NRA Women’s Leadership Luncheon
June 27, 2011 by Debbie Keehart
Filed under On the Road
For a year now Judi White has been inviting me to the NRA Women’s Leadership Luncheons. My schedule finally allowed me to attend June’s event themed “An Irish Summer” with Sandy Froman, past NRA President, sharing her recent trip to Ireland with us.
I carpooled with our beloved Marsha Petrie Sue so even the drive down to Tucson from Phoenix was enjoyable and interesting. The luncheon was held at the historic Manning House in Tucson. As soon as we arrived, Marsha and I made our grand entrance by way of the kitchen. I know, normal people go through the front door, but that’s another article….
Like I said, this was my first NRA Women’s Leadership Luncheon, and didn’t know quite what to expect. I was instantly greeted by Sandy and a few other ladies; all had a very warm welcome for me. We chatted, ate a wonderful plated lunch and enjoyed Sandy’s slide show relating to her recent trip to Ireland.
This story is amazing! Back in 1874 the Irish challenged the Americans to a long range rifle match. The US accepted and hosted the match in Creedmoor, New York; thus, tagging the name of the match “The Creedmoor Cup”. After a very close match, the Americans came out victorious. The Irish requested a rematch for the following year. This time to be on Irish soil; turned out to be a beach in Ireland! The match was well attended, over 40,000 spectators showed up and again after some incredible performances by both countries, the US defended their title and took the trophy! That match was never to happen again and as time passed, Ireland lost many of their gun & ammunition rights.
Recently, the Americans decided to resurrect the “Creedmoor Cup Challenge” which prompted a wonderful evolution of reinstated gun rights in Ireland! When the NRA caught news of this, they asked Sandy Froman to be the Cup Presenter and at the Opening Ceremony.
Wow! Because of the US challenging Ireland to bring back this historical match, that started the ball rolling for Ireland to regain their gun and ammo loading rights! How cool is that? At the time this story was being told by Sandy, the match was in progress. I have not heard who won yet but stay tuned for the announcement of the Creedmoor Cup Champions!
P.S. I think I picked a very special NRA Women’s Leadership Luncheon as my first! I will be attending others in the future.
Debbie Keehart
Mesa, Arizona
Remanufactured Vs. Reloaded?
December 29, 2010 by Debbie Keehart
Filed under Business to Business: TIPS for WOMA members!, Tech Talk
What is the difference between remanufactured and reloaded ammo? Hmm, after 17 years of shooting, I never gave that question much thought until I was asked to write about it …
Let’s start with factory ammunition: As implied by the name, factory ammo is produced by an ammunition company. All the components are new and assembled within SAAMI specifications (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute). Factory ammo uses new brass casings and gunpowder which are all measured within industry standards.
Babes at Bondurant
December 10, 2010 by Debbie Keehart
Filed under Featured Blogs, On the Road
Babes with Bullets® is an organization that believes in providing women the opportunity to experience soft adventure. To allow them to step outside of their comfort zones through a safe and fun firearms training camp. Periodically the Babes instructors also get the opportunity to have a little fun!
Hi, I’m Debbie Keehart, one of the Babes with Bullets ® instructors. After our November ladies pistol camp in Mesa, Ariz., we got to experience one of those little adventures! Through the amazing coordination skills of our beloved Camp Coordinator Deb Ferns and the Bondurant Media Relations Manager Eric Tunell, Kay Miculek, Lisa Munson and I got to race shifter karts at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix.
Kay Miculek, Lisa Munson and Deb Keehart
Now I’ve done quite a bit of high speed off road driving and some go-cart racing, but these shifter karts were the coolest, with a max speed of about 100 mph! They sit about four inches off the ground with no side panels, so you really feel the speed and the power! Awesome!
Bondurant’s Chief Instructor, Mike McGovern, explained the function of the karts and gave us some interesting information on the school and past students. Would you believe an 85-year-young lady took one of Bondurant’s multi day courses? Bet she put “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” to shame!
After hearing that story, I was more than ready to drive these high speed 125cc SuperKarts! Now, you don’t just jump in and take off. First you go through a briefing on how to get in and out of the kart. You learn about the gas, brake and shifter. But we all know the best way to learn something is to practice. So, that is what came next!
We were fitted with jackets, gloves, head socks (for cleanliness), helmets and neck rolls. Then taken out to the track to suit up and sized up for the karts! Extra seat cushions were needed so we could comfortably reach the foot peddles. With a push start from our instructors, the karts were fired up and we gently rolled on to the track to practice shifting. Down the straight-a-way and back up we went. Shifting through gears 1thru 6 and back down again. We were now ready for lesson two!
One of our handsome driving coaches got in his kart and had the three of us ladies follow him like ducklings following a mama duck. Around the track we went learning the best line to drive. One by one we were allowed to go ahead on our own. After a few warm up laps, we were starting to rock n roll! There was no waving of a green flag or a flashing green light; but, I think when I put the “peddle to the metal” and flew by Kay, she and Lisa realized the race was on!
The track had a variety of turns and twists to test any driver’s skills. Every lap we made we learned how to drive a faster smoother line. Less braking and more shifting. At this point you are probably wondering about spinning out or crashing – there was no crashing, but there were a few spin-outs. No worries, the car just spins a little and the motor cuts off. You stay in your cart until one of the nice gentlemen comes to push start you and sends you back on your way. I do have to admit, that when we drove by someone after a spin-out, we would wave at each other! I’m guessing that’s a pretty girlie thing to do! However, we thought it was a good way to say “Don’t worry I see you and I won’t crash into you!”
Like anything else, all good things must come to an end. Before we knew it, we were being waived back to the pits to leave our SuperKarts for another day. One word of caution when leaving the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving; you will have this overwhelming desire to mash down on the gas peddle of your personal vehicle and race home! Please follow the speed limit and drive home safely! The orange cones on the street probably mean road construction and not where to make your high speed turn!
Kay, Lisa and I shared our track experience all the way home that night and the following days. We encourage all of you to test your skills on the track too!!
Many Thanks to:
Deb Ferns – Our Babes with Bullets ® Coordinator who broke her ankle just a few days beforehand and had to forego the racing but was a trooper none the less.
Jaci Janes – Our photographer.
Eric Tunell – Bondurant’s Media Relations manager for allowing us the special class and to do this media piece.
Mike McGovern – Chief Instructor at Bondurant for sharing his knowledge of the SuperKarts and the various driving classes offered.
Brand Arter – Sale Representative at Bondurant for his guidance and direction.
For more information on the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving contact:
Brandon Arter
Sale Representative
1800 652.KART (5278)
