Sheila Hoekstra – Member of The Women’s Outdoor Media Association

Sheila Hoekstra grew up around firearms and hunting and has been shooting competitive handgun sports for about five years. In 2005, she created a Ladies Day class at her gun club and has since seen more than 500 new women shooters go through the class with 30 shooting regularly, 10 of whom have attended a Babes with Bullets™ camp where she is a Junior Instructor. She shoots USPSA and ICORE and any steel match she can make it to. She has participated in a Breast Cancer fund raiser shoot for the last three years and has helped raise at least $10,000 for the Komen Foundation. Read more

Venison faux pho

My name is Julie and I am addicted to pho. I could eat it every day. For those of you who haven’t had it, pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup. There are lots of variations but my favorite is a beef broth version with shavings of sirloin. So, I know what you’re thinking. Beef noodle soup? She’s a beef noodle soup junkie? Ah, but there is so much more to it than that! Pho is to the Vietnamese like a secret marinara sauce is to an Italian family. Recipes are guarded and competition is fierce among pho restaurants.

Living in northeastern Montana does not allow me to fulfill my pho cravings, unless of course I make it. Even then I don’t have all the necessary ingredients or time to make authentic pho. Still, I’ve been on a mission to make the best faux pho I can with what I happen to have quite a bit of—venison. This week I made my best bowl EVER with pronghorn steak! Here’s the recipe . . .

Broth:

In a large pot, add two 32-oz. cartons of 98% fat free beef broth. To give it that authentic flavor add four star anise “stars,” one inch of ginger root, sliced thinly and one packet of Gia Vi Nau Pho spice. You can find the spice at Amazon. A bit of advice on these packets—DO NOT OPEN. I learned this the hard way and had some gritty soup the first time. I have found I get enough flavor if I just drop it in as is. Cover and cook on high. When it boils, drop the heat down so that it’s still very hot but not at a full-on boil.

Rice Noodles:

I like to cook these while the broth is heating. I use the flat, fat ones that look like fettuccini. You can find them in Asian grocery stores, or if you are super lucky your local store has them. I have also used ramen noodles when desperate but this is NOT ideal. The directions on the package for the noodles are pretty simple. When finished, just strain out the water and let sit.

Garnishes:

Chop up a bunch of fresh cilantro. Mint and Asian basil are common pho garnishes, but I can never get them at my grocery store so it’s cilantro for me. Next chop some green onions. Red onions also work well, but be sure to slice thinly if you use these. Quarter a lime and then set all this aside. If you can get fresh bean sprouts (rare for me) I suggest washing/rinsing a pile and placing them on a plate with the limes.

Meat:

Once the veggies are done it’s time to slice the meat. The goal is to slice it as thinly as possible so that it cooks in the broth upon first contact. Due to the high protein content, venison is most tender when it’s cooked hot and fast, which is one of the reasons I really like it in pho. How thin is thin? Paper is ideal but nothing over 1/16 of an inch.

Plating:

This recipe makes two large bowls (think medium-size mixing bowls) or four appetizer-size servings. Divide rice noodles and place at the bottom of each bowl. Next in the bowls, distribute the cilantro and onions. The meat goes on top of all this. I like to spread the meat out so that it all cooks evenly and instantly upon contact with the broth. Finally take a soup ladle and add very hot broth (key word: VERY) to each bowl. Fill with enough broth to cover the meat to fully cook it.

Personalizing your pho:

Bean sprouts, limes to fresh squeeze and additional herbs like mint and Asian basil are common add-ins. Putting these on a plate in the middle of the table allows everyone to make a bowl of pho just the way they like it. Oh, and don’t forget the Sriracha!

Enjoy!

Attention Outdoor Writers and Media Professionals: Only a Few Weeks Left to Register for the Main Media Event at SHOT Show 2010

November 18, 2010 (Johns Island, SC) –With the support of Bass Pro Shops the 6th annual Media Day at the Range will be held on Monday, January 17, 2011. The event will be held at the Boulder City Pistol & Rifle Range, Boulder City, Nevada, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Read more

How Lucky? Beeman R7 Lucky!

The 2010 SHOT Show afforded me many opportunities: time with some of my favorite gal pals, vacation time with hubby Brian, and a chance to experience some of the newest and most technologically advanced products offered by today’s firearms industry. At the 2010 Bass Pro’s Media Day at the Range, I was the lucky winner of PyramidAir’s generous donation of an Evanix AR6 Huntmaster, a beautiful walnut stock, 5-shot .22 caliber air rifle.

Read more

The Embarrassing Questions Department

There are no embarrassing questions, only embarrassing answers …

(This article by The WOMA member, Kathy Jackson, is reprinted in its entirety with permission from the USCCA.)

It has been said that there are no embarrassing questions, only embarrassing answers. That may be true. But if that’s the case, why do we always blush when we ask the questions?

Warning: This article may be difficult reading for the faint of heart. Be sure to eat some chocolate before you begin. It won’t make you any less embarrassed, but don’t we all need a little more chocolate in our lives? Read more

Road to Russia: Dodging small children

Tracy and I are up in Canmore, Alberta, to start our on snow training. We are super excited to be up here and spend a little more time in the Rocky Mountains!

We will spend a total of three weeks up here training and racing. They only have a short loop of man-made snow for skiing at the range, but it is good to get some skiing and shooting in. The loop is only 1km long, so we spend a lot of time doing laps. In an average training we ski 40-60km, so the laps add up after a while. We try to wear headphones and listen to music to keep things interesting and fun. It is similar to skiing in a tunnel, which is what we normally do in Scandinavia to get on snow in early November, but our coaches allowed us to stay in the sun and mountains a little longer before heading over to the darkness in Scandinavia.

During normal training hours, there are usually close to 200 skiers, mostly kids, in that short loop.You have to really be on your toes and pay attention to keep from having an accident. We always joke that in tunnels and short loops like this there are only two speeds you can go – super slow behind the kids or super hard weaving in and out of all the kids. It makes for some interesting training.

Luckily, for our races they will close the tracks just for the National team athletes so we can focus on our races and not worry about dodging little kids in the trail. Next week we have three races against the other US and Canadian national team athletes.

We are excited to get some races in and head overseas to start the season. It should be an exciting season with two World cups in the US this year. World Championships are in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, at the beginning of March as well. That is a 12-hour time change from Rocky Mountain time. It is located in the middle of Siberia and is usually super cold. We’ll keep you posted on how the races go.

Hope you are doing well. Have a great winter. Check out our website for updates and pictures! ~ Tracy & Lanny Barnes, US Biathlon

www.twinbiathletes.com

Are Gen Ys toxic?

Here’s a question from a DecontaminateToxicPeople.com post on a GenY blog post I wrote.

Post: Great points, Marsha!

I’m Gen Xer and right now study OrgBehaviour as a part-time course. That’s why I explored the subject and came by your posts.

You mention that “Gen Ys do not consider themselves to be difficult or toxic people.”

Do Gen Xers and Baby Boomers consider them as such?

I understand that Gen Y are more direct and nonconformist and have high expectations (sometimes without real backup). But are they more toxic (rude, arrogant, manipulative, selfish) than average?

Thanks!

My Response: I think the “perception” of Gen Ys is what you said. (I understand that GenYs are more direct and nonconformist and have high expectations (sometimes without real backup). But are they more toxic (rude, arrogant, manipulative, selfish) than average?

Read more

Hard Choices in the Press Box

My phone rang early yesterday morning and quick glance at the caller ID sent  my  mood plummeting even further than it already had been falling during the morning news.

I knew before I even answered that  I was going to be asked to cover a fallen soldier’s homecoming scheduled for  later in the day.  I also knew that this particular editor would never understand my feelings, nor how difficult of an assignment it would be for me  – if I even took it.

I took the chicken’s way out and let voice mail pick up as I sorted out my feelings.  Let me explain  just a bit  …

I am a Marine mom … to an adrenaline junkie kid that is an EOD specialist; that means he’s the bomb squad,  the one on point out there disarming the ordnance — IEDs  and, Heaven help us, the biological weapons as well.  I wondered how I would feel if that was my son, my kiddo, my boy was exiting the cargo hold — would  I want the press there in droves as I saw firsthand the reality of what this war can bring?

NO! I know I would not.

I would want that moment to be mine: painfully, harshly,  lovingly, and privately mine.  Let me welcome my  child home one last time, alone  in an aura of  peace and in accordance with his wishes.

Before I could make a final decision, my son called. The young fallen Marine was from his company; he made no bones about his feelings.  Whether it be the first landing at Dover, or the last landing at the local airstrip, it was not a place for the press corps.  ” I know you … you want  to do something … use some of the still life photos of my EOD things make a tribute  out of those.  Please do send a letter or go to visitation, because Jordy was  part of OUR EOD family, and you understand more what that life is like — but please allow his family to meet him alone and unwatched by the world.”   The tremor in his voice sealed my decision.

But still nagging away at me was the thought that if people are not shown this harsh reality, this ultimate cost of war, how we will ever make them understand it’s not all flag waving patriotism? Where do we draw the lines between the need for the world to know and he need to protect the families? Is there any type of a happy medium?

For me, ultimately, I thought I found it. I felt that it would not be as intrusive to photograph the processional from a side road as it traveled by escorted by local fire departments, police departments, and  a large contingent of the Patriot Guard and Freedom Rider motorcyclists.  I chose to focus on the  huge outpouring of support for this family  that  the rural communities all along the route expressed.  Even now, the day after,  I am not sure that my decision was the right one, because I must be honest.  Still I felt  that I was intruding on a very private and very difficult moment.  The photos sit here, unprocessed, not submitted and admittedly a bit tear stained.

So I ask my fellow WOMA members … is there a good answer to this? Is there an acceptable way to report this type of news and yet be sensitive to the parties concerned? Would my male colleagues have struggled so?

Sadly, I know my phone will ring again today … as the Westboro Baptist Church protesters are planning to picket and protest at the funeral tomorrow.  I know that my answer to that will most certainly be no.  I refuse to give  them any coverage. Call someone who isn’t as tenderhearted. Call someone who isn’t a Marine Mom.

Ferns Reports on WOMA Retreat — Part I

After months of pre-planning, the first annual WOMA retreat finally came together in mid-October. More than a dozen of us, a combination of WOMA members and spouses, traveled to Gunnison, Colo., for this first annual event. Read more

Tracey Splechter named Women on Target Field Hunt Coordinator

NRAblog recently caught up with Ann Marie Foster, Women On Target® Hunt Coordinator here at NRA Headquarters. It’s no secret that when she isn’t in the office setting up new women’s hunting excursions, Foster is often out in the field, helping introduce women across the country to the joys of hunting. Read more

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