For Paige Dasher, the Wild West is alive and well.
She can claim to be one of the quickest and most accurate shooters in the Northwest after winning state and regional Single Action Shooting Society competitions.
Dasher, a 15-year-old Decatur High School student, has been shooting since the age 11. She was introduced to the sport by her aunt.
“My aunt and uncle started four years before I did,” Dasher said. “They took my two brothers shooting first.Then one night at a party I was going to stay over at my aunt’s house and she said they were all going shooting the next day. My sister and went with them at age 11.”
She says that she didn’t shoot much in the beginning. Part of the reason for that was because the weapons they were using were heavier and it was draining for her to do multiple stages. At the time, she did not realize she could sit some stages out.
As she got older, she became more capable physically and mentally. She eventually got her own guns and holsters.
“I’ve come to enjoy it a lot more,” she said. ” It was kind of hard at first. Everyone else was good. I was tired after my first shoot. But it started getting a lot more fun and I started going to bigger events. I saw a lot of good shooters and it motivated me to become better.”
The Single Action Shooting Society is an international organization dedicated to the sport of Cowboy ActionShooting. They use double-barrel shotguns, lever-action rifles and two revolvers as they participate in different scenarios.
“The pistol was my favorite at first,” Dasher said. “But the pistol is a pain to shoot with. They say you win a match with the rifle or shotgun and you lose it with a pistol. The rifle became my favorite for a little while, but now I like the double-barrel shotgun and the pistol.”
A rule for the sport is that the participants must adopt an Old West persona. They must dress in full costume during competitions.
Dasher goes by the name Ivy Hills. Her aunt and uncle go by the names Heather and Hank Hills. Her twin sister,who has since stopped shooting, went by the name Holly Hills. The two of them together were known as theFoliage Twins.
Recently, Dasher completed her biggest accomplishment in the sport when the won her division in the SingleAction Shooting Society Washington and Northwest Regional events back-to-back.
“There were a lot of ladies at regionals I hadn’t beaten,” she said. “I knew I could do it. It was tough to keep that mindset going into it because I’d never beaten the girls before and they were always the top dogs.”
With the win, Dasher earned automatic free entry into the Western Divisional Championship in southernCalifornia in October. She also earned free entry into the National Championships in February.
She will be competing in smaller events each month leading up to the bigger championships.
Dasher is going to be an Ignite mentor this year after being a mentee last year. She and her sister are also members of the Gators wrestling team, getting their start last year.
Recently they began to train with their friend and her dad whose last name, Carpio, has been synonymous with success in wrestling in the area. Ares and Arian Carpio combined for three state titles between 2010-2014 while at Todd Beamer.
Dasher is also considering a spring sport this year and will be taking either AP Spanish or Spanish 4 andAmerican Sign Language.
Last year, Dasher was named one of the inaugural Cimarron “Young Guns” by Cimarron Firearms. The top 13-14male and female shooters are considered for the honor. She was one of six shooters chosen.
