By James Day
Tom Rickman of Sublimity has been inducted into the Single Action Shooting Society Hall of Fame for his nearly 25 years of service to the organization.
The group stages elaborate shooting competitions using single-action guns, both antiques and modern reproductions, amid Old West themes.
“I always enjoyed Westerns,” said Rickman, 61,in an interview in a living room full of guns, ammo, Western-themed artwork and a cartridge reloader.
“I grew up watching Westerns on black and white TV. We do a lot of shooting stages based on scenes from Westerns and history. Stages are based on whatever we can make up, inspired by old movies and history of Old West.”
Rickman joined the Albany club in 1991 and has risen to the rank of territorial governor, or club representative. Rickman also serves as territorial governor for clubs in Roseburg and Florence as well as on a national committee that works on rules for the society’s events. It was his interest in the group’s rules and procedures that led to his hall of fame honor.
“I kept hanging out with the guys who were writing the rules and they got tired of me asking questions and put me on the range operator committee,” said Rickman, who proudly wears a badge that notes his RO status.
“They interpret event rules and make rule changes. They also assigned me to take care of the (online) forum, answering questions and troubleshooting.”
Members of the society are required to use aliases, stage names if you will. Rickman’s is PaleWolf Brunelle. And he found out that for a one-time-only fee of $10 he could get his alias in the phone book.
“When I get calls for Mr. Brunelle I know they don’t know me because they would have asked for PaleWolf,” Rickman said.
Rickman, who has participated in SASS national and world competitions, has had to pull back from his once-heavy competition schedule because of health issues. He has Wegener’s GPA, a rare disorder that causes a loss of blood flow to various organs. Rickman has battled both lung and kidney issues. He said his lung function has returned, but he will need a kidney transplant.
“It’s kind of a pain having to travel with dialysis equipment,” said Rickman, pointing to a machine in the corner. He is hooked up to the dialysis unit for more than 9 hours a day, which also has limited his ability to enjoy society events as much as he would like.
“As long as I get my rest I can go anywhere I want.,” said Rickman, who is hoping to get a transplant by the end of the year. “It cuts into evening festivities. Socializing is a big part of it, but I have to sleep more. But I really want to get off the machine.”
Speaking of machines, Rickman, who has a lively sense of humor, couldn’t resistant a jibe at his marital status.
“How do you tell if a man is single?,” he asks. “If they have a reloader in the living room.”
But Rickman’s is standing by in a handy place for a good reason.
“Most of us reload because we shoot too much to be able to afford store-bought ammo.”
