Join Veep Melita Ellington at upcoming AR-15 camp in Louisiana

At first, I just couldn’t see myself shooting an AR-15.  Those are some pretty mean looking rifles, and I tend to gravitate towards the more delicate firarms … you know, pistols and pretty shotguns.  Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I should step outside MY comfort zone and attend the newest Babes with Bullets^TM camp — Rifle 101. Read more

Never Too Young — Teaching Firearms Safety to Youngsters

“Is it my turn yet, Aunt Meme?” She was nearly jumping up and down, she was so excited. Read more

What’s Holding YOU Back?

Have you ever thought about submitting an idea, giving an opinion, or sharing a suggestion?  What’s holding you back?  Is there something in your past telling you to keep it to yourself?  Let me tell you a little story.  And every word of this is true. Read more

Being who you want to be

How often do you listen to the words of a song?  I mean really listen?  I keep my car radio tuned to the same station, 104.7 The Fish, which is a contemporary Christian station here in Atlanta.  I was listening to a song I had heard about a hundred times before, when the words really sank in.  “This is your life; are you who you want to be?”  The melody was awesome, as usual, and the voice was perfectly pitched.  But for once, the message was getting into my brain, kind of like those passages of scripture that you can read a hundred times, but all at once will jump out and smack you in the face: “This is your life; are you who you want to be?”  Wow.  Am I who I want to be?  Well, am I?  Let’s think about that for a minute. Read more

WOMA Veep attends Irlene Mandrell Shoot 2010

The place to be this summer for shooting sporting clays for charity was Seven Springs Mountain Resort.  The four-season resort played host to the 2010 Irlene Mandrell Shoot, which chose to honor the late Irby Mandrell at this year’s event.  The charity event is held each year to raise funds for Boy Scouts of America and Wish Upon a Star, two foundations very close to Irlene Mandrell’s heart.  And while this year’s event had a bittersweet air to it, its significance was just as important.

Brian and I traveled to Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh, to participate in the festivities and challenging sporting clay course.  Mike Mohr, Sporting Clays Director, took us on a tour of the newly designed 24-stand sporting clay course, and 12-stand sub-gauge course.  It’s an unbelievably beautiful course set in the pristine woodlands of southern Pennsylvania.  Mike was hired by resort owner Bob Nutting to design the course, and has maintained a level of excellence — from the very best equipment to the highest quality personnel.  Mike is a details guy, and the Sporting Clays course is an example of his dedication and commitment to producing the very best day out on the course.

Kids’ Day

Excitement was in the air as kids of all ages came from near and far to experience shooting sports, archery and even a little fly fishing.  Well, almost fly fishing!  Seven Springs Mountain Resort held Kids’ Day at their hangar, which was the previous runway for private aircraft.  It has since been turned into different facilities, including, for this event, a small shooting range, an archery range and a fly casting area.  Re-purposing at its best, if you ask me!

Once kids registered and got arm bands, they were gathered together for a safety meeting.  Each kid received a shooter’s bag, t-shirt and ball cap, and then headed off to experience each event.  Members of the FBI were on site as well to fingerprint and take pictures of kids for identification purposes.  This is a program called the National Child Identification Program.

The day proved to be a hot one, with temperatures soaring into the 90s, which is quite abnormal for the mountains of Pennsylvania, but the kids met the challenge head on and those that had never tried certain sports were eager to get lessons from instructors ready to teach the youngsters.  Tim Case, founder of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Archery Club, brought a number of small compound bows to teach the youngsters.  Sisters Sydney Petz (age 9) and Mackenzie Petz (age 7) found it difficult to leave the archery station to try the other events.  Both had a natural talent for the sport.

The same was true for Kaitlyn Karrenbauer.  Her bow, the Pink Genesis by Mathews, was a small compound bow with a 12 pound pull — just the right size for a youngster like Kaitlyn, who made the sport even more fashionable by wearing the most adorable blinged-out sunglasses.  My kind of gal!  Kaitlyn even showed sisters Allison and Megan the ropes at the archery station.

Farther down at the Smith & Wesson station, eight-year-old Misty Holloway let everyone know she wasn’t afraid to get down and handle the M&P 15/22 like a pro.  Misty and family came to the event from North Carolina, and this was her second time shooting.  She listened intently as Tom Yost gave careful step by step instruction on where to aim and how to gently squeeze the trigger.  She did a great job.

A group of first-time shooters from nearby Windber and Johnstown, Penn., included 10-year-old Ashton White, 13-year-old Morgan Cowder and 14-year-old Kayla Reynolds.  Each took a turn and had a great time at the event.

Eleven-year-old Chantelle Hutchens, who attended the event last year, was ready to show how much she had improved since last year.  Mom Erica believes that shooting sports are great for girls to give them self esteem and confidence.  She is hopeful that Chantelle will try out for her school’s rifle team in the coming years.

The final event of the day was the fly-fishing event.  Kids were given a casting rod with line and shown how to fly cast continuously until their line reached a large hoop on the ground.  The youngest attendee, 2-1/2-year-old Madison Petz, told everyone, “I fishing!”  Parents Jon and Stacey looked on excitedly and were glad they had brought the girls to the events.

Kids’ day turned out to be more like Girls’ Day!

Still Daddy’s Little Girls

You may know them from their country music hits.  Or their hit television variety show in the ’80s.  But what you may not know is that the Mandrell sisters share something very special — a love for shooting sports.  That love was introduced to them by their dad, the late Irby Mandrell.

This year’s shooting event was an exciting time for the Mandrell family, as it gave them the opportunity to share with the world all that dad Irby had instilled in them — a love for God, country, family, and shooting sports.

At the end of both days’ events, everyone gathered for dinner, and a silent auction and live auction were held at the hotel.  It was exciting to get caught up in the bidding for firearms, and watching the auctioneer as he spurred bidders on.

But the most touching part of the evening was watching each Mandrell daughter tell sweet stories about their daddy … what made him so special; what they remembered and admired most; and how much of a sense of humor he had.  Irby was truly a special man.  That was obvious from the love displayed by his daughters.  And even though they’re grown now with children of their own, they’ll always be “Daddy’s Little Girls.”

And the Winners Are …

The real winners of the event are the Boy Scouts of America and Wish Upon a Star … these are the foundations for which everyone attends this event to support, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.  I’m certainly hoping I’ll get to be a part of it next year, too.

The Future of Women’s Shooting Sports – Madison Gravitt and mounted shooting

The first Saturday of the month … it could mean many things to many people.  For me, it’s a day of the month that had been on my radar for quite a while.  Since having attended the Reba McEntire/George Strait concert with my friend Debbie Martin in March and running into another friend’s daughter at the train station in downtown Atlanta, I had every intention of getting up early one “first Saturday” to get to the Peach State Mounted Shooters event, which is what my friend Robyn Gravitt’s daughter, Madison, has taken up as her sport of choice.

Being the firm believer that everything happens for a reason, I know it was no coincidence that I saw Robyn’s elder daughter, Amber, on the train platform after the Reba/George concert and had to speak…it would be just plain rude not to!  I said hello, and asked about her momma (a Southern thing, I guess!). It was then that Amber told me that, while Robyn was still doing scrapbooking retreats, lately she had been busy with Madison in her new hobby with Mounted Shooting.  What?  Mounted shooting?  I was ecstatic!  I could feel the mice in my head begin to run on the little wheels…a story was beginning to take shape, and I was still talking to Amber!!  Okay, focus Melita, focus!

As the train approached and we said our goodbyes, I promised Amber I would call her mom, and resisted the temptation to dial her up at that instant.  After all, it was nearly midnight on a school night, certainly past my bedtime.  I settled for a call the next morning after Robyn returned from her bus run, as she is a school bus driver for special needs children in Forsyth County, Georgia.

After a few scheduling issues, we were finally at the day.  I arrived early for the event, and nosed around looking all reporter-like with my teal Irlene Mandrell Celebrity Shoot polo from 2007 (more to come on that event), my hot pink camera and my notepad.  Armed with a pocketful of WOMA business cards, I set out to find my target … Miss Madison Gravitt.  As I stood on the outer edges of the shooters’ meeting, I listened intently to the range master as he doled out directions to the day’s shooters.  If there was this kind of problem, see him; if there was that kind of problem, see the match director — very similar to a USPSA match.  I was intrigued.

Then everyone gathered around, the American flag was brought out and we said the Pledge of Allegiance. After the pledge, the match was opened with a word of prayer and God’s blessings were asked for the day‘s event and safety to be bestowed upon everyone present, as well as our troops fighting for our freedom to be able to participate in this sport; in Jesus’ name.  Later, I found out from Robyn that, because the event is a Saturday and Sunday event, Cowboy Church is held Sunday morning prior to the event and they have a pastor that preaches to the ones that can’t make it to both church and the event.  That must be what it was like in the cowboy days.

While nosing around, I walked over to some ladies loading their 6-shooters from community buckets on a table in front of the registration office.  There, I met Tisha Deckena, a mounted shooter from Indiana.  She said she and her husband drove 11 hours to get to this event.  Every weekend is spent shooting at a mounted shooting event, and next weekend, they would be at the Nationals in Oklahoma.  Her sentiments are “The more guns I can get that aren’t registered, the better!”

I was taking it all in…the horses, the arena (which was HUGE!), the guns (oh my, were they pretty…), the attire (one could hardly call it costumes, because they’re just beautiful rodeo clothing), and I was really digging it.  Then Miss Madison Gravitt walked up and introduced herself to me.  She took me around to the stall where her horses, Ranger and Baby were kept, and began explaining how the day’s events would go.

Her mom said it might be hard to get information from her, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all.  Madison was quite the source of information, but aren’t we all when it comes to something we love?  Madison exudes love for the outdoors.  She is bright and intelligent, and has a natural gift.  She isn’t aloof when it comes to caring for her equipment or her horses, either.  She is meticulous in making sure that all tasks are completed and in a timely manner.  She even pointed out to me that her horse, Ranger, has hearing protection too, which are the squishy rubber cat ball toys stuck into his ears.

Madison explained every nuance of the mounted shooting event to me, from the riding levels, how prizes are awarded, how times are calculated, how penalties are assessed, and for someone who has been doing this for under six months with real guns, I was quite impressed.  Madison got her start in mounted shooting through dad’s, Johnny, best friend and fellow mounted shooter Robbie Henderson.  Joel Paulk, another mounted shooter, has been her coach and mentor and has really shown her the ropes, so to speak, when it comes to mounted shooting.

One thing I noticed at the Peach State Mounted Shooters event was that there were a great number more women than men participating in the event.  That seemed unusual to me, because in USPSA events, we are hard pressed to get even 20% of a day’s participation to be women.  I spoke with a number of women at the event, one of which was a middle school science teacher named Georgette Hewell.  She got started with her husband in mounted shooting.

One of the most impressive ladies I met was Mary Ellen “Granny Oakley” Carson.  At nearly 79 years young, she had friends that rode horses and became involved in mounted shooting.  They invited her to come along, and she decided very quickly that this was not a spectator sport!  So they talked her into giving it a try and she’s been doing it ever since.  That was nearly 4 years ago.  When I asked her if she had any advice for anyone thinking about getting into mounted shooting, Granny said “Shoot one time and you’re hooked!”

That’s the sentiment of Madison as well.  “My friend rides English and I’m trying to talk her into giving this a try.  I think she’ll love it. I know I do!”~Melita Ellington

The GTUL: Keeping your mags clean

Have you ever thought about what to do with those dirty magazines? No, not THOSE magazines . . . your Glock magazines. Do I have the tool for you. It’s the GTUL Magazine Cleaning System, developed by Greg Morando.

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Partners: In pistols and in prayer

Recently, my husband, Brian, and I shot a match at River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, Georgia. Okay – nothing unusual about that. What was unusual for us was we shot on the same squad. We don’t typically shoot together. It just happened that way I guess.

If you know me, you know I don’t believe in coincidence. Divine intervention is part of my belief system. Everything happens for a reason–it’s all part of God’s plan. No karma … no stars aligning … no energy in rocks … God. G-O-D, God. Don’t believe there’s a God? Just ask me how a 19-year old single, pregnant girl can have a child on her own, triumph over that stigma, work hard, eventually marry a great guy, start her own company, and become the Vice President of The WOMA? One word: God.

So, back to the point. We had been having our typical Sunday morning “issues”… where’s my bag? I didn’t have it! Where did you put my ammo? What ammo? Why are you breathing? Could you stop looking at me?! You know … that kind of morning. And we were about to be armed … perhaps not a good combination. Something needed to change. Time for me to change. This was not going to be pleasant.

When we arrived at the range, we were a bit early, so as we pulled in and Brian was instructing me where to park, no not here, there …, I had an idea. Actually, I think it was God’s idea, but in my voice. I have a theory that when we get ideas, they’re not actually our ideas, they’re His, but He disguises His voice as our own voice in our heads. Imagine driving down the road and the voice in your head is the James Earl Jones/CNN voice saying ‘MELITA, THIS IS GOD…I HAVE A GREAT IDEA!” You’d pee your pants and run off the road! I know I would!! Maybe it would be much better if at the beginning of each day there was the little disclaimer like soap operas use to do: “The voice of God will now be played by Melita Ellington.“ We’d be okay with that, right?

Again, back to the point. I get this divinely inspired idea to pray with Brian, right there in the car, before the match. Not something we had EVER done before. I pray a lot. I’ve got a kid in Afghanistan. Enough said. So right then and there, I said to Brian, “Let’s just say a quick prayer.” And we held hands and prayed. Not the sappy kind that when you hear the person praying you wonder what grade they got in Seminary for Prayer 101, but just the “Lord, bless us today, and help us to not get on each other’s nerves today” prayer. Well, guess what? We got along great, and I shot the best match I ever shot. He helped me so much and seemed really interested in helping me out. We were like a team for once.

James 4:2 says “… ye have not because ye ask not.” Prayer for even the most insignificant things in our lives are not insignificant to God. He wants to hear us ask for blessings, forgiveness, advice, thanksgiving … After all, He is a Father, and what Father doesn’t long to hear from his children?

Starbucks and guns

As I was reading my e-mails today, I happened across one from the NRA with a “vote now” window, asking me if I would be patronizing Starbucks more because of the anti-gun boycott of said coffee beanery.

What? Starbucks was being boycotted? This I had to see for myself. After a bit of research, I came across this page on Free Republic, which is brief but makes for an interesting read.  The readers’ comments, however, had me laughing out loud. Read more

The future of women’s shooting sports

“Are you here to shoot or to watch?” That was my question to eight-year-old Hailey Proffitt at Sunday’s USPSA pistol match at East Alabama Gun Club in Phenix City, Alabama.

“I’m here to watch,” Hailey replied. But it wasn’t long before she had a string of pasters ready to paste targets as soon as the range officer called the range clear.  Of course, that was after donning her Howard Leight ear and eye protection. Hailey has her own gear. Wow!

Dad Jason told me he can’t go to the range without her. “I let her shoot my 9 mm, but it’s just too much for her,” Jason said when I asked if he had considered letting her compete as a junior shooter.  Mark Kauder, EAGC’s range manager, informed us that they permit .22s on the range–just perfect for junior shooters and would-be shooters like Hailey.

With the speed of youth and intensity of a young woman on a mission, Hailey pasted targets at each stage, making our downtime between shooters minimal. Unlike many kids her age, Hailey wasn’t content to wander off to explore, or sit in the shade to play an electronic game.  No, ma’am . . .  she was all business, thank you.

Hailey is also a super helper when dad Jason reloads for his matches. She will separate the brass after cleaning and have it ready to be resized and loaded up. She knows every component of ammunition reloading.

Hailey says, “Dad teaches me safety first. I don’t do anything unless he is with me, or I ask.”

As for the future of women’s shooting sports, Hailey is it, along with all the other young girls just like her. It’s up to us (parents, mentors, friends, media, manufacturers and industry associations) to help out in any way we can to promote their development and elevate their interest.

And I want Hailey on my squad. I say get that little gal a .22 pistol, and let’s get her shooting some pistol matches. I certainly hope that the next time I shoot a match at EAGC, I get to shoot on Hailey’s squad, er, I mean Hailey’s dad’s squad.

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