Triple Trouble: Ladies Level 4 to Ladies Level 5 – A Look Back Through Time

Moving up through the levels in a sport comes with a lot of moments of joy — but it also comes with a lot of hard work, dedication, and set backs. Marcella Gruchalak takes a look back as she achieves her penultimate move-up in Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

It’s been just about three years that I’ve been a Ladies Level 4 in shooting. This level was trying for me. There were many good times, a lot of bad times, and a plethora of learning opportunities to get where I am today. I wanted to put together a little timeline to show the good and the bad moments that finally made me a Level 5 shooter. Here we go!

August 14, 2021 – I moved up from a Ladies Level 3 to a Ladies Level 4 at an East Coast Outlaws shoot.

Here’s my move up dance from a Ladies Level 3 to a Ladies Level 4 (in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, competitors have to dance when they earn their move-ups… the dances range from a simple couple of steps to something a bit more elaborate):

August 15, 2021 – I moved my horses out of my long-time boarding barn and onto my new farm!

August 31, 2021 – Buns and I won the 2021 New York State Championship Overall Cowgirl title.

The week of September 8, 2021 – I competed at the CMSA Eastern Championship in Tennessee. I didn’t do anything spectacular but I gave it my best effort.

October 20, 2021 – I spent my birthday with my shooting friends riding the beach.

October 23, 2021 – Buns and I won our first saddle ever with the Division High Point title from East Coast Outlaws.

February 22, 2022 – I traveled to Florida and competed off of Payco for the first time in the 4-year-old Futurity held by the Florida Peacemakers. I think we were in last place.

The week of April 15, 2022 – I went to Mississippi to compete at Nationals and Payco and I earned our first check in an AQHA class.

July 8, 2022 – After Black Betty the Heavy Chevy finally kicked the bucket, I bought Betty White, the new and improved towing machine.

July 11, 2022 – in a totally unrelated to horses accident, I broke my foot. This set me back the rest of summer into the fall.

The week of September 17, 2022 – Payco and I competed in the CMSA 4-year-old futurity. I still had a broken foot. This was my first shoot back since my foot was broken. While there, I got extremely sick and was puking off the side of Payco in the warm-up pen. Needless to say, we finished in the bottom five.

The week of April 3, 2023 – I competed in the CMSA 5-year-old Derby with Payco. We ended up finishing in third place.

Weekend of May 6, 2023 – I rode Buns and Payco at the CMSA TLC Shoot Out. Buns and I won the Ladies Level 4 Class and earned our first qualified win. Payco and I didn’t do very well in the Derby class.

The weekend of June 4, 2023 – Buns and I earned the CMSA Maryland State Reserve Cowgirl title – and my hair looked absolutely flawless. I don’t have any pictures from that weekend so I had to take a screenshot to show ya’ll exactly how good it looked!

July 9, 2023 – Payco and I earned our first qualified win together and my second qualified win as a Ladies Level 4 in a tough group of ladies!

July 15, 2023 – Payco and I earned my first and only Overall Overall, giving us our third qualified win as a Ladies Level 4.

July 22, 2023 – I took my first fall off Payco. Needless to say, we didn’t do anything spectacular at that shoot. Thank you to my friends, Cindy and Eric Newcomer, for the Magnawave session so I could get back on my horse and ride.

That fall shook my confidence so much that we didn’t do well for a long while. I continued shooting, but it wasn’t at the same caliber I had been running.

August 26, 2023 – Payco and I got a confidence booster at the New York State Championship as we squeaked out a Reserve Cowgirl title.

The confidence didn’t last long…

October 1, 2023 – at the next significant shoot I attended, the CMSA Pennsylvania State Championship and Northeast Regional Championship, I had a bad wreck/fall into the arena wall and broke my fibula in two places. This kept me out of the saddle for quite a few months.

December 1, 2023 – During my time off, I upgraded my trailer so Kamille and I would have more space and I could anticipate taking all three of my horses to shows in the future.

January 3, 2024 – my physician gave me the okay to ride at a walk with my boot on. This was the first time I had been on a horse since I fell off.

February 2, 2024 – I finally was cleared to ride without a boot. My entire leg was extremely weak so I had to ride in lace up boots with a brace.

February 4, 2024 – my first competition back since I broke my fibula. I’m not going to lie – I was extremely nervous for the shut down. My riding was tense and I felt like a terrible rider.

The week of April 6, 2024 – I made it to the CMSA Extravaganza in Shelbyville, Tennessee. My leg was still weak, but I gave it my all and finished third in a tough Ladies 4 class.

Over the next couple months, I went to shoots, but focused on regaining confidence. My riding was extremely ugly. I made the decision to give Payco some time to decompress for the summer before heading into the 2024 Derby and to leg up Buns and give him some maintenance.

Being back on Buns was EXACTLY what I needed to regain confidence. It wasn’t until June that I slowly began moving back up the overall results page at shoots!

July 2024 – I was back to kicking a$$ and taking names. I earned my fourth qualified win as a Ladies Level 4 at the CMSA Northern Ohio Outlaws Ohio State Championship. Buns and I ended up Ladies Level 4 Winners, Reserve Cowgirl, and in the top 10!

All of July I tried for Overall Overalls to get my last win to move up to a Ladies Level 5. Twice, I almost succeeded. Once at a Lake Erie Vaqueros shoot on the weekend of July 21, 2024, I finished third overall and the other weekend was the weekend of July 14, 2024, at the CMSA Dave Billotte Memorial Shoot, I took second overall.

August 3, 2024 – at a CMSA Northern Ohio Outlaws shoot, Buns and I finally earned our final qualified win and moved up to a Ladies Level 5.

For your enjoyment, my move up dance from a Ladies Level 4 to a Ladies Level 5. There’s no better feeling than your friends spraying you with champagne!

There were so many ups and downs in these last few years. I managed to overcome broken bones, confidence issues, and bringing along young horses. All these situations made me a better rider. It wasn’t until the last couple months of competing that I felt like I was ready to move up to a Ladies Level 5. I can’t want to see where the journey will take me from here. Cheers to six more qualified wins to get to a Ladies Level 6.