The areas by the Event Center where everyone use to park their golf carts is now marked "No Cart parking". A question... where is one suppose to park their cart(s) when going into the Event Center? Whoever thought of the no parking.... shouldn't you have given just a little thought to alternative areas to park?

blade819

I wonder where the EC will park?

BG

The EC "Reserved Spaces" that use to be by the Sheel House, have been moved to directly in front of the Event Center. After all they couldn't walk that extra 100 yards. What it amounts to is very limited parking in front of the Event Center and NO parking for carts or atv's. I lodged a complaint about it to Shawn Hawley's wife and maybe it'll go somewhere.? :o)

blade819

Called EP

"Executive Privilege"

Been a lot of those decisions lately...Get used to it...

Cart no park signs removed hopefully because of my complaint.

blade819

From all of us Cart users,,,, Thank you Blade819. Don

I would check this change in policy before I risked getting a ticket. Signs have been known to be "removed" in the past and it wasn't by management. I don't have as much of a problem with EC reserved parking as I do with Delegate reserved parking. The EC meets almost every day at the Events Center. The Delegates meet one evening, yet they tie up many parking spaces for the entire shoot. Their meeting is also in the evening when more parking is usually available right out in front. In past years, the Delegate parking lot remained mostly empty, probably because most of the Delegates who come also camp and don't need a spot. In the past I have suggested that Delegates who wanted a reserved spot, request one and be allowed to have a dedicated parking spot. That would free up many, many parking spots in front of the shell house building. My idea fell on deaf ears.

Blade -

My recollection of being in Sparta every year since it moved is that the EC spaces were always in the first row outside the event center. It doesn't sound like they have moved, they sound like they are in the same place they always have been.

I also recall that the parking directly behind (south) of the shell house is all unreserved. I know when I've bought shells I always parked directly behind the shell house to get them. The parking lot in front of the Event Center isn't that convienient to the shell house. The Delegate parking was in the lot in front of the event center, off to the west side of the lot.

Scott

Karla. You are so right. The delegate spot normally go unused. Just a waste of parking spots. I am going to ask my delegate to see about using your idea.

Go ahead and park in a delegates spot, you will find out real quick which ones are being used by them.

Karla. I asked my delegate if he would bring it up at one of the meetings and the answer I got was "Absolutely not" and that is all he said. No explination or anything. Nice that our delegates look out for and convey the questions the shooters of their states have hey? They may as well be politicians. It seems the only thing they will take an interest in are things that may impact them personally.

Edited: I got a response today from my delegate. He said that sometimes the alternate and or the 2nd alternate use the spot. For what official purpose I don't know but that is what he said. He also said that the parking lot is never full so why would any one need more parking.

I worked at a company for 20 years. No reserved parking (population of over seven thousand employees during its hayday). If you wanted up front parking, you got there earlier. In my opinion, if a shooter is willing to spend two or three thousand dollars for a ten day shoot, the last thing you should expect him to do would be to walk a quarter of a mile to the Events Center for a 15 minute classification and squadding. In My Opinion.

blade819

Some perspective might be in order . . . I've attended Grands at both Vandalia (last 3 years there) and Sparta (every year it's been there).

In Vandalia you would drive in the gates, then drive all the way down to bank 2 or 3 if you were lucky, or past bank 1 if you were not. Then ride the tractor up to the event center so you could do your business. Stop at the shell house, then back on the tractor to the car. Then when it's time to shoot back on the tractor up to bank 14. Get there and find out you didn't bring your glasses or earplugs or brought the wrong shells? You were probably screwed. We had a guy show up for doubles one morning with his single barrel gun, and he had to resquad because he didn't have time to take the tractor ride both ways back to where he was parked.

In Sparta you drive in the gates and normally can park within spitting distance to whatever it is you want to do - squad, get shells, see vendors, shoot. I can't recall ever walking a quarter of a mile to get into the event center. I think the worst I ever had it was parking behind the shell house and walking over to the event center. Does parking get crowded? Sure. But unlike Vandalia I've never been in a situation in which I couldn't find a spot in the vicinity of the event center, shell house, or bank I was shooting on.

Everyone can't park in the front row, and the ATA has decided to give the EC and Delegates a preferred spot. It's easy to complain about that, but it seems like a small price to pay considering the time and effort that most delegates/EC put in. Many think they should get no special treatment, but when pressed very few want to do their job. I'm sure any delegate could ask that his sign be taken down to free up parking if they didn't need/want it.

What about the vendors getting reserved spots in front of their vending buildings? Shouldn't they park somewhere else so the paying customers can have dibs on the best spots?

The entire parking situation at Sparta is light-years better than it was at Vandalia. I find it hard to complain about it now considering how bad it was then.

Scott

Scot. I am not complaining about the EC or the Delegetes parking spots. All I am saying is that some of the Delegate spots don't get used. If you are a delegate and know that you stay on the grounds and use a cart, not a car why shouldn't that person be able to open up their spot for public parking in stead of it sitting empty for the 10 days. It is not like when they have their zone meeting in the morning that there is a parking problem. The lot is almost empty. Same with the full meeting on Thur. evening. It is only half full. The directors should be polled and those not using their spot could open them up. Another 25 spots would certainly help. I have heart, lung, and knee issues. I have a handicaped tag. 99% of the time I have to walk from at least the road. Most of the time it is behind the shell house. When it is 100 degrees it is very difficult to do at times. I'm not trying to say they shouldn't have them just if you aren't using it let someone else use it. And I have seen the lot totally full on more occasions then not.

As for the vendors. That is a totaly different story. They PAY dearly for the building and the parking spots. Not through volunteering but through their pocket books. I am on my states BOD and we don't get special parking. And I would be willing to bet I put in as many if not more hours through out the State shoot and especially the rest of the year as any one. As far as I can tell we don't get any kind of compensation. That is why it is called Volunteering.

Sparta is wonderful and I love it, but Vandalia was home.

But Scott is right, night and day for convenience.

When it came to parking Vandalia was a joke.

Karla, why would you like to take away possible the only benefit a delegate may receive?

The delegates spend countless hours at tournaments, handicapping, solving shooter shooter questions, listening to he said, he's full of it statements, why don't the EC do something, what's is this stupid rule, arriveing before the first shooter arrives and leaves well after all have gone home, the list goes on.

Many delegates give their well earned vacation up to attend tournaments to handicap shooters for GA, satellite grands or state tournaments, why, for the love and support of OUR sport. Shall I keep going!

And by the way the lession I took from Leo has helped me immensely.

Richard Luckett

Arizona ATA Delegate

richardluckett@arizonadelegate.com

Sounds like every Director from every state that does the same thing and more. If I'm not mistaken aren't all the delegates volunteer's? You need to reread the posts. We are not saying take them away. Just ask who is not going to use theirs and let those be used. Ok did you reread them. What did we say?

Oh and don't tell me about running for delegate. I have and have been alternate. And now a state BOD director.