A pair of Aldergrove gunslingers have taken the top prizes in the World Fast Draw Championships.
Amid the boom of bands like Trooper, the shots from the six-guns of the fast draw fans and the Army’s cannon firing the salute to the opening of Aldergrove Fair Days on July 15-17, it was a noisy time at Aldergrove Athletic Park.
Over at the park’s lacrosse arena, the World Fast Draw Association sanctioned its annual championships and there were plenty of contestants ready to draw the six-guns and fire blanks at balloons.
The World Blank Championships, hosted by Langley’s Thunderbird Fast Draw Club, also included the Celebrity Shoot-out as well as a new Canadian Gunthumbers Championship.
In the latter event, shooters must use only one hand to react to the timed signal, draw and fire at the four-inch balloon targets, while the other category permits use of either one or both hands.
In the World Blank Championships it was Aldergrove’s Nicole Franks who won in the women’s division, while Aldergrove’s John LeBlanc won in the men’s division.
Franks recorded the fastest time with a .342 at 15 feet, and also broke her own world record for the doubles event on the Sunday.
In the Gunthumbers Championship Franks once again took first in the women’s division, with Shawn Murphy of Langley winning in the men’s division.
In the Celebrity Shootout, Marilyn Morgan of JD Farms shot the fastest time with a .611 and won the overall first prize. She was followed by Leah Bolton of Joy T.M., and MLA Mary Polak was third.
In the men’s category it was MP Mark Warawa in first place, followed by Jack Nicholson of Otter Co-op, and Eric Scott of the Langley Times was third. Township Mayor Jack Froese and Lee Lorentz of Diamond Bar Equipment rounded out the top five with Froese also firing the fastest time at a .511.
For more information on the sport and the clubs see website: www.thuderbirdfastdraw.com.
