Chapter 6 – Centaures the Glorious Shooting Irons and then Some

6.4 FROCS – FRiends Of the Centaure Society

 

6.4       6.4.1 6.4.2   6.4.2.1   6.4.2.1.1   6.4.2.2   6.4.2.3   6.4.2.3.1 6.4.2.4     6.4.2.4.1   6.4.2.5 6.4.2.6

FROCS – FRiends Of the Contaure Society (by Michael „Socks“ Mayer, translation Jörg „Magic Joe“ Ullrich) The FROCS Community The Annual Meetings of the FROCS and Centaure Aficionados The First Annual Meetings of the FROCS between 2010 and 2013 The Centaure Hall of Fame Award Program The Annual Meetings of the FROCS of 2014 and 2015 The Memorable Annual Meetings of the FROCS of 2016 and 2017 The Magnificent Three The Annual Meetings of the FROCS of 2018 and 2019 and „The Unfinished“ one of 2020 The Magnificent Three Going Strong in 2018 and 2019 The Last Show? A New Hope – the 2022 Annual Meetings of the FROCS

 

6.4.1

The FROCS Community

 

Today nobody recalls who brought up the idea to establish the FROCS community. It is a fact, however, that a suggestion to that extent came from a Centaure owner in the U.S.A. shortly after the Centaure research project got started between Hofheim and Lubbock. This pard recommended forming some sort of syndicate or otherwise acting as a special interest group in order to support this research into the Centaures‘ history. In addition, a catchy name for the group was considered desirable. This was might having been inspired by the acronyms used over at the forums of www.cascity.com. There you will find names like „The SoCiety Of Remington Revolver Shooters – SCORRS” or „Shooters of The Opentop and Richards-Masons – STORM” etc.

Be that as it may, as early as September 2007 already the FROCS short for “FRiends Of the Centaure Society“ were born as the international, nonprofit special interest group of Centaure collectors, sport shooters, civil war reenactors and other enthusiasts, that we know today.

Requirements for a FROCS membership are:

• Ownership of at least one Centaure percussion or conversion revolver,
• Support of the Centaure research by completing a questionnaire aka data sheet, and by providing your Centaure’s data preferably with photos. The questionnaire is currently available in English, French and German. It can be downloaded from this Centaure & FROCS website https://wp.1960nma.org/, go over to chapter 7.1., and scroll down to 7.1.4.

Those who don’t own a Centaure themselves (yet), but are willing to contribute knowledge or else to the research project, can well be awarded an honorable membership by FROCS #1 James Panhandle Paden Frugé and/or FROCS #2 Wolf D. Long Johns Wolf Niederastroth. These two gentlemen are the founding members.

 

6.4.2

The Annual Meetings of the FROCS and Centaure Aficionados

 

Annual meetings of the FROCS & Centaure aficionados have been organized in Germany for several years now. Over the years participants from Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the United States of America and, of course from Germany have attended. Requests for such a meeting were frequently expressed from all over Europe and by U.S. pards and pardettes, too.

Thanks to the initiative of FROCS #44 Erik Erik Fridjoffson Schelenz we proudly arranged the 1st Meeting of the FROCS in 2010. Most all the meetings took place at or in close neighborhood to shooting ranges providing multi distance shooting facilities and a club house for the relaxing gatherings.

Recurring topics during the meetings are:

• Lectures on recent findings from the Centaure research program,
• Shooting match with Centaure percussion and conversion revolvers,
• On site members‘ Centaure repairs by the attending gunsmith fraction,
• Information on sourcing of original and newly fabricated spare parts,
• Centaure Hall of Fame awards,
• Exhibition of Centaures and Conversions, since 2018 extended to Neo-Classikers of Western guns,
• Centaure auctions,
• Talking shop and cozy get-together.

 

6.4.2.1

The First Annual Meetings of the FROCS between 2010 and 2013

 

6.4.2.1_1 2010 in Hofheim: A few of the participants of the 1st Meeting of the FROCS

 

6.4.2.1_2 Group picture of FROCS and Centaure aficionados of 2nd Meeting in Hofheim in 2011

 

As early as 2011 at the 2nd Meeting of the FROCS in 2011 in Hofheim at Schützenverein 1938 e.V. http://www.svhofheim.de/ we felt it feasible to get ourselves some political clout from the Regional, District or State administration. All these politicians assisted with the meetings, like cutting through red tape, providing organizational and financial support and delivering welcome addresses. Patrons of the first two meetings were Michael Cyriax, then designated Chief Executive of Main-Taunus District (2011) and Hans Drexler, Mayor of Hirshau (2012). One patron even spiced up his highly appreciated speech with the theme of Once Upon a Time in the West. Incidentally, most loved to show their marksmanship with the Centaures. Some were even pretty talented at it.

 

6.4.2.1_3 Impression of Centaure exhibition at 2nd Annual Meeting of the FROCS in 2011

 

6.4.2.1_4 2012 at SG Diana in Hirschau https://sgdiana-hirschau.de/: Centaures in action at 3rd Meeting of the FROCS

 

The 4th Annual Meeting of the FROCS took place in 2013 at Schützenverein Diana 1910 e.V. Jügesheim in Rodgau-Jügesheim https://www.sv-diana.de/. Oliver Quilling, Chief Executive of the Offenbach County District accepted the patronage.

 

6.4.2.1_5 Relaxed gathering on first evening of the 4th meeting at Schützenverein Diana in Rodgau-Jügesheim

 

6.4.2.1_6 2013 in Rodgau-Jügesheim (from left): Host FROCS #155 Ballwanz of SV Diana, Patron Chief Executive of Offenbach County District Oliver Quilling showed his marksmanship, FROCS #2 Long Johns Wolf

 

6.4.2.1_7 2013 in Rodgau-Jügesheim: Match briefing on the range by Match Director FROCS #30 Socks aka yours truly (far right)

 

The Patrons of our FROCS Meetings 2011, 2012 and 2013

Year	Meeting	Patron	Function	FROCS	Alias
2011	Hofheim	Michael Cyriax	Chief Executive Main-Taunus District	165	Chief Rub
2012	Hirschau	Hans Drexler	Mayor of Hirschau	n.a.	n.a.
2013	Rodgau-Jügesheim	Oliver Quilling	Chief Executive Offenbach County District	#222	Tall Rider

 

Even though the FRiends Of the Centaure Society (FROCS) are legally an international special interest group they are no registered club (eingetragener Verein or e.V. as part of the name in German). The latter would require kind of an advanced organizational structure, bylaws, keeping books and possibly be taxed. Keeping this in mind and working mostly out of Germany the tax legislation implies the FROCS cannot and must not earn money or else. Whatever we receive as financial or contributions in kind, what we generate as a profit through our meetings always was and will be donated to our hosting clubs. In other words, we are not only an international special interest group but since 2003 evolved or branched out into a charity organization as well.

Hosts between 2010 and 2017 and in 2019 were shooting clubs – profits were donated to support their youth teams – or the Karl-May-Museum in 2018 where proceeds were given for the maintenance of their collection.

 

6.4.2.1.1

The Centaure Hall of Fame Award Program

 

At the 4th Meeting of the FROCS in Rodgau-Jügesheim the Centaure Hall of Fame Award program has been introduced with two annual awards, namely the

• Shooting Star Award: For the FROCS who particularly excelled at shooting competitions with Centaures since the previous meeting,
• Lifetime Achievement Award: For outstanding contributions to the FROCS cause or publications on Centaures.

 

6.4.2.1.1_1 FROCS #86 Cougar winner of the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award

 

There exist few simple rules regarding the awards only:

a) Previous year award winners put their heads together a couple of weeks before the next meeting to submit proposals for approval of current year nominees to FROCS #2 Long Johns Wolf.

b) A previous winner of a Shooting Star award might be accorded a Lifetime Achievement award but not the other way round,

c) Neither FROCS #1 Panhandle Paden nor FROCS #2 Long Johns Wolf is available for the nomination for one of the two awards.

d) Nominee (s) for the award (s) must be present at the meeting where he or she is to be honored.

e) Appointed spokesperson (s) for the current year laudatio (s) will be the previous year category winner (s).

 

6.4.2.1.1_2 FROCS #99 Magic Joe winner of the 2013 Shooting Star Award

 

6.4.2.2

The Annual Meetings of the FROCS of 2014 and 2015

 

In 2014 the invitation called for Hofheim again as location of the 5th meeting. Back to Schützenverein 1938 e.V. http://www.svhofheim.de/ was the order, their club house and their range. That is where the meetings started five years ago. This was our first meeting where we strived to acquire financial support from local businesses. A special Thank-You-Sponsors-Shoot was organized as part of the program.

 

6.4.2.2_1 2014 in Hofheim: Group picture of a couple of FROCS, Centaure aficionados and sponsors