Match Schedules

[dustinflint]

Dustin,

That is exactly what I was thinking. A few comments / suggestions:

1. Try to keep the dates firm - some of us invest in plane tickets and hotels, so changes are not so good.

2. If we don't get this organized at least at this level, we are destine to continue a decline.

3. Maybe there can be standardized form that each match director can fill out for the state champ match which will list all the required info.

Now here is the trick - scheduling.

I think the largest matches should get first chance to schedule, and the smaller matches work around those events.

There should be a 1 month window, in January, to schedule the year's matches. At the end of January, the schedule should be set.

We should have an e-mail group for all State Champ match directors to be involved in, and on the side these issues can be worked out.

At the end of the year, we should have a list posted here to show the attendance at each match. This will help people decide which matches they want to attend for the following year. It would be interesting to try different events every year.

We have to get out of the regional mindset and act like a national group. Organization is the first step.

My personal plan is for our company ( Anschutz ) to start supporting the state events with various forms of sponsorship. I have already identified some key people / events that I will help support, but I feel that if the manufacturers can get more involved, it may help bring new life into the sport.

To that end, we must get more organized. I would like a schedule for 2015, soon. And by us, not the NRA. The NRA can have sway over the National Match, but the rest is up to us.

Match directors, if you would like some sponsorship, please email me.

I will be picking between 5 and 10 events to help sponsor and also attend. I pick them based on: Attendance, Location, and Schedule.

I think this website is an excellent platform and has even more potential to help the organization process. I plan on helping to support this website as well.


...steve
http://www.anschutznorthamerica.com/

Steve,

Everything you just wrote is EXACTLY what we need - of course you already know my thoughts. I and all the Louisiana shooters are ready to roll and get all of this going.

Dustin

[Snake]

Wow...Steve B. What about HP silhouette....is your company inclined to sponsor HP? Although I don't know one HP shooter who doesn't participate in smallbore ;)

[steve b.]

Snake,

At this time, no. We only have a few centerfire rifles and I don't think there is a single one in HP. My focus is gonna be 100% smallbore, and also going to be on the entry level rifle to get in new shooters.

s.

[Innocent]

Steve B. thank you in advance for supporting any of the matches. While I like your thoughts, some state championships are controlled totally by the state org. representing the NRA, and thus choice of place and time may vary based on the state association. In Florida, for exapmle, the state championship has to be approved by the association directors. Also, there is the question- a state championship in Georgia and one in Arizona the same weekend (which I see potentially already in 2015) are they really in conflict with each other? For me yes, and maybe some others but for most they are not, so which do you support? Many areas such as upper midwest shooting year around can be challenging, and thus are they the only ranges that should be allowed to host during the summer months?

As examples I know there is a push to run a trifecta type match in the Dakotas/Montana/Wyoming proposed for next year. I know that there has been discussion about hosting an I-10 corridor trifecta with matches in at least two states and maybe three being discussed. El Paso has had two successful combination smallbore/High Power matches in the last two years honoring Roger Parks, there is discussion of possibly changing the format to include lever gun and smallbore, nothing firm yet. The logistics of each of these proposals need to be worked out with the directors and matches involved.

I agree with a calendar, my thoughts on trying to control scheduling conflicts are very much hands off. Let the match directors and ranges set the matches to best fit their local schedule, and those that can attend do so and choose which they want to attend based on their individual circumstances, not all of us can travel due to funds/time and other commitments. Posting the dates on a simple 'go to' calendar is a great but no preferential treatment should be given to any match director that wants to post or advertise his/her match on this forum.
Mary

[steve b.]

Howdy Mary..! I have copied your text and will add some comments in....

Steve B. thank you in advance for supporting any of the matches. While I like your thoughts, some state championships are controlled totally by the state org. representing the NRA, and thus choice of place and time may vary based on the state association. In Florida, for exapmle, the state championship has to be approved by the association directors. --- ok, this makes sense, but at a state level, they need to hash this out in advance and then collectively agree on a date, and then submit that date.---


Also, there is the question- a state championship in Georgia and one in Arizona the same weekend (which I see potentially already in 2015) are they really in conflict with each other? For me yes, and maybe some others but for most they are not, so which do you support?

---I agree. I will support the larger match. I'm in business to sell rifles, not schedule matches. So, if there are 10 shooters at one, and 40 at the other, I will support the match with 40 shooters. It's better business. Because I'm much more inclined to work on a raffle system at matches, the larger matches work better. My exception will be that I will more than likely attend the AZ match and end up supporting both, but I won't shoot the GA match simply because of the travel schedule - I'm a west coast guy. I will save my trip east for a different match. But really, Is it that hard for AZ and GA to work this out? ---

Many areas such as upper midwest shooting year around can be challenging, and thus are they the only ranges that should be allowed to host during the summer months? -- Agree again, which is why we need to function as a national group and not a state / regional system. Mid year should be in colder states, CO, UT, ect and warmer states should hold their State Champ matches closer to the end of the year. I have seen some State Champ matches early in the year - this makes no sense. Half the country has not had the chance to practice and thus is at a disadvantage, and ultimately will just skip the match.

I know there is a school schedule to deal with for kids, but planning state champ events around school schedules is not a good plan. ---

As examples I know there is a push to run a trifecta type match in the Dakotas/Montana/Wyoming proposed for next year. I know that there has been discussion about hosting an I-10 corridor trifecta with matches in at least two states and maybe three being discussed. El Paso has had two successful combination smallbore/High Power matches in the last two years honoring Roger Parks, there is discussion of possibly changing the format to include lever gun and smallbore, nothing firm yet. The logistics of each of these proposals need to be worked out with the directors and matches involved.

--- Yep, but adding more events just complicates things. Again, this is a regional mindset. We need to nail down Smallbore. HP can be added on, but from what I observe, HP is a fraction of the size of smallbore. Smallbore needs to become the backbone of a nationally organized event. From there HP can be add, and then Lever Gun, ect.

I agree with a calendar, my thoughts on trying to control scheduling conflicts are very much hands off. Let the match directors and ranges set the matches to best fit their local schedule, and those that can attend do so and choose which they want to attend based on their individual circumstances, not all of us can travel due to funds/time and other commitments.

--- While I understand this thought, it's regional approach again. It's like saying: "because I cannot attend, I don't care to help plan or work together on things that don't concern my immediate world." You must first set a schedule, then work out travel plans.

--Match directors who have control over State Champ events need to work as a national unit. If not, this will not come together as a national sport, and if leaving this up to the NRA is the answer; best of luck gang. Let the NRA fuss with the National event only.

-- If it were me, Smallbore Silhouette would have become privately owned and nationally governed years ago. Rimfire Benchrest has had excellent success with this with far more shooters and a much more complicated format.

Posting the dates on a simple 'go to' calendar is a great but no preferential treatment should be given to any match director that wants to post or advertise his/her match on this forum.


--- I'm gonna disagree; scheduling should be a democratic process. The majority holds sway. There is no reason why a state match with 10 people should have the same voting power as a state match with 50 people. The largest matches get first pick of the dates. If we can't get past this, we will remain a regional game. We have to take the "me" out of this and start actually being a "we"...


Anyhow, just some ideas.

[steve b.]

Another thought I had was to establish 4 "Main Regions", based on geography.

NW, SW, NE, SE. Then, the state matches in those areas are ranked in size/ popularity. Rank 1 events should be largest state match in that region. The top event from each region, being a State Champ match, should not conflict. They should be scheduled ( keeping clear of the NRA National Match ) first. Then the 4 Rank 2 matches should be schedule and so on.

At some point there will be overlap of state champ events, but we have to accept that. By ranking them, only the smaller events will have a conflict and the larger events will offer the chance for those who are willing to travel to have a chance at all 4 events.

This creates a situation where winning all 4 events, in my mind, would be more "amazing" thank just winning Nationals by the NRA. Think of tennis - there are 4 majors which are in different locations, different surfaces, ect to challenge the players. Same for us - win at 4 different venues, different conditions, ect, and you really have something amazing.

I feel many don't travel because the framework to travel is not in place. If we nailed down the 4 regions, we may see shooters try for at least 2 of the 4 events, but if we don't try to increase organization, then we can only expect to not see people try to increase their participation.

I think: Privatization - Establish Board of Directors - Organize - Establish - Grow.

s.