"THE SHOOT-OUT" In 1995 we added what we call a "Shoot-Out."  This contest pits poets against the clock.  They have one hour to compose an original 24 line or less poem using ONE LINE they have all been given at the beginning of the contest.  This idea has met with lots of attention and enthusiasm and has caught on at other cowboy poetry gathers.  The top three poems chosen are signed and auctioned off during the awards presentations at the Gather.

SAGEBRUSH COWBOYOGRAPHY ASSOCIATION

PAST YEAR'S WINNERS:

1st Place Poem by David Kuzara, Sheridan, Wyoming.  This is David's 2nd year in the contest and last year he got second place. ONE BAD APPLE “What am I bid for this filly?” Said the auctioneer in a drone. “She’s young and fast, so she won’t last, Let’s find this gal a new home.” “Fifty bucks is all she’s worth,” Said Dusty with a frown. “She’s just no good, and knock on wood, They’ll have to put her down.” Well I bought that filly anyhow, And took her home that day. I just couldn’t let the auction house vet, Load her up and take her away. I soon found out Dusty was right, I should have heeded his word. That filly was rotten, and all I had gotten, Was a problem in my herd. It wasn’t long before the trouble began, And the rest of the horses rebelled. They soon forgot everything they were taught, No matter how I hollered or yelled. Dusty stopped by just the other day, And he said “I told you so.” “It only takes one, and the damage is done, Bad company corrupts good character, Joe.

Niki Legerski has participated in the Shoot-Out since 1999 and has either won or placed several times.  She got 2nd this year in the 2007 Shoot-Out with this poem. Bad Company by Nikki Legerski Bad company corrupts good character, yes that is surely true, And sides of men come tumbling out the likes you never knew. Who would have thought those 40 pounds of dog food left outside Would set about the events that they did both far and wide. Now Shayne after three days packed that old bag right through the door His wife had asked him several times, of that you can be shore. He placed it by the counter then went off to hang his hat, And when he returned in the middle of the floor his small son sat. “Hey Dad, I just was wonderin’…was wonderin’ what you’d say Would make Blue’s bag of dog food move around in that ‘ol way.” Shayne looked there in the corner and indeed his son was right. ‘Cause that bag it was a movin’ to the left and to the right. Shayne crept near to it quietly and opened up the top And what he saw made his old heart feel like it just might stop. Three little skunks rears to the sky had gotten quite a fright They’d helped themselves into the bag while it was out that night. And Shayne had turned their breakfast into one big wild ride He grabbed that sack and double quick ran it back right outside. Then got his gun and started blastin’ that old bag to bits Dog food flyin’ left and right, Shayne in a screamin’ fit. It hit Shayne’s truck, his wife’s new car, dog food flew everywhere. It shot out on the road and permently parted his son’s hair. And when the dog food dust died down the ranch looked like a bomb, And Shayne turned to his son and said, “Hey, let’s not tell your mom.”

After battling with eye problems for the last few years, Norm returned to the Cowboy Roundup to take 3rd place in the 2007 Shoot-Out with this poem. Bad Company, Good Character By Norman Shaw, Laurel Mt. Our lives are controlled by the choices we make And these choices are made every day. The TV, internet and most movie themes Are leading young people astray. The old cowboy knew right from wrong in his life And the western world taught this for sure. The lawmen whose challenge was keeping the peace Knew bad company corrupts good character. Our forefathers taught us the need for respect And the consequence spelled out the price A cowboy respects women and the laws of the land While bad company shuns this advice. The commandments were set down on tablets of stone And the West was won using these laws The courts and the judges of our early west Were quick to dispose of the flaws. The cowboy had hours to digest these facts. All the time he was sitting his horse. Only one public hanging was needed to show, How to keep good character in force. Now, the modern day cowboy has influences That are more frequent than in the past. With bad company lurking at our fingertips Our good character’s eroding fast.