Well I finally have a moment to talk about The Southern. I had one of the finest times I've ever had! It was not without some trepidation that I attended with my 20 year old daughter. Concern over how she would fit in, how she would act (a lot of us know how the youth of today can be), would she enjoy this much shooting, could I be around her in close quarters for a whole weekend; These were questions I had in mind. By the end of the weekend my worries had been soundly put to rest. She stepped up to the plate and hit a home run and by doing so showed me what she is made of. I couldn't be prouder of her, nor could I be any prouder of our association and the rest of the competitors. I shot a 15 in the qualifying round and then she goes out and shoots a 14 for her first ever competitive event. In the course of the weekend, she and I shot the 12 ga.,16 ga.,and 20ga. events as well as the Main Event and several rounds of Sporting Clays. Whew! The amount of advice and coaching she received from our members, Parker members, and non brand specific shooters was phenomenal, and that to me, says what this weekend is all about. Her mantra is now "wait til next year". The vintager's dinner was a highlight for me personally as I was able to finally meet Dr. Drew. Thank you Jent, for all you did in putting that dinner together. Jim Stubbendieck, I've got to tell you what a thrill it was for Becca and me to shoot Bogey's gun. And coincidentally, "Casablanca" happens to be one of Becca's favorite movies. She was in awe! Frank, Mary Anne, Bob, Bill, Steve, Chris, Walton, Charlie, and the rest of the association in attendance, You have my undying thanks for the most rewarding weekend. And to Chris Dunlap, Skip, Tom Archer, Dr. Bill, and others who could not make it this year, you were in our thoughts and stories every day. When all is said and done, maybe we should take a lesson from our "Sweet Elsies" and Parkers. These old girls have been around for most of a century or more and have seen a LOT! I choose to take the long view of things like they do. In 20 or 30 years who knows what the Parker vs. Smith standings will be....but won't it be fun to find out?