Should Clubs host matches

I think we will try something at Guelph this summer, maybe a small 3 gun match. There is a small group of club members who would be willing to setup and tear down. At the present time we run informal 2 or 3 gun practices once a month. I believe we need guidance in course design, logistics and score keeping.
From what I have seen in previous matches held by Team Hoser, steel targets aid in making the course of fire flow quickly and do not need resetting. The club has a Texas Star and various poppers rated for pistol or shotgun but no rifle rated targets. I may ask the members to pitch in to purchase some rifle targets or maybe the club's b of d.
 
mississaugagunnut said:
I think we will try something at Guelph this summer, maybe a small 3 gun match. There is a small group of club members who would be willing to setup and tear down.
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Please ask the guys in your group to contact TeamHoser...
Planning has started for the 2013 Team Hoser 3-Gun Challenge and we will be looking for people to work the match.
 
If matches were much more simple, there'd be more of them. Sort of like how in the past, you could run a simple baseball game, but now there's certification, an executive, many rules (and hence judges), appeal processes, expensive prizes and entry fees, uniforms, etc.

Understanding the barriers to competing in, and to organizing and running a match, is Step 1. The complexity of these matches are at the root of the problem.

Bring back more simple paper-punching FUN matches without prizes.
 
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It has been my experience that there are more people competing than are willing to put their money where there mouth is and show up to help set the match up and stick around to tear it down. I've put on 41 sucessful club matches over the last 21 years and I've learned a number of "rules to run with". First if you want to plan a quality match, have it planned ON PAPER 3 to 4 months in advance. Plan a match that is neutral for both styles of shooters ie: fair for both semi auto and revolver shooters. Advertise your match at least 6 weeks in advance, through word of mouth and electronically, most competitors have to fit shooting matches in with the rest of their lives. You let them plan ahead you get better attendance. Get a commitment from your designated RO's before advertising the match. If you can't, there is no use in holding a match. Find a commited shooter that you can designate as assistant match director in case something happens to you, just prior to the match and you are prevented in attending it.

Before you advertise the match, make sure that you have all the targetry that you require available. Nothing more embarrassing to find out that all your targetry is damaged the night before the match and you have to improvise. The week before the match send out a mass email to those shooters in your area that normally attend these style of matches to organize a work party, rule of thumb for every 5-6 shooters contacted 1 will show up! After the match is finished and before the scores are announced, pull the stages down. Generally you will get 80% of the shooters to help in the tear down, there are always those jerks that figured since they have paid an admission fee they shouldn't be expected to do anything. They forget that shooting is a participation sport!

A successful match is dependant on how much effort and organization that is put into it. If you want to run a half a** match, go ahead but don't be surprised when you attendance is low and those that do attend, don't come back for a second match. If your not willing to put some personal effort into a match, don't bother to volunteer to put on a match. This is a volunteer activity and cannot be made mandatory.
 
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Our small but entusiastic IDPA club here in Terrace has a registered membeship of approx. 15 shooters. We average around 8 - 10 shooters for each of our matches. The advantage IDPA has over IPSC is, our stages on average do not require the elaborate set up that I see at most IPSC matches. In short we can do more with less and still have a fun shoot within the rules. When it comes to set up the day before the match we have a constant group of four to five that come out now. Another two or three rotate in and out depending on calls on there time involving their famly life. A number of our shooters come up from Kitimat/Stewart, and while they aren't available often for set up, they are very active in helpling during the the match and for tear down. In short they all participate where they can.

When it comes to take down, shooting stands, walls, etc ALL participate except the score keeper who disappears with the score sheets. We do the take down immediately after the match for club matches. With all helping 10 - 15 minutes and it is done. When we ran the Provincials, once we agreed the appeal time was exhausted everyone who shot the shoot helped out to tear down the stages and they were elaborate and did take more time to disasemble and put away. Once everything was put away we completed the prize table draw and the presentations to the winners.

We have been running our events this way for seven years now and by now our shooters just follow the pattern we have developed over time. New shooters pick up the drill quickly.

With such a small group, most let us know before the event if they are coming or not. We certainly have had some disappointments when ot comes to attendance. Holding an event on the first day of moose season doesn't bode well for attendance up here as we found out this year. In the main our system works because our shooters make it work.

When it comes to help, I have concluded much depends on where shooters are in their lives. Young and single help when they can. They work best later in the day and help out with tear down. Early Saturday set-ups not so much.:>) Married folks with young famlies struggle with time commitments as one would expect. This group should spend more time with their younsters and those shooters, up here at least, help when and where they can. I am thankful we have some in this group who can spare an hour or two on Saturday set-up The last group are the empty nesters and retired group. We have the time and if we like the sport be it IDPA/IPSC/Trap we are more likely to volunteer our time. Get an active mix of the three groups, encourage those who have other commitments on their time to help where they can and you have a long term strategy for sucess. Complain about the lack of help, insist on doing it all yourself, judge all by your commitment or lack of it and you will struggle. It takes a great deal of time and effort to put on matches. Distribute out the work load and it seems to work. It won't work all the time though and the process at the club level does involve some initial work but the effort is worth it.

When it comes to the weather I am sorry I have no answer. Some shooters come, some don't.

Take Care

Bob
 
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IPSC does not require intense props to make a decent match. I've attended matches at clubs with limited facilities/props and had no problem with boxes, dictated shooting positions or procedures. Sure, there was the potential for shoot throughs and rules lawyering to game a reshoot, but understood that the club and match setup crew had some limitations through equipment and experience and didn't make an issue of it. The last thing they need is some person to be a #### and b*tch about all the things they should do better. I'd rather just shoot the match, have fun and be grateful that they did the work to put it on and don't mind having non-club members attend.

In the end, shooting is shooting, and I'm not expecting Nationals level matches every time I go to the range. Personally, I don't see much difference between a "box to box to box" level I match and a level II match with fancy props, barricades and movers. They're really both just practice to me.
 
hungrybeagle said:
IPSC does not require intense props to make a decent match. I've attended matches at clubs with limited facilities/props and had no problem with boxes, dictated shooting positions or procedures. Sure, there was the potential for shoot throughs and rules lawyering to game a reshoot, but understood that the club and match setup crew had some limitations through equipment and experience and didn't make an issue of it. The last thing they need is some person to be a #### and b*tch about all the things they should do better. I'd rather just shoot the match, have fun and be grateful that they did the work to put it on and don't mind having non-club members attend.

In the end, shooting is shooting, and I'm not expecting Nationals level matches every time I go to the range. Personally, I don't see much difference between a "box to box to box" level I match and a level II match with fancy props, barricades and movers. They're really both just practice to me.
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Thk::Thk
 
I organized a shotgun match last fall it turned out to be the worst weather possible (cold rainy and very muddy) had 5 shooters not show out of 20 spots,and I might have lost 1 in the mud
the set up and tear down was the easy part, it was the behind the scenes that was the pain in the arse
will aim to do another when the weather is better
it does look that prepay might be the way to go in the future
 
Not really specialized, 10" round, 12" round, and 18"x36" rectangle plates. 5 plates per stage, and they just mount on a post or stick. Unless you run the full steel challenge course of fire you may only use 15 - 20 plates (3-4 stages) (which is a 100 round match...minimum)
 
In steel challenge the plates DO NOT fall to score, you only have to mark them, so the real expense is paint as the plates must be painted after each shooters set of runs. Each shooter gets five runs, best four for score (except one stage, I think its Outer Limits, where you only get four runs) and your worst gets tossed.
 
Pat posted all the info for me lol.

Steel does cost a bit of money but its also not exactly a consumable resource either so spread the steel cost over the 10 year of use you get and its quite cheap. Plus you can always start with what you have and set up thestages the best you can till you get the steel, we did that and still everyone had lots of fun.
 
robpad said:
Like most volunteer activities you live by the rule of 10-80-10. 10 % of the people do all the work. 80% of the people are the silent majority but generally will help but you have to really asked them. The finally 10% are those people who that will complain no matter what is done. This last group is also the group that won't help with set up or tear down.
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I like this and to be honest I am usually in the 80% group. But I have been to clubs where the complaining/never helping quotient seems to be much larger...
 
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