Managing more than 100 rooms and a casino with 186 gaming devices including live blackjack in addition to lots of slots is enough to keep him busy - even without the pressure of marketing his establishment - he said in a recent interview.
Under his leadership, First Gold has turned being outside the core downtown gaming zone into an advantage by utilizing space - at a premium in the tightly-packed downtown - for expansion and easy-access parking.
Staying fresh in an industry that seems to devour upper-level managers and owners is paramount, he said. So when time permits he indulges a pastime he started prior to his career in gaming: He practices and competes in Old West style fast draw shooting and runs an up-and-coming fast draw association that boasts a nationwide membership.
He credits his start in the fast draw world to the late Joe Barcelone who taught many in the Black Hills about the sport and organized, among others, the Deadwood Bounty Hunters, a local club dedicated to the lightening quick reflexes and dead-eye accuracy necessary to compete in the sport.
In addition to fast draw, Hemmah said, he also learned about "trick shooting" from Barcelone and would sometimes act as Barcelone's assistant in an act that left visitors and locals spellbound.
Hemmah demonstrated how he used to hold a "dental mirror," one with a handle, to look over his back while pointing his gun back over his shoulder with elbow cocked at a 90 degree angle. From this position he would do things such as shoot various objects out of the mouths of his willing (??) assistants. When he first started competing in fast draw events, he used .22 cal. pistols firing blank cartridges at balloons. Hemmah said he graduated to a different organization that used .45 cal. pistols firing wax bullets.
The use of the wax bullets added, he said, authenticity to the sport. With blanks, the balloons would sometimes break even if the gun were not fired level with the target because the spread of the gun powder fired out the barrel could be enough to break the balloon.
Using wax bullets, Hemmah set a world record time of .465 seconds and held that record for four years. "The record stood up for several years, I was very happy with that," he said.
Eventually, continued participation in the sport led Hemmah and his wife Susan, to take a hard look at the rules and regulations of the existing associations authorizing fast draw competition around the country. They decided something better could be created for the competitors and fans alike.
Two years ago the Hemmahs founded the Cowboy Fast Draw Association in Deadwood and have seen their new organization spread out across the country to membership and clubs in states from one end of the country to the other.
Hemmah said one of the core changes his organization introduced was to ditch the once-standard round steel target that bears no resemblance to a human form as had been the case in the Wild West Fast Draw Association.
The guns themselves are not altered from the basic stock models from the manufacturer. He noted that some of the heavily altered .22 caliber pistols firing blanks could be so expensive it kept many folks from even attempting to compete. The competition for the cowboy-oriented shoots in the new organization has one man shooting against another at the firing line as opposed to having a "flight" of shooters all shooting at the same time.
Hemmah also kept an eye on expenses when spelling out wardrobe requirements. Shooters are instructed to wear "working cowboy/cowgirl" attire which leaves the door open for those who cannot afford to spend a fortune on the costuming required to keep an Old West feel to the event.
Hemmah has been working on fast draw competitions during Wild Bill Days in Deadwood for almost 20 years. This year, again, a world class event will be held during the annual Deadwood event with world titles on the line, said Hemmah. This is in addition to a state finals held before the world title shoot that will also be held in Deadwood. "It keeps us pretty busy," said Susan Hemmah of the work with e-mail, talking to vendors and participants as the special shooting events draw closer and closer.
The new Cowboy Fast Draw Association national headquarters in Deadwood will supply the shooting targets and timing equipment for an officially sanctioned shoot, said the Hemmahs. This means that local clubs just starting out won't have to come up with big dollars to have its first shoot.
Such equipment, especially the timers that measure out to hundredths of a second don't come cheap and small clubs starting out usually don't start with the necessary funds to buy all of the equipment to make a shooting event an officially sanctioned "shoot," they explained.
It is, after all, the testing of one person with a pistol pitting his or her skill and reflexes against another that is the essence of the fast draw experience - just like the real Wild, Wild West, only safer.
In the Cowboy Fast Draw group, the rules are set up so that two people shoot "against" each other on the firing line at the same time. Other organizations might have seven to ten shooters shooting at one time for the best time to advance in the tournament brackets.
The "head to head" or "gun to gun" base for the competition in the new organization adds a serious attempt to recreate the drama of the real shoot-outs of the Old West, said Hemmah.
But in the Cowboy Fast Draw shoots the targets are not silhouettes that resemble a person but are, instead, round targets.
"We are very careful about the philosophy in our sport and do not want, in any way, to promote anything even remotely resembling harm of one person by another by the use of firearms," said Hemmah. "This is about reflexes, hand-eye coordination, the sport of hitting a target under the stress of timed firing, not about anything even close to recreation of harming anyone with firearms. More in line with trap shooting or something of the like, not violence of men or women against other men or women."
Hemmah and his wife make that point repeatedly and are proud of the carefully thought out philosophy and rules that govern their new organization and set it apart in many ways from other fast draw competitions and associations.
They also make very clear that their group differs in that the handguns used are "stock" and not "tricked out" with modifications that are allowed in some associations that can drive costs for holsters and handguns into the thousands of dollars to have any chance of competing.
Even the dress code of "working cowboy dress" leaves the door open to make sure there is a spirit of the cowboy at the shooting events. But one need not take out a second mortgage to get just the right pants, shirts, boots, or other items of apparel to meet association standards.
"The idea is to make it affordable and accessible for people with an interest to try the sport at an affordable entry level," said Hemmah. "We even have handguns and holsters available for someone to give it a try without actually buying anything until they see if they want to get more involved and without spending a bunch of money to see if they enjoy themselves enough to warrant further investment," he said.
Hemmah said he still takes the time several weeks before a competition to practice hours a day to hone his reflexes but says he has made the conscious decision to put more of his energy in building the organization he and Susan started.
There is still the time to "get in a little shooting," here and there just for his own benefit with no eye to being in world class shooting shape at the drop of a cowboy hat.
Putting the shooting in a format that emphasizes family life together and family values from top to bottom is also very important to both Brad and Susan. "It is great, you get to see friends with their families that you haven't seen for maybe a year or so, since the last big shoot; you get a chance to catch up with friends and make new friends," he noted.
So those of you who thought we'd seen the last of the six gun-totin' shooter walking the streets of Deadwood, think again. With the Hemmahs in camp, we're likely to see 'em for years to come.
|
|
Gaming exec takes to his guns for relaxation
By SCOTT RANDOLPH
Black Hills Pioneer
DEADWOOD - One local gaming executive finds relief from his high pressure in a hobby he found in 1987 that comes right out of the Old West - he goes for his six-guns.
Brad Hemmah is the general manager of the First Gold Hotel and gaming complex located at the northern entrance to Deadwood.
Managing more than 100 rooms and a casino with 186 gaming devices including live blackjack in addition to lots of slots is enough to keep him busy - even without the pressure of marketing his establishment - he said in a recent interview.
Under his leadership, First Gold has turned being outside the core downtown gaming zone into an advantage by utilizing space - at a premium in the tightly-packed downtown - for expansion and easy-access parking.
Staying fresh in an industry that seems to devour upper-level managers and owners is paramount, he said. So when time permits he indulges a pastime he started prior to his career in gaming: He practices and competes in Old West style fast draw shooting and runs an up-and-coming fast draw association that boasts a nationwide membership.
He credits his start in the fast draw world to the late Joe Barcelone who taught many in the Black Hills about the sport and organized, among others, the Deadwood Bounty Hunters, a local club dedicated to the lightening quick reflexes and dead-eye accuracy necessary to compete in the sport.
In addition to fast draw, Hemmah said, he also learned about "trick shooting" from Barcelone and would sometimes act as Barcelone's assistant in an act that left visitors and locals spellbound.
Hemmah demonstrated how he used to hold a "dental mirror," one with a handle, to look over his back while pointing his gun back over his shoulder with elbow cocked at a 90 degree angle. From this position he would do things such as shoot various objects out of the mouths of his willing (??) assistants. When he first started competing in fast draw events, he used .22 cal. pistols firing blank cartridges at balloons. Hemmah said he graduated to a different organization that used .45 cal. pistols firing wax bullets.
The use of the wax bullets added, he said, authenticity to the sport. With blanks, the balloons would sometimes break even if the gun were not fired level with the target because the spread of the gun powder fired out the barrel could be enough to break the balloon.
Using wax bullets, Hemmah set a world record time of .465 seconds and held that record for four years. "The record stood up for several years, I was very happy with that," he said.
Eventually, continued participation in the sport led Hemmah and his wife Susan, to take a hard look at the rules and regulations of the existing associations authorizing fast draw competition around the country. They decided something better could be created for the competitors and fans alike.
Two years ago the Hemmahs founded the Cowboy Fast Draw Association in Deadwood and have seen their new organization spread out across the country to membership and clubs in states from one end of the country to the other.
Hemmah said one of the core changes his organization introduced was to ditch the once-standard round steel target that bears no resemblance to a human form as had been the case in the Wild West Fast Draw Association.
The guns themselves are not altered from the basic stock models from the manufacturer. He noted that some of the heavily altered .22 caliber pistols firing blanks could be so expensive it kept many folks from even attempting to compete. The competition for the cowboy-oriented shoots in the new organization has one man shooting against another at the firing line as opposed to having a "flight" of shooters all shooting at the same time.
Hemmah also kept an eye on expenses when spelling out wardrobe requirements. Shooters are instructed to wear "working cowboy/cowgirl" attire which leaves the door open for those who cannot afford to spend a fortune on the costuming required to keep an Old West feel to the event.
Hemmah has been working on fast draw competitions during Wild Bill Days in Deadwood for almost 20 years. This year, again, a world class event will be held during the annual Deadwood event with world titles on the line, said Hemmah. This is in addition to a state finals held before the world title shoot that will also be held in Deadwood. "It keeps us pretty busy," said Susan Hemmah of the work with e-mail, talking to vendors and participants as the special shooting events draw closer and closer.
The new Cowboy Fast Draw Association national headquarters in Deadwood will supply the shooting targets and timing equipment for an officially sanctioned shoot, said the Hemmahs. This means that local clubs just starting out won't have to come up with big dollars to have its first shoot.
Such equipment, especially the timers that measure out to hundredths of a second don't come cheap and small clubs starting out usually don't start with the necessary funds to buy all of the equipment to make a shooting event an officially sanctioned "shoot," they explained.
It is, after all, the testing of one person with a pistol pitting his or her skill and reflexes against another that is the essence of the fast draw experience - just like the real Wild, Wild West, only safer.
In the Cowboy Fast Draw group, the rules are set up so that two people shoot "against" each other on the firing line at the same time. Other organizations might have seven to ten shooters shooting at one time for the best time to advance in the tournament brackets.
The "head to head" or "gun to gun" base for the competition in the new organization adds a serious attempt to recreate the drama of the real shoot-outs of the Old West, said Hemmah.
But in the Cowboy Fast Draw shoots the targets are not silhouettes that resemble a person but are, instead, round targets.
"We are very careful about the philosophy in our sport and do not want, in any way, to promote anything even remotely resembling harm of one person by another by the use of firearms," said Hemmah. "This is about reflexes, hand-eye coordination, the sport of hitting a target under the stress of timed firing, not about anything even close to recreation of harming anyone with firearms. More in line with trap shooting or something of the like, not violence of men or women against other men or women."
Hemmah and his wife make that point repeatedly and are proud of the carefully thought out philosophy and rules that govern their new organization and set it apart in many ways from other fast draw competitions and associations.
They also make very clear that their group differs in that the handguns used are "stock" and not "tricked out" with modifications that are allowed in some associations that can drive costs for holsters and handguns into the thousands of dollars to have any chance of competing.
Even the dress code of "working cowboy dress" leaves the door open to make sure there is a spirit of the cowboy at the shooting events. But one need not take out a second mortgage to get just the right pants, shirts, boots, or other items of apparel to meet association standards.
"The idea is to make it affordable and accessible for people with an interest to try the sport at an affordable entry level," said Hemmah. "We even have handguns and holsters available for someone to give it a try without actually buying anything until they see if they want to get more involved and without spending a bunch of money to see if they enjoy themselves enough to warrant further investment," he said.
Hemmah said he still takes the time several weeks before a competition to practice hours a day to hone his reflexes but says he has made the conscious decision to put more of his energy in building the organization he and Susan started.
There is still the time to "get in a little shooting," here and there just for his own benefit with no eye to being in world class shooting shape at the drop of a cowboy hat.
Putting the shooting in a format that emphasizes family life together and family values from top to bottom is also very important to both Brad and Susan. "It is great, you get to see friends with their families that you haven't seen for maybe a year or so, since the last big shoot; you get a chance to catch up with friends and make new friends," he noted.
So those of you who thought we'd seen the last of the six gun-totin' shooter walking the streets of Deadwood, think again. With the Hemmahs in camp, we're likely to see 'em for years to come.
