Nicole Franks

Nicole Franks
Hubba!
Born	July 1 1986 (age 27) Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Known for	Canadian Women's Fast Draw Champion; World Women's Fast Draw Champion; breaking records at the drop of a hat.
Current Standings (as of April, 2011)
Over 50 World Records, including .263 second traditional fast draw. Also: 10 World Championships 6 time All around World Champion 14 Chairman Championships

Nicole Franks is a Canadian fast draw competitor from Langley, British Columbia, competing in the World Fast Draw Association. She is the daughter of Bob and Peggy Franks. She currently holds the Women's World Record, with a traditional style standing blanks time of 0.263 seconds, less than three one hundredths of a second shy of the men's record of 0.236 seconds.

She has won the WFDA All-Around Women’s Fast Draw Championship for an unprecedented 10 years in a row.

She is also extremely hawt.

Background

Franks was born in Aldergrove, British Columbia, and attended D.W. Poppy Secondary School in nearby Langley. She has also studied media and journalism at Columbia Academy in Vancouver, British Columbia.

She first tried shooting at age 11 when her father, Bob Franks, saw the Thunderbird Fast Draw Club practicing at a local range in Langley and "fell in love with it." The elder Franks began competing and would bring Nicole along to competitions. Not long after, Nicole developed an interest as well, because "I would travel all this way just to sit and watch, and it was really boring for an 11 year old girl."

Although she had never fired a gun before, she displayed a natural talent with a revolver almost immediately. Her first competition, in Alberta, resulted in her coming in dead last, but her parents recognized her potential and encouraged her to continue. The following year, at the age of 12, she entered another contest in Mandam, North Dakota and won her first Chairman contest for WFDA's A division. She then entered the AA division at 14, and promptly began to collect an impressive series of victories unprecedented for someone her age.

Competition

Franks in 2000 after winning the women's title at Pecos Bill's Revenge.

In 2000, at age 13, she won her first Chairman contest, held in Oregon, and promptly went about setting an astonishing 13 World Records. She celebrated her 14th birthday by setting nine (yes, 9!) world records at the Pecos Bill's Revenge competition. Less than one month after, she traveled to Parachute, Colorado to enter the World Title — mostly for the experience and the chance to observe more seasoned competitors, as she had no expectations of winning the competition (most of the trophies were about as tall as her).

Well, she won. In a presentation she believes "nothing will ever top," he hosts of the competition presented her with a 4-foot-plus trophy, a handmade bone knife, a tiara for her cowboy hat, and a dozen roses. On the way home, her trophy would not fit under her seat or in the overhead compartment, so it sat in the first class coat closet.

Before Franks turned 15, she had set 21 World Records and managed to set another 13 in 2006 alone. The only gun she ever uses is a .357 Ruger single-action six-shooter.

In 2007, Franks entered into eight completions, winning seven and losing only one, to Peggy Franks. Yep, her mom. Her performance in the first half of the 2010 season was hampered by a back injury she suffered early in the year.

Shooting style

Franks rarely practices her shooting skills, doing nearly all her shooting in competitions. She claims the reason for this is that, when practicing, her performance is never as good as in competitions, and she believes the pressure of competing aids her in her performance.

Unlike some other female fast draw competitors, franks does not rise up on her toes when firing, keeping her heels down. She also shoots straight from the hip, so closely she often burns her jeans. She hopes to whittle down her fastest time to just a quarter of a second, aiming for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Titles

Although she has only been competing since 2000, Franks has already amassed an impressive array of World Fast Draw titles, including:

2000 Peco Bills Revenge (Chairman) Stayton, Oregon Kid Curry World Elimination (WORLD) Parachute, Colorado National Wax Elimination (Chairman) Stayton , Oregon 2001 All Around World Champion National Blank Elimination (Chairman) Stayton , Oregon Wild Bill Hickok World Wax Elimination (WORLD) Deadwood, SD World Blank Elimination (WORLD) Bearspaw, Alberta 2002 All Around World Champion World Blank Elimination (WORLD) Bearspaw, Alberta Fastest Gun Alive Tournament (WORLD) Stayton, Oregon Canadian Championship (Chairman) Cochrane, Alberta 2003 All Around World Champion Montana World Elimination (WORLD) Big Timber, MT Canadian Championship (Chairman) Cochrane, Alberta

2004 All Around World Champion Wild West (WORLD) Florence Arizona Montana World Elimination (WORLD) Big Timber, MT Canadian Championship (Chairman) Cochrane, Alberta 2005 All Around World Champion Cripple Creek Double or Nothing (Chairman) Colorado World Wax Elimination (WORLD) Deadwood, SD 2006 All Around World Champion Oklahoma State Championship (Chairman) Oklahoma Double or Nothing Shoot Out (Chairman) Cripple Creek, CO World Wax Elimination (WORLD) Deadwood, SD First Annual centennial Shootout (Chairman) Wheatland, WY Sundance Kid National Championship (Chairman) WY Canadian Championship (Chairman) Cochrane, Alberta World Blank Elimination Championship (WORLD) Cripple Creek, CO

Gallery

↓ Video Slideshow ↓

← Previous Video | Next Video →

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  Franks at the Cloverdale Rodeo Fair Grounds near Vancouver.

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  Franks vs. Alanna Blinn at the 2005 World Balloon Elimination Championship.

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  Franks in 2009 with men’s champion Frank Lawton

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  Franks vs. Blinn again

External links

• Official website
• MySpace