I was talking to a supplier today ordering shooting supplies, I asked him hoe target sales are going and he said, TRAP IS DOWN,SKEET IS DOWN The only one that is up and growing was SPORTING CLAYS He said what he sees is the old TRAPSHOOTERS just being at a shoot and talking, not shooting at targets.
Promotion of trap shooting is our job, not the job of the ATA. The ATA cannot promote trapshooting at my small local Christiansburg Gun Club, but I can. If trapshooting is down, it is our fault. It seems odd that so many complain because they are not doing their job well enough.
My local trap shooting range is a county run public facility. Their target count is off by about 16% this year as compared to previous years. As a club we see about the same fall off in registered targets we throw.
OTOH our youth shooting program is growing by leaps & bounds so maybe there's hope for us all for the future.
I live in northern Ohio and normally shoot from Mason Mich. to Marengo Ohio including a lot of clubs in between. This year I have shot about a third the birds I normally shoot and 90% of the reason is money. I am retired and live on S.S. and acouple of pensions that have not had a raise in 5 years. I am not crying in my beer I am glad I have what I have but when you have to decide between paying your bills or spending 2 to300.00 dollars at a weekend shootI pay my bills. My wife and I both have health issues as do many at our age and between our medicare and prescription plan the copays eat us alive. With the way the economy is you really cant bank on anything a month ahead.There are alot of reasons the shooters are not shooting as much as before but just in conversation with other shooters money is the bulk of the problem and untill ALL of these idiot polititions get there heads out of there asses it is not going to change any time soon.It sems to me they are more worried about whether the democates are right or the republicans are right. Personally I dont give a damn I just wish they would quit bickering and fix the problems in THIS COUNTRY. Just what I think. BOB
Longsh?t stirring the pot. What the hell is your point?? Maybe the high unemployment is a problem and that hits trapshooters the hardest. Takes more miney to shoot sporting so maybe those people have jobs.
shootman- I recognize that your income from Social Security and a couple of pensions may not be enough for you to shoot as much as you wish. One solution would be for you to get a part time job and use that money for shooting.
Tha ATA claims to promote trapshooting, that has yet to be proven ... Based on the amount the EC members have been getting paid they should stand on street corners handing out flyers ... Now, go wash that brown stuff off of your nose and get to promoting ... Why don't you advise the ATA that they had better start sucking up to the small clubs across the country before they quit promoting and the ATA loses its best source of income ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
This is the first time that I am in my DONUT hole on Medicare in July, usually it is in November, same meds, only difference is Obama and the health care and medicare reductions he is responsible for.
Now I must decide on which meds to use and cut down on use of.
Big Don your comments are are still in the gutter along with your brains.
Sporting Clays is growing around here, and their target sales are on the increase, Trap and Skeet are down.
Our rounds at Naperville are Up, but I can also tell you that on an individual basis, the # of rounds by members, are down, because we track user numbers based upon categories.
Non-members rounds are way up this year... do to various promotions and we are working on an Open House for next month - nothing elaborate, but something to allow folks to try a few rounds with some basic instruction and be accompanied by an instructor. Those guests will equate to a few new members at some point.
Some folks will have money and be making more money. Some folks will be retiring as well as getting hit by economic and health-related issues. There will always be a pool of new folks wanting to try shooting sports.
The ATA, like the NRA and other large associations; promote at "macro" level not at the grassroots... that is OUR job as shooters and clubs.
For every shooter down on their luck, we need to support them and find someone new to pick up the difference.
I have my profession, but I'm flat this year (yahoo!). But I have always worked the range and now I PT at my local Orvis to further feed my passion.
For those on SS who can work, doesn't the government allows you to earn a few thousand bucks ($9K?!)? After that certain threshold amount they then start deducting a $1 for every $2-3 you earn thereafter... so isn't someone still better off working than not working?!
Pat's not the wrong here... Club have to gets their acts together and start "selling" their activity!
One solution would be for you to get a part time job and use that money for shooting.
Pat Ireland
I have seen some questionable posts from you lately but this one is way out there. Maybe Shootman cannot get a part time job or does not want to or is not able healthwise? Two pensions and social sec take care of me just fine but I still refuse to shoot registered because of two reasons. One is the money but the big one is this. Every registered shoot I went to before I gave it up was full of people complaining about something. I now shoot only games at smaller clubs and it is quite refreshing and a lot of fun. WPT is dead on the money. And just for the record. If you are full retirement age ( for me that was 65 and 7 months) you can earn all you want. The only time they penalize you is if you retire before you are fully vested. Been there done that
cubancigar2000- I had to wait until I was 66 to get full SS and still earn as much as I could. I still work, and work a lot. I have never been in an area where $8 an hour part time jobs were not available, but I suppose there are some. I even know some who score at registered shoots and earn a bit of money.
High School kids can't find jobs since the unions have persuaded the politicians to raise these rates. Retires have no chance for part-time jobs when the crowds of "immigrants" in the Home Depot parking lot are always available.
I guess I should have been a little more specific. I had to retire 6 years shy of my retirement date because I had 2 lumbar vertibra removed and a cage built in their place plus the following 2 years I had to have both hips replaced because of degenerative arthritis. I am not poor by any means . We are financially comfortable except for unexpected costs [mainly medical] which in the last couple of years has been quite a few . Trust me I would love to get a part time job but when you cant walk carrying over 10 pounds it aint easy. I worked construction all my life [ pipefitter/ welder .
To those who are still working... learn a lesson from this. Pensions and SS isn't enough... never was and never will be. Save your asses off so you can also reap the rewards of interest income, or plan on working until you die. Deal with it now, not when it's too late and all you can do is whine about it.
My club is way down over last year. The osta and the ata need to help the little clubs we have 4 traps and run a good shoot. weve lost all our spring targets do to the buckeye classic you meet all your reqirements at that shoot.
The osta and the ata need to do something it is there job to support trap shooting as well everyone else they have forgoten all us small clubs and all the fees we have sent them over the years. maybe we need to raise target requirements or maybe you have to shoot at several small clubs to meet requirements. without the small clubs will there still be trap shooting.
Mid-State Gun Club- I strongly agree that the small clubs are the backbone of the ATA. But the ATA or the state association can do little to stimulate attendance. That is up to the members of the clubs.
I support larger shoots requiring a minimum number of targets for proper classification. I object to the target minimums being used as a way to force shooters to shoot targets. You need to make shooters want to shoot at your club. They should not feel required to shoot at you club just to avoid penalty classification.
Our numbers for trap are down, and we haven't had skeet in a year (currently building two new fields, should be up in a month or so) since our move 20 miles further west of Sugar Grove to Waterman, IL...
Sporting Clays on the other hand is way up for us since it is open to our members essentially at all times... As has been echoed in this thread it is our responsibility as clubs and shooters to introduce people to the sport.
This past friday evening we had a group of 5 young guys (early 20's) show up, for two of them it was among their first couple of times handling a shotgun... I was glad to see that their peers who did shoot a little bit were working to introduce their friends to it. With a little helpful encouragement and some basic tips that helped me learn the game hopefully they'll come back and improve from their scores of 6 and 9 to 16 & 19 and then hopefully into the 20s.
If we are not out promoting our sport in every way possible there is little chance to introduce people to it. I was an avid rifle/pistol shooter before being encouraged to try trap, my preferences have shifted significantly since. I have met people at Wal-Mart, Dick's, Cabela's, Bass Pro, Gander Mtn etc... if we aren't talking up our sport no one else will.
I agree that the ATA should have someone that is responsible for getting the Rookies of the Year and the Grand Champions on their local news stations. Same goes for the AIM winners and the State Champs.
if the ata and state org have no disire to help shooting attendance than they should wave there fees and quit waisting shooters money on presidents trap guns and exspensive hotels. the ata and state org have made a monopoly on all registerd targets and could care less about the small clubs. I also sell targets and all the clubs I sell to are way down or have closed the doors never to reopen. We need help and nobody will listen and could care less.
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