Shooter Spotlight: Miss Gypsy Belle

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Tucson, Arizona

When did you start shooting CAS and how did you or who got you into the sport?

I started cowboy action shooting in 2011 when I was 11 years old. My father, Myles Houston, has been shooting since 2004 as a hobby but lead to something we can do together!

Who was your mentor, either known to them or not?

A huge mentor in CAS in my younger years was Sassy Dancer. She helped me after shoots and even outside of shooting to help practice transition skills and even just became a huge resource I could turn to when I needed anything.

How much do you practice, how many rounds a month do you send down range?

When I was heavy into shooting before college my dad and I would go to about two club shoots a week. This means we shot about 200 rounds a month. Now that I’m in college I don’t usually get to shoot monthly but hope that changes soon!

Have you won any state, regional, national or world championships?

I have about 5 Arizona state championships total. The last year I shot End of Trail I got third in Lady Gunfighter to the glorious Shamrock Sadie.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

My most memorable match is kind of a downer. I was about 13 years old shooting buckerette here in Three Points, Arizona at a local club match. It was in the dead of summer over 100 degrees that afternoon during our match. I was shooting through a train prop when I looked down to transition my pistols, cross draw off course, and I got a gushing nose bleed. I saw the blood and got very overwhelmed, missed my holster, and dropped my pistol empty. This was my first time ever dropping a gun and I will never forget it.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

My favorite aspect of shooting is the people! Come for the fun and stay for the people. I have met so many amazing people from all over the country that I have formed life lasting friendships that I would have never had without SASS. Every relationship that I have formed in SASS listening to everyone’s story’s and soaking in everyone’s life advice has molded me to who I am today.3

Is there a story behind your alias, and what is that story?

There is honestly no major story that comes along with my alias. My mom did mention when we were brain storming that I have ancestors that that were gypsys in Romania! This obviously made swayed myself thought process to wanting Gypsy in the name.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

My travel buddy is definitely my Dad. We have traveled to multiple states to shoot in some gorgeous places! Our favorite thing when traveling is to listen to Kid Rock and sing every lyric to every song laughing hysterically the whole way.

Where is your favorite place to shoot? (range or match past or present)

The favorite place I have ever shot was Silver City, New Mexico for Geranino Trail. The landscape was just gorgeous and I got to shoot with some of our favorite people we have met in this sport. The match was super fun and different then most I have ever shot.

Have you tried other categories? What categories have you shot and how did that go?

When I started out shooting I was shooting traditional in the buckerette category. On my 18th birthday I decided to switch straight to gunfighter because it just looked like so much fun. Also I wanted to give my dad some competition *wink wink*. The last category I have tried is frontier cartridge gunfighter which was a blast!

What is you posse job of choice?

My posse job of choice would have to be picking brass while also pulling shotgun targets. Because I am still young I like to do as much as possible to help my posse and keep things going smoothly. Although I do enjoy score keeping because it is very involved and I am usually one of the only people that is trained to do it.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

My fastest stage to date is a 14 second stage shooting gunfighter at Bordertown!

What was the best advice you got from a fellow shooter, and who was it?

The best advice that I have ever been given was from a great man who has passed on from this life named Texas Slim. He taught me to always be myself and just enjoy life. Also, buy those green chinks.💚

What advice can you give to some of the shooters reading this?

Although the timer is a very important rule the spotters on that posse will make or break your match. My advice would be to learn how to be a good spotter because you might save someone’s butt whether it’s from a edge hit or you count 9/10 rounds coming out of that rifle. It means a lot to everyone for their match, safety, and you’ll thank me later.

What keeps you playing this game?

The thing that keeps me playing this game is the time I get to spend with my dad. Between work and school we don’t have a lot of time to spend time together. Shooting is always the common denominator that allows us to enjoy each others company and play.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not on the range or shooting?

My favorite thing to do outside of shooting is riding my quad. I basically grew up in the sand dunes! I also love mudding on my family’s property when it rains on a quad or in a truck!