressed Junior Girl" awards at various
CAS matches across the country; however, she looks anything but
a tomboy in a ball gown! Shooting Ruger Vaquero .45 pistols,
a Winchester '97 shotgun and a Winchester '73 rifle in the Ladies
Traditional category, Shannon has won Top Junior Girl National
Champion at Winter Range in '04, Top Overall Female Shooter at
the NC State match in '03 and '04, and first place Ladies Traditional
Champion at Anderson, South Caroline in '06. In addition, Shannon
has made the Sweet Sixteen Shoot-off at the 2006 End of Trail
(World Finals). She and younger brother Zack compete against
each other for the "top shooter" bragging rights in
the Hosey family.
Susie
says, "I can't tell you how many things I have learned about
1800s Native American clothing, and all other types of leather
just from reading, and from my friends Miss Tabitha and Mad Mountain
Mike from River Crossing. They have taught me to study, and decide
on a specific time period before I make something. I also am
interested in making ball gowns; I usually only try to make a
gown that I have seen in actual books of 1800's Victorian fashions.
I notice that many ready-made gowns that look similar to a period
gown actually are not. I find that vendors will put a full 60s
skirt with big huge puffy 90s sleeves, and a low neckline, then
top it with a big hat. I wish there was more literature out there
for us to learn from." Having won numerous "Best Dressed"
awards through the years, Susie no longer competes in costume
contests. Instead, she judges and continues to enjoy the "dressing
up" aspect of the sport.
Recently,
she decided to try the "B" Western category where a
Marlin rifle is specified in the rules. One of the nuances of
the sport is learning to choose one's category wisely. According
to Susie, "There are fewer shooters in the "B"
Western category and because of that I won first place at the
'05 and '06 North Carolina State Matches, as well as the '05
South Carolina State Match and '05 Virginia State Match."
She is quick to add that winning didn't happen when she shot
the Ladies Traditional category.
