When established the ATA Handicap system was meant to equalize shooters competitively by positioning them at various yard lines. Early leaders of the ATA recognized the need to increase the backfence as shooter abilities, guns, ammo etc. dictated. The recent 2 Yard reduction offered by the EC was a nice gesture but is a band-aid on a system that needs a real fix.
The current backfence of 27 yards is outdated by at least 25 years and today’s shooter skills, technology (voice pull, etc.), ammo, guns, chokes, etc. mandate that the backfence needs to move back. The result of not moving the backfence has created sandbaggers of the Bigdogs (BD) – my definition of a BD is a shooter that shoots scores and wins events from the backfence, is awarded honorary punches but is never moved back in yardage to keep him/her equitable with the other competitors. These are sandbaggers not by choice, but because over the years ATA leadership has failed to increase the backfence to keep the system equitable for the times. It is time to move the backfence to get ATA Handicap into the 21st Century.
The first argument that arises in opposition to increasing the backfence is the cost. Doing nothing has already cost this sport and the ATA plenty. Let me explain why cost is not prohibitive. After all this is America with the most ingenious people on the planet. Gun Clubs and their management will find economical ways to accommodate increasing the backfence:
1) Only clubs that host shoots that award All American points would be required to provide an extended backfence. Other clubs that hold competitive shoots may want to provide an extended backfence to not discourage attendance of shorter yardage shooters because they may not feel competitive if everyone is not correctly handicapped.
2) It is not necessary to modify all trapfields. Only about 10% of trapfields would need to be modified to accommodate the need. For instance a 20 trap club that holds a State shoot would probably need only 2 traps to accommodate the shooters beyond 27 yards.
3) Most clubs have members with construction expertise and members with deep pockets that if asked, would probably be willing to donate labor and money to accommodate changing the backfence at their club.
4) Is it necessary to pour concrete? What is wrong with shooters standing on sod, gravel, or patio blocks beyond the 27 yard line as long as it is level with the existing sidewalk and marked properly?
5) If a club has issues with trap spacing and separation problems between traps, allow yardage to move straight back from the 27 yard line instead of extending at the normal sidewalk angle.
6) Lets use a little ingenuity and get this done.
Here are some ideas:
• Mandate target presentation to 3-hole and 50 yard equivalent.
• Utilize the 18 yard line (maybe the 16 and 17 yard lines should be utilized for handicapping as well).
• Have an unlimited backfence. All shooters will be punched back until they cannot maintain the trigger point average at which time they will be offered a yardage reduction. To keep ATA Handicap equitable, all shooters need to move back and forth dictated by scores, wins, and averages.
• Do not mandate reductions. If a shooter elects to remain at yardage at which they are not competitive, they are only hurting themselves.
• Leave the current ATA ammunition rules as is.
Any ATA leadership that read this thread, please consider making changes to ATA Handicap to bring it to the 21st Century. To anyone that supports improvements to ATA Handicap please urge your delegate to do something. To everyone else that thinks it is not broken, you do not understand the origins of ATA Handicap, how it evolved, and why the current backfence fails the system today. The need to increase the backfence is long overdue. It is time to drop the negativism and think positive about changing and improving ATA Handicap.
JAAS (aka Just An Average Shooter: 59 years old, ATA Life Member, have shot ATA targets for 40 years (have registered about 70,000 targets), have never been punched beyond 25 yards)
The current backfence of 27 yards is outdated by at least 25 years and today’s shooter skills, technology (voice pull, etc.), ammo, guns, chokes, etc. mandate that the backfence needs to move back. The result of not moving the backfence has created sandbaggers of the Bigdogs (BD) – my definition of a BD is a shooter that shoots scores and wins events from the backfence, is awarded honorary punches but is never moved back in yardage to keep him/her equitable with the other competitors. These are sandbaggers not by choice, but because over the years ATA leadership has failed to increase the backfence to keep the system equitable for the times. It is time to move the backfence to get ATA Handicap into the 21st Century.
The first argument that arises in opposition to increasing the backfence is the cost. Doing nothing has already cost this sport and the ATA plenty. Let me explain why cost is not prohibitive. After all this is America with the most ingenious people on the planet. Gun Clubs and their management will find economical ways to accommodate increasing the backfence:
1) Only clubs that host shoots that award All American points would be required to provide an extended backfence. Other clubs that hold competitive shoots may want to provide an extended backfence to not discourage attendance of shorter yardage shooters because they may not feel competitive if everyone is not correctly handicapped.
2) It is not necessary to modify all trapfields. Only about 10% of trapfields would need to be modified to accommodate the need. For instance a 20 trap club that holds a State shoot would probably need only 2 traps to accommodate the shooters beyond 27 yards.
3) Most clubs have members with construction expertise and members with deep pockets that if asked, would probably be willing to donate labor and money to accommodate changing the backfence at their club.
4) Is it necessary to pour concrete? What is wrong with shooters standing on sod, gravel, or patio blocks beyond the 27 yard line as long as it is level with the existing sidewalk and marked properly?
5) If a club has issues with trap spacing and separation problems between traps, allow yardage to move straight back from the 27 yard line instead of extending at the normal sidewalk angle.
6) Lets use a little ingenuity and get this done.
Here are some ideas:
• Mandate target presentation to 3-hole and 50 yard equivalent.
• Utilize the 18 yard line (maybe the 16 and 17 yard lines should be utilized for handicapping as well).
• Have an unlimited backfence. All shooters will be punched back until they cannot maintain the trigger point average at which time they will be offered a yardage reduction. To keep ATA Handicap equitable, all shooters need to move back and forth dictated by scores, wins, and averages.
• Do not mandate reductions. If a shooter elects to remain at yardage at which they are not competitive, they are only hurting themselves.
• Leave the current ATA ammunition rules as is.
Any ATA leadership that read this thread, please consider making changes to ATA Handicap to bring it to the 21st Century. To anyone that supports improvements to ATA Handicap please urge your delegate to do something. To everyone else that thinks it is not broken, you do not understand the origins of ATA Handicap, how it evolved, and why the current backfence fails the system today. The need to increase the backfence is long overdue. It is time to drop the negativism and think positive about changing and improving ATA Handicap.
JAAS (aka Just An Average Shooter: 59 years old, ATA Life Member, have shot ATA targets for 40 years (have registered about 70,000 targets), have never been punched beyond 25 yards)