Lethbridge Sporting Clay Shoot - July 2 and 3

the club was operating at a loss on the carts.

Fun shoots over registered - I have shot in many of each. Other than the slight price difference, I don't see much benefit to the Fun shoot route. A lot of the fun shoots end up being fund-raisers for something else - with silent and live auctions, raffles, elimination draws etc - all designed to part me from my money.

I am not saying you are wrong, but my preference leans towards the registered...

You would! You are a master class shooter and near the top of the ranking system of the association. Most of us that do shoot registered are not quite as competative and do it for fun and a big social event. There are very few fun shoots so the only option are the registered shoots. At $145.00 plus a pop it is just too rich for all but the most dedicated.
 
I guess I have to say it again. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots. If you are not hosting a registered shoot the attendance will not justify the effort of putting on the shoot. Not sure why it is this way, but it is.

As Norskie pointed out, they had 4 members spend two days setting up the course and checkiing targets. This does not include take down and clean up, arranging food, prizes, advertising and planning and organizing the event in the first place. For clubs that don't operate a full time commercial sporting clays course, it takes at least 80 to 100 hours of volunteer effort to put on an event.

The other reality is that even though it is a fun shoot, participants expect prizes. So by the time target cost, food, prizes, promotional and incidental costs are figured in, you are in the range of $50 to $60 per shooter for a 200 bird event. If you think you should get this for $60 you are dreaming. Who in their right mind is going to the efffort of putting this one when maybe 20 shooters show up at a fun shoot and the club might make $200.

It's the 21st century, get real!!!
 
I guess I have to say it again. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots. If you are not hosting a registered shoot the attendance will not justify the effort of putting on the shoot. Not sure why it is this way, but it is.

As Norskie pointed out, they had 4 members spend two days setting up the course and checkiing targets. This does not include take down and clean up, arranging food, prizes, advertising and planning and organizing the event in the first place. For clubs that don't operate a full time commercial sporting clays course, it takes at least 80 to 100 hours of volunteer effort to put on an event.

The other reality is that even though it is a fun shoot, participants expect prizes. So by the time target cost, food, prizes, promotional and incidental costs are figured in, you are in the range of $50 to $60 per shooter for a 200 bird event. If you think you should get this for $60 you are dreaming. Who in their right mind is going to the efffort of putting this one when maybe 20 shooters show up at a fun shoot and the club might make $200.

It's the 21st century, get real!!!

There is something to be said for minimal pricing and a few less shooters though. If we charge 75 bucks across the board, pay for the targets and the lunch and forget the prizes we would still get all of the folks who shot our hunter class, and maybe grab a few who are afraid of the registered targets. Also when the shoot is advertised as a fun shoot - the pressure to deliver goes way down and so does the effort to run it.

I smell some change in the wind - and I think that change may lean to cheaper non-registered events....
 
I guess I have to say it again. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots. People don't attend fun shoots.

I think what you are saying is that registered sporting shooters prefer registered shoots. The casual shooter loves fun shoots. The fun shoot the day after Mossleigh's registered shoot was just as well attended. Last year after Mossleigh's league trap shoot the club had 50 fun sporting targets for about 4 weeks. From 5:30 PM til dark. Very few prizes. Lots of new sporting shooters and fun was had by all. This year they plan to do the same.
 
There is something to be said for minimal pricing and a few less shooters though. If we charge 75 bucks across the board, pay for the targets and the lunch and forget the prizes we would still get all of the folks who shot our hunter class, and maybe grab a few who are afraid of the registered targets. Also when the shoot is advertised as a fun shoot - the pressure to deliver goes way down and so does the effort to run it.

I smell some change in the wind - and I think that change may lean to cheaper non-registered events....

I think that you are thinking in the right direction:D

I also think that people do not attend shoots that are not fun. People do not attend shoots that are not fun. People do not attend shoots that are not fun. I guess I said that a few times;)

I also think that the associations that are to promote the sport, do not promote. Just my opinion, but the associations do quite a bit to suck the fun out of sporting. I think that the directors of the Alberta/Canada association should go over the lists of the last couple years and ask the many who have quit attending their events and find out why they are no longer attending.

One of the places I like to shoot throws top class targets. A registered shoot there costs about $145.00/200. The day after, we can shoot just about the same course for $80.00/200. The latter is way more fun :D
 
This is an old thread, and I am not sure what is to gain by posting, but here are my 2 cents worth. The people are the key!!! Registering the targets does not change how fun they are. Shooting sporting clays is as competitive as you want it to be regardless if the targets are registered or not. People go to shoots that are fun, well organized and challenging/imaginative. I am saddened by the fact that Covey Ridge has decided that registering the targets suck all the fun out. I wish I could do something within the association that automatically guarantees fun. My overseas experience tells me that the fun shoots with corporate sponsorship, or geared as a charitable fundraiser bring out more shooters. Competitive shooters won't attend a fun shoot if it competes with a registered event unless it is way closer, way cheaper, or way more important to them. Otherwise we go to all the shoots we can, registered or not. The club sets the date, gets the sponsorship, sources the prizes, advertises, hauls the targets, sets the course,
keep the scores, provide the meals and try to get paid too support their club, either for profit or to promote their sport and their club. I say thanks for the hard work, and I will attend as many as i can with my family if I can.
I don't mind people complaining about the shoots as long as they have clear suggestions as to how to improve the event, and are able to provide the solutions.
None of us win enough to cover our cost so this is an investment in fun. I hope Lethbridge hosts more shoots, I think they have more potential for FITASC type targets then any other club in Alberta, I hope the Pass has more shoots, and checks with my boss to arrange a date as I have missed the last couple of years. I hear Medicine Hat will be hosting some sporting shoots, and I look forward to attending them as well.
More shoots only make holiday planning more difficult, they should not be something whine and argue about.

Rant over.
J
 
Mossleigh is doing the "league" sporting clays shoot again every Tuesday again this year
i think it is for 5 weeks? there may may be weeks left now
it is 10$ for 50 birds, you can shoot more than one round just pay 10$ a round
you must be a member, but remember that a life membership is still only 100$
 
I am saddened by the fact that Covey Ridge has decided that registering the targets suck all the fun out. I wish I could do something within the association that automatically guarantees fun.
J

Too bad that you have misquoted me. I said that the association has sucked out the fun. I do not think that there is anything that automatically guarantees fun, but fun should be a goal for those who put on shoots. I think that association gears too much towards the competative shooter and does very little for the guy who just wants to break clays. The associaition states that their goal is to promote sporting clays. Seems that the only way they think they can do that is by promoting events that caters to the most competative. The Mossleigh league sporting event is far from the world scene that you may be comfortable with, but it is fun and has no shortage of new shooters having fun.
 
I would definetly shoot the Mossleigh League if I didn't have to work most tuesdays till it is too late to get there. Mossleigh is a good club with some good ol' boys that like to shoot. No harm there. It was great to see that their duck tower finally works with the installation of some new hardware. I look forward to shooting there more especially as my daughter gets old enough to shoot, as it is the club closest to my house. Not sure if they will still throw reg'd targets or not, but I will shoot as many as my schedule and budget allow.
j
 
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