Up and Down The Roaders Skeet Shoot Competition

For several years, the Lewis homeplace on Middle Prong Rd. was the site of an annual Skeet Shooting Competition.  The weekend was always a traditional time for food, fun and fellowship with family, friends and neighbors.  As with all traditions, I hope this one will begin again in the future.  

    

Up and Down the Roaders are their names and skeet shooting is their game.

Reprinted with permission from The Pamlico News article written by Nancy Winfrey.

Wednesday, September 11, 1991

      We've all hear that "blonds have more fun"....but that's not true by a long shot!  It would be hard for anyone to have any more fun  - even blonds - than a bunch of skeet shooters who gather in Lowland each year.  It is a fact, though, that these skeet shooting enthusiasts do choose to leave their "fair hair maidens" at home when they congregate for their annual skeet shooting competition between the "Up the Roaders" and "Down the Roaders" in the community of Lowland on Goose Creek Island.
     The Up the Roaders and Down the Roaders have been meeting at the old Lewis homeplace on Middle Prong Road in Lowland now for eight years, but the actual skeet shooting competition, according to Richard Lewis, didn't begin until six years ago.
     Richard and has dad, Marcus Lewis, live in Elizabeth City but are born and bred Lowlanders.  Richard who serves as captain for the Up the Roaders, explained how the skeet shoot competition came about.  "It all started on the Saturday when dove season opened. After our dove hunt, we all gathered here at our old homeplace and we'd shoot skeet.  The next year, we decided to divide into teams."
     Continuing, he said , "I'd load the shotgun shells and purchase the skeet and then we'd pass the hat to share the expense."
      Every year the meeting place is the same - at the old homeplace of Marcus Lewis, who is also one of the member so the Up the Roaders team.
      Explaining how the teams named themselves, Marcus stood outside his Lowland home and pointed towards the highway.  "That area where the curve is used to be known as Clarks Corner which was really the hub of the community in the 1900's.  People came from down the road or up the road to get to Clarks Corner."  He said that was really just an old saying that started way back.  "You'd go up the road, or down the road to Clarks Corner," he said with a humorous tone.
     Marcus added, concerning the skeet shooting competition, "We used to play baseball together years ago and we still try to keep the rivalry going between family, friends and invited guests."
     A lot of activity was going on last Thursday as I talked with members of the Up the Roaders, who were getting things in order for the Saturday, September 7, skeet shoot.  The skeet shoot takes place each year on the Saturday following Labor Day.
     Garry Scheier of Norfolk, Virginia, was busy cleaning fish for dinner, and the outdoor cooker had already begun to belch smoke.  Garry noted that his mother and Marcus are brother and sister.  And, as was said earlier, Richard is the son of Marcus.  Then to further complicate the introductions, I was introduced to Juston Lewis of Suffolk, Virginia, who was born and raised on Goose Creek Island.  Juston is Richard Lewis's father's brother.  Juston now resides in Suffolk.  Marcus and Juston's parents were the late Jonah and Ollie Lewis, both natives of Goose Creek Island and born near Clarks Corner.
     And, then along came Ken Miller of Windfall, N.C., who Richard introduced as his very good friend.  "Ken's been on the team for about five years," added Richard.
     The group of five skeet shooters, all members of the Up the Roaders, said they wanted the trophy back this year.
     The Up the Roaders would also like to recruit one the Down the Roaders team members, Gerald Harris, to line up with them.
     Richard explained, "Gerald, or 'Doodie', as we call him, is one of the oldest members of the skeet shoot.  He's 78 years old and averages 28 out of every 30 skeet he aims at.  We're calling him our Grand Marshal."
     Team captains are Richard Lewis for the Up the Roaders and Larry Foreman, who hails from Lowland, serves as captain of the Down the Roaders.
     Larry and his brother are opponents during the annual skeet shoot competition with his brother Franklin, lining up with the Up the Roaders.  The members said in fun that with Larry and Franklin on opposing teams, "It's kinda like the battle between the North and South!"
     Even though both teams make an assertive effort to take the trophy, safety always comes first, but it's exciting when, as Marcus put it, "the tail gate drops" and the competition begins. "And," commented Richard, "I know you're going to ask about the past winners.  Well, we've won one time and Down the Roaders four times (not counting Saturday's competition)."  Explaining their one win, he said, "We only lost - on the average- by two shots and the reason for that is that our group has to come from out-of-state and other areas outside of Pamlico County, while Down the Roaders have more local boys....and they won't share their good shooters with us," Richard said jokingly.
     The shooters range in age from 16 to 78, and there are between ten and twelve on each team.  Each shooter shoots 30 times which computes out to the usage of some 600-700 skeet.  The score is tallied and the one with the most hits is declared the winning team.
     Preparing for this very special event, Richard said they begin with and use about 3,000 loaded shells, but that also includes practice sessions and the skeet shoot itself.
     Saturday, September 7, ushered in the 8th annual Skeet Shooting Competition and between 40 and 50 people gathered at the Lewis homeplace for the competition between the Up the Roaders and Down the Roaders.
     And, they not only can skeet shoot, but can cook up a great pot of vittles, as well.
     The highlight of the day is the skeet shoot, of course, but a close runner-up in popularity has to be the "feed" the gentlemen put on.  Incidentally, both teams contribute the food and also do all the cooking themselves, as well as catching their own seafood.
     On Thursday, September 5, nets were fished that morning, a 38-pound drum was added to others caught and all was served up Saturday in the form of a delicious drum stew!  The day's bill of fare also included smoked hams, fried shrimp, soft shell crabs, hard crab, hot cornbread, stewed potatoes and other Southern treats!
     Richard said that two of the chief chefs were his father, Marcus, and his friend, Ken.  "Ken raises hogs and brings the pork down," added Richard.
     Both teams are not only excellent marksmen and chefs, but are comprised of avid sportsmen who not only enjoy the sport but have a great respect for the environment.
     In Saturday's competition, the Up the Roaders took the winning trophy.  Team member Franklin Foreman was named as the best over all shooter.  Others making the Up the Roaders team were Richard Lewis, Marcus Lewis, Juston Lewis, Ken Miller, Montier Potter, Garry Scheier, Brent Foreman, Harold Wooten, Steve Harrington, Ken Dunbar, Scooter Smith, Archie Miller, and Ray Winslow.
     Team members shooting on the Down the Roaders team were Gerald Harris, Steven Ross, Mitchie Ray Midgette, Larry Foreman, Steven Leary, Gary Fulford, Albin Henries, Jeffrey Hopkins, Zool Ireland, Joey Ballance, Len Banks, Rocko Williams, Albert Taylor McKinney, Jeremy Cahoon, and Casper Ireland.