Tuesday, February 6, 2024
I met Bruce through the Waterloo Rifle and Pistol Club (WRPC) when I first started shooting guns. Bruce was a gentleman of the first order.
Bruce was the Range Officer (RO) for my first Silhouette competition. An RO has total control of the line of competitors. The RO tells you when you can start, when you can stop, and everything in between. The RO has the power to stop a course of fire and throw a competitor out if needed.
At my first shoot I was using a 'supported' shooting stance that was not approved for this particular competition.
Rather than stop the line, call me out, and embarrass me in front of the other 9 competitors on the line...Bruce sidled up to me quietly as everyone was loading and simply said, with his hand on my back, a smile on his face, and a glint in his eye:
"We use an unsupported 'hunter' style here."
I was devastated and grateful. Devastated that I made a mistake, and grateful that Bruce gave me a lesson instead of a condemnation.
Over the decades since, I worked with Bruce at the club and often visited him at his home. He was always the same gentleman: kind smiling and with hint of mischief around the eyes.
In his waning years Bruce would greet me on the phone and in person with "How are you doing, young fella?'. Bruce did this even when I was no longer young and he no longer recognized me.
As I said: A gentleman of the first order.
