My mom, Gwen, and I had the opportunity to attend the last day of the 32nd NRA Bianchi Cup shooting championships held at the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in Hallsville, Missouri. Armed with our cameras, both still and video, we packed a picnic lunch, grabbed our ear plugs and eye protection and set out for Hallsville on Saturday, May 29, to catch the 2010 Colt Speed Event.
Jerry Miculek and Gwen Cox. Photo by Paige Eissinger.
Once we arrived, fearless leader of The WON, Babbs, and Camo Mom, Tammy Ballew, met us with open arms and a couple of brand new burgundy baseball style caps emblazoned with the colorful WON logo. It was a hot, sunny day and we were excited to be hanging out with the “big guns” in the world of competitive shooting.
Mom (aka, Gwen Cox) is a big fan of Jerry Miculek. She watches him on TV all the time so getting to see him do what he does best live and in person was a particular thrill for her. We were both lucky enough to meet Jerry at his home range in Princeton, La., when we attended the Babes with Bullets camp there as part of the staff in April of this year. We got to see a lot of Jerry as he tooled around the range in a golf cart making sure everything was set up properly for the campers but we never got to see him in action as a shooter. Needless to say, one of the first photos I took was one of Mom and Jerry.
Paige Eissinger and Marshall Teague. Photo by Gwen Cox.
One of the matches during the Speed Event featured celebrities who are also shooters. I don’t remember who they all were but I do remember one in particular. Marshall Teague is an actor who has appeared in movies and TV shows since 1979. His most recognizable films are Roadhouse and Armageddon. I knew him back when he was a police officer for the Memphis Police Department who talked about becoming an actor. Sure enough, Marshall ”flew the coop” to Hollywood where he’s been an actor for 30 years. This time, Mom took the photo of me with Marshall, still hot after all those years (love those dimples).
Mom and I also got to talk to Julie Golob when she and I were admiring each other’s shirts. Julie was wearing her Team Smith & Wesson shooting shirt while I was wearing my own S&W t-shirt with “Yeah, I Shoot Like a Girl” printed on the front. Julie has been on Team Smith & Wesson since 2003 and has been shooting since she was 13.
 Paige Eissinger and Julie Golob. Photo by Gwen Cox. |  Julie recording the event. Photo by Paige Eissinger. |
I was impressed by how friendly and willing the competitors were to pose for pictures and spend a few minutes talking to the members of the press, and there were plenty of press representatives on hand to capture the event. I could tell that many of them were old hands at covering firearms competitions. The camaraderie among the competitors and the press was great to see, especially since I was somewhat intimidated as a new member of the press myself. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was well-behaved and the competitors exhibited skill and class. The Bianchi Cup 2010 may have been the first shooting competition I’ve ever attended, but you can bet it won’t be my last.
For complete event coverage, visit The NRA Blog.
About Paige Eissinger
Oh, and my mom is 74 years young!
Wonderful post. It was SO nice to chat with you both. Your mom ROCKS! I love her outlook on life and shooting, “You can teach an old dog new tricks.” What an inspiration!
Wait till you see the round up of photos from the gang that wore The WON red hats at Bianchi … as we continue our Women of the Bianchi series! Good to see you, too, Mrs. G.
Thanks to all of you. I was so afraid of guns I would actually shake if someone was handling one in my presence. Thanks Paige and Babbs for easing me into being able to shoot without fear and enjoying watching others shoot.
Babbs, you’ll never know how much your support and encouragement has meant to both of us. Yeah, We Shoot LIke Girls!
My mom has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, Tammy. She lives her life to the fullest and I feel fortunate to be able to share it with her. We’re both looking forward to another opportunity to attend a shooting competition, especially one where we can watch our favorite women shooters in action: Lisa Munson, Annette Aysen, Kay Miculek, Julie Golob and Jessie Abbate (to name a few).
And to think, Paige, that your mom didn’t even want to hold a gun until about 18 months ago! We’re glad she could help out with photography during the Bianchi Cup, and we will look forward to including more of her photos in our upcoming slide show featuring “Women of the Bianchi.” I think it’s important to get the photos from Gwen’s perspective, because they tell a story, too. We forget about reaching the generation above us, the women who are still afraid of firearms and who have not had the opportunity to learn safety skills and how to use a firearm for recreation or defense.
Great story, Paige! Lots of good photos too. I think it’s so cool that your mom takes such an active part in the shooting world. She’s a wonderful lady, and you two are very lucky to be able to share these times together.