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High noon at Aldergrove Athletic Park

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On July 19, during Aldergrove Fair Days, local celebrities testing their learned fast Draw skills in a version of the long-running TV show Beat The Clock.

They were using new JJTimers (Chicago, Illinois) which are calibrated in thousandths of a second in order to record the fast-drawing competitors’ reaction and draw times.

And beat the clock they did, at this year’s Celebrity Shootout, held in conjunction with the first sanctioned World Fast Draw Open Championships held in Aldergrove since the Fast Draw events began there in 2008.

“With most of the celebrities dressed in old west style clothing, it was interesting for spectators and world fast draw Association members alike to witness the celebrities’ camaraderie to each other and the devotion they gave to their six-gun skills, as they wound themselves down the Trigger Trail to try to become the fastest gun in the West,” WFDA

Area 20 vice chairman Den Robinson said. “West B.C. that is.”

The top five men’s and ladies Celebrity Shootout contestants were:

Ladies’ Division

1st Cornelia Naylor, reporter, Burnaby Now

2nd Cathy Gibbs, aide to Mary Polak, Minister of Environment

3rd Bev Dornan, Deputy Mayor, Langley Township

4th Brenda Giesbrecht, Citizens Service Specialist, Abbotsford

5th Angie Quaale, business representative

Men’s Division

1st Kenny Hess, western singer

2nd Ted Schaffer, Langley City Mayor

3rd Kenny Jones, radio personality, 96.9 JACK FM

4th Mark Warawa, MP, Conservative Party

5th Rudy Storteboom, representing MacDonald Realty

Fastest shot trophies went to Cornelia Naylor, Ladies Division, with a .562, and Kenny Hess, Men’s Division, with a .430.

After the Celebrity Shoot finished, members of the World Fast Draw Association treated the crowd to their Six-gun Salute of 100 shots to the Tractorfest Theme of this year’s fair.

“Thanks here to the Canadian Military’s Ian Newby for his ‘rocketing’ ending to the Salute,” Robinson said.

But a highlight was the rocketing-fast draws of Langley’s own Nicole Franks, who came from behind to take the lead after the last two-target event on Aug. 20 – just as she did the year previous.

The top 14 men and top seven ladies won trophies and cash prizes at this World Fast Draw Association Sanctioned event, which was hosted by the Thunderbird Fast Draw Club.

B.C. winners are members of the Langley Rod and Gun Club’s Thunderbirds.

Ladies’ winners

1st Nicole Franks, Aldergrove

2nd Diana Rosen, Minnesota

3rd Anita Burnham, Colorado

4th Judy Lawton, South Dakota

5th Juliana Bateman, Oregon

6th Carla Howell, Oregon

7th Paula Murphy, Langley

 

Men’s Winners

1st Brian Colwell, Colorado

2nd John LeBlanc, Abbotsford

3rd Bob Nielson, Colorado

4th Shawn Murphy, Langley

5th Jon Rivera, California

6th Dan Qualls, California

7th Connor Darby, Calgary

8th Joe Colwell, Colorado

9th Jon Wilson, California

10th Den Robinson

11th Mike “Yukon” Avetikian, Calgary

12th Frank Lawton, South Dakota

13th Alex Watson, Coquitlam

14th Glenn Renney, Delta

Fastest Shot Ladies by Nicole Franks, with a 310

Fastest Shot Men’s was a tie by Jon Rivera of California and Howard Darby of Alberta. Each fired a .256.

“There were more shooters this year than ever, and spectators were treated to even more ‘gun fun’,” Robinson said, adding that “the World Fast Draw Open Championships have been picked up by Aldergrove Fair Days for next year. Thanks to everyone for your support.”

More information can be found at the Thunderbird Fast Draw Club website: www.thunderbirdfastdraw.com or phone by calling Robinson at 604-540-6394.