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4K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  spitter 
#1 ·
How much poison can anyone take, before getting themselves sick?! I try to stay away from negativity and that "Registered Shooting 2012" thread is just that... too many folks, carry too much baggage and personal damage...

My Club operation is disadvantaged in every possible way... In Illinois, adjacent to Chicago/Cook County, Steel Shot Ammo, Bio Targets thrown on property we don't own and control, offering only American Trap, 8 hours over 2 days a week... yet we are experiencing our best year in 12, up from last year which was the best in 11... do the laws of economics cease to exist on our paltry 13 acres?! No...

We go out and grab folks by the collars and ask them to shoot. I'm sorry that financially, old white guys can't shoot as much as younger, more affluent, racially-diverse men and women... but that's the reality of running an entertainment business...

How many of you disagreed with Mitt Romney's 47% comment? But isn't that exactly what many of the posters on this site promote?

We work to include our "senior" members in all programs as is feasible, with the just respect they've earned... but the bills get paid by rounds. The majority of our current customers/members are less price sensitive, buying a recreational experience with every round... everyone watches what they spend, but I market to more folks with more MONEY. However, everyone is expected to have a great trap round (and that ain't the score we're talking about) whether they buy one round or six...

My Board and I, with other Club leaders are the programming strategists and ultimate cheerleaders for our operation...

I think we threw 1900 ATA targets at our last event... FANTASTIC. We throw a Quarter Million profitable practice/league targets a year... our membership is up, leagues filled, equipment paid for, money in the bank and just bought a spiffy new Weber Stainless Grill for cookouts... and we're not pushing membership... folks are walking up to join, because we're nice...

Everyone coming into the facility gets a "Hello" and "Thank You for your business"... members are asked to work and those who pitch in over and above what is expected, get a pat on the back and personal thank you for their extra effort and help - some members a get a polite kick in the pants to remind them to pitch in... but everyone is RESPECTED.

I help run an operation as I want to be treated... Oh... like life used to be!

Wishing you best regards and success for your operations,

Jay Spitz, Naperville IL
 
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#3 ·
I agree. I believe Brad is approaching it wrong but he has the right idea. He/we need to realize there IS a problem its just how to go about it I believe he is wrong on.

The USGA is on the front line of this and this is a good read from Feb. USGA president that address's this very issue. We should take note and be proactive and not bury our heads in the sand and say..."its just the economy and we need to do nothing"

Here is the link to Glen Nagers, "its all about the game"

http://www.usga.org/news/2012/February/USGA-President-Glen-Nager-s-Address/
 
#4 ·
Someone emailed and asked me to mention our 75th Anniversary Open House... we had 150 folks walk-in for that no-cost community program...

Most of those guests will never become a "trapshooter", but the next time someone says anything negative about the range operation, I have hope that one of them might step up and defend the operation based upon their good experience at the range...

Jay
 
#5 ·
Jay,
Good for you and your club! Being proactive and friendly is the right approach and just the right way to do things. Stay positive!
Regarding the USGA president's comment, yeah the economy sucks but admitting that "that we need to do nothing" is wrong. They, and we, should still be taking a proactive approach to our sports no matter what. When the economy turns around, after November, things will just be that much better.

Pat
 
#6 ·
Jay, you and company are doing a great job of promoting your club getting shooters involved in trapshooting, I congratulate all of you for doing so too! That approach has always been the way clubs supplied trap shooters to enter ATA registered shooting also.

I think the various opinions on why ATA can't retain more memberships for longer than a short span is the question that's being asked by the old timers and that includes me. The potential membership is out there, proved by your clubs actions, yet we can't retain membership for ATA strength? Who and what's at fault here is or should be questioned by the upper crust but simply kicking the can further down the road isn't a solution at all.

Like any and everything else that was once prosperous, I've always said, go back and read the history if you want to incorporate solutions that worked at the time? I've been scolded for saying that for years and will continue saying that same thing!

All my best to you and your club, mighty fine job of attracting possible new membership toward the organization and sport I happen to love.

Gene Hapney(Vail, AZ)
 
#7 ·
I actually like to keep score because I see more targets and have offered to help if any of the shooters want help. Some pipe up and say sure. I just give them a few tips and see where it goes.

"Get your eyes on the target and shoot when your gun crosses where you are looking."

Things are rocking at Naperville. There's so many new people there all the time, it's amazing.
 
#8 ·
Gene etal...

Thanks for the kind words... it's a team effort and a lot credit goes to a lot of folks...

When you talk about retention, boy that hits home... in the mid 2000s, while we were trying to rapidly increase membership to recover from our closure, we had huge turnover... we made some changes, became more selective and in-turn made membership more valuable.

As a club, while we offer any number of value added benefits - that would rival any club in the country... I think our retention comes from treating each other with respect and helping each other become better members...

We offer self-help programs to encourage our members to become better trapshooters, offer them paths to various levels of competition, and for the few who want to help others - instructor certifications and for those who want to help the range operation, RSO training.

The flipside, attendance at meetings is dismal - because of good communication, folks tell us they do not find the need to come to meetings - except for the annual elections (and we serve food!)

We haven't recruited in years... we put it all out there for everyone to see and let them ask us to become members... in 2010, member retention was 97%, in 2011, still over 94%... net membership continues to rise... with a better "quality" membership (i.e. increased volunteerism).

Our membership continues to get younger... from mid 60s in mid 1990s to low 50s today... fifteen years later - I'm pretty satisfied with that age demographic... with a handful of lady members (more work to do) and decent diversity (more work needed there also)...

We offer no AIM, no SCTP... we'll let other clubs carry the water on those programs... we encourage youth shooting ONLY as part of an adult shooting program... building character, having respect for elders and earning the privilege to shoot with adults...

New fangled ideas that work for us...

Best regards and success for your operations,

Jay
 
#10 ·
Chris,

I don't understand why the factors affecting the quantity of practice targets thrown are not applicable to those for registered shooting... now, there are some differences, but if we were to look at the common denominators of why various practice operations are suffering and why various registered operations are suffering, I believe the underlying issues would be remarkably similar...

Jay
 
#11 ·
Mitt Romney's estimate of 47% is going to be close and they are the ones voting for Obama, they want more welfare, one thing in Obama's employment figure was us census takers for a short time and he included them in jobs created which only happens once every 10 years and they and I were on the Government payroll.

We need for Obama to release his college records at Columbia and Harvard and you will see the real truth!!

Why has he spent millions to keep them secret????


Gary Bryant
Dr.longshot
 
#12 ·
Jay, My opinion is for one thing practice where im from run $3 to $4 a round being $12 to $16 a hundred while registered will be anywhere from $26 to $32 a hundred plus any daily fees, Not counting any options if you choose to shoot them. Also you can shoot one round go home on practice while shooting registered your committed to 100 rds once paid. Also 9 of 10 small clubs dont throw registered so travel is longer to shoot registered costing more in gas. Once you travel a long ways your more likley to shoot more then one event, more money and probably an extra meal. With all that said if I was short on cash Id rather shoot a couple rounds of practice then to not shoot at all vs spending much more to shoot some registered.
Chris
 
#13 ·
Chris,

All valid points. But I would suspect that anyone pre-disposed to shooting "registered" competitively knows those added expenses. I think I was trying to take this from a different perspective.

Only a smaller segment of trapshooters will ever shoot registered targets on a truly competitive basis... honestly, the ATA is like the WW2 Submariners Association... stagnant, aging and ultimately to be disbanded due to lack of rejuvenated membership... and I'm not talking youth members...

The ATA has no membership campaign, no marketing program to show its worth to a practice shooter and no retention mechanism for existing shooters...

You have to ask folks who have the capacity to afford and want your product to buy/join OR program/product that folks are clamoring to buy/join and then have a retention strategy to keep them dues-paying...

Not rocket science, but some simple business sense and for a group of perceived businessmmen... severely lacking...

Jay
 
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