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Men and women participation in clubs


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Hello all,

Haven't written for a very long time, but I've finally gat a question worth asking:

What is your experience with the atmosphere / numbers breakdown / attitude between men and women in your clubs and / or your events?

I ask because a friend of mine was talking about how (in France) nobody thinks integrating women (or men) into events when there is no performance difference is a priority.

I told her that shooting events were not even historically split by sex and that at the club level none of my clubs have ever treated women differently. I believe that this is because though some members might be macho or even misogynist, shooting clubs have a culture of judging people on their performance, and most importantly, a culture of the importance of respect for each other, respect for the equipment one uses and of self-discipline.

In my mind, a culture with these values is one that is conducive to welcoming respectful, disciplined people of any sex (or creed, or colour or anything else that doesn't affect safety).

My friend thinks my clubs are a fluke and I'd like to prove her wrong. Do you have any examples of how women and men are both welcome at your club? If so could you share them here? It would go a long way to helping me convince my friend that shooting is something she and all women can do.

In my case I shoot with my eldest daughter. It never even crossed my mind that I shouldn't give her a chance to try, and this feeling goes a long way back in my family. A cherished family heirloom is a S&W safety hammerless that belonged to my great-great aunt, who passed it on to her daughter when she became one of the first women bush pilots in Canada (Ethel Currie), "because you never know when you might crash, keep that in the cockpit just in case. It was only fired once, when she and her husband flew down from Alberta, Canada to Arizona in their private airplane, the revolver legally carried with them, and Austin decided to take a potshot at a cactus to see if the damn thing worked. Austin died not long after that trip and since Ethel and he had no children, she held on to that revolver, waiting to give it to the next generation.

So the revolver sat in the drawer in its Crown Royal velvet bag for years and years until Canada decided that all such hand guns needed to be registered. Ethel, a pillar of the community and an absolute straight talker and honest dealer, went down to the police station where they told her she'd have to join a club to keep it, but she could keep it without joining a club if they deactivated it. So like the person she was, she gave them hell for forcing a senior citizen with bad eyesight and arthritis (that they had known all their lives) to jump through hoops to keep her mother's revolver. So she paid 20 dollars and it was deactivated by welding the cylinder to the frame and filling the barrel with cast metal.

Many, many years later, I'm visiting home and go to visit Ethel. We chat for a while and the conversation drifts to my love of shooting. She winks at me, goes to her bedroom and comes back with a little velvet Crown Royal bag. I look up at Ethel, whose eyes are shining.

"This was my mother's..."

That revolver is now in my safe and will remain there until I can pass it to the next generation.

So, for me, women and shooting have never been mutually exclusive.

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Over the past 20 years, I've had the privilege to shoot at at least 17 different

ranges (competitively), and at all 17, men and women shot equally, and the

women were not only welcome, but sought after.

Every shooter I've spoken with longed for more women in the shooting sports.

Never known anyone at USPSA matches to "look down" at women - matter

of fact, I've had the pleasure of shooting, many times, with The Best Woman

Pistol Shooter in the state of Florida, and I can't keep up with her - MOST of

us can't keep up with her.

And everybody KNOWS that women are much more accurate than men .... :cheers:

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There are quite a few woman of all ages at the local clubs I shoot at. No one ever seams to have any disrespect for them. They are actually very nice to shoot with. There are a few woman that I would rather shoot with then my male buddy's, less testosterone and no pissing contests.

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Our club has seen a dramatic increase in female participation and membership over the last three years. They now have a "team" named Women of Caliber. They are a welcome addition to our shooting community. Ranger-6

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have you noticed an increase in the number of women in the past 20 years?

Not in the north (NY, NJ, PA).

Doing a nice job at Central Florida R&P to recruit new shooters,

including women.

My limited experience is that MOST women I've shot with are there

because their significant other is a shooter. A few women police

officers.

VERY few women shooting who are "on their own".

Thought I saw two women at CFRPC last year alone,

but one's husband is a club shooter.

Best way to get women into the sport, is to bring them ...

Big problem is so many of us shooters hand our wife a .40 Major

at an inside range and they find the experience unpleasant (I

think I would have also). :ph34r:

Best to start them outside with a .22, plinking at reactive targets, with

good ear wear. I was at the Nat'ls few years ago, and a squad member

had brought his wife to the four days of 114 F. weather ... Bad enough?

She didn't even have ear muffs. :surprise: (I managed to find her a pair

of ear plugs, but not sure either of them knew the proper way to insert

them).

Start them out slowly - no .45's or magnums, no indoor ranges - just a

.22 and reactive targets. Now, that's fun ... :cheers:

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I'm finding a lot of female shooters in our local high school trap teams. One of my friend's daughters placed very high at the state championship. Practical pistol is much more daunting for male or female new shooters. I'd say the gender ratio in our local uspsa clubs is the same as what I've seen in bowling and pool leagues. Volleyball leagues are even more male than female in my area.

When the ladies do shoot with us, usually one or two out of twenty shooters pet match, they are just another competitor I'm trying to beat! On the rare occasion they aren't there, there is more locker room talk from the guys... but in sure that's the same for anywhere!

Edited by IronicTwitch
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I have never seen any difference in overt/conscious attitude or treatment of men Vs. women in any shooting competition I have done. That said, some groups, be they the gun club as a whole or different "discipline groups" at the same club seem to be more or less "female friendly" if that makes sense. :unsure:

something I have seen is that sometimes there is a group that is "The group" for a particular competitive discipline or set of disciplines at a given club, and they can at times tend to be accepting of their own demographic, be it gender, ethnicity, being from the same town/county, or any other demarcation that happens/happened to define that group when it started or last re-formed (came out of a schism). and less so toward anyone not of that demographic. or a group can have habits that make it an uncomfortable for someone outside "the group".

For example the USPSA group I started with, in 4 years (but only 18months serious about it) I saw a grand total of 4 women there and that was at only 3 matches out of ever how many I shot or observed in that 4 years. and I think a lot of what caused this was an unconscious vibe of "we come here to get AWAY from women (wives)" from a large number of the shooters. frankly that club seemed to give anyone that wasn't male, W.A.S.P. , local to the county or related to it's early history, and over 45 yrs old, the cold shoulder to varying degrees.
Now that I've moved halfway across the country, my new USPSA club has much higher female participation, and is tremendously more diverse in background. though the diversity may be because of location...

conversely my personal experience with the two Rifle disciplines I've dabbled with (NRA Service rifle, and F-class) has been one where the groups were much more accepting and friendly toward anyone that shows up.

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There are several female shooter at my club, but they are usually outnumbered by men ten to one or more.

Some are spouses who shoot to spend time with their partners, or because they love to shoot regardless. Some come by themselves. There are a couple daughters who shoot (with their dads). Some shoot fairly well, as well if not better than their partners on some occasions.

They are all welcome.

Oh, and there are definitely more now than when I started out 20 odd years ago.

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As the IDPA MD at my club I make it a point to try to welcome anyone regardless of demographic. In my experience, the same holds true for other MDs at my club and other local clubs (central PA). If you are safe and eager to learn we will teach, nothing else really matters. I have never heard of a woman being talked down to, and if I do at one of my matches it will be dealt with.

We have a few women that shoot regularly, but they are typically spouses of other shooters. One of our friends actually started before her husband and they are now heavily involved in another local club and both SOs.

My wife started competing because I did and is now the secretary of the pistol club and an SO. It is not her primary hobby, but she enjoys the sport.

We start every new shooter (man or woman) we teach with a 22. It is the best tool for the job. To start competition I suggest steel challenge with a 22 to minimize movement, noise, and recoil (again, man or woman). Once they get comfortable with the timer and safety, then move to IDPA or USPSA with more rules and movement.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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A good example of the growth of female competition was the all women 3gun competition held this year in Georgia. I know little about it other than they filled the match. A couple friends of mine shot it and had a great time.

I'm sure someone else here has more feedback on that match.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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There are usually a few women at the local USPSA match. I have never seen any "cold shoulders" or "talking down to" attitudes towards anyone regardless of gender, age or anything else. It is part of the reason I really liked the club/sport. I don't think that I would have continued to attend the matches if I had.

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There's more locker room talk without the ladies? In my experience the wild sex talk gets wilder with some women around. I've seen them turn some older guys faces red and scare them off. Its pretty fun to watch.

I think I need to come shoot with you guys one of these days!

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I shoot at a small club. We have one female shooter who comes on her own, she does not come because of a significant other. She is very welcomed and is greatly encouraged by everyone. She has brought a couple of friends with her at times to get them into it, unfortunately none of them have made a habit of coming back.

A vast majority of the guys have been trying to get my wife involved. My wife has been very reluctant to come to the range. This spring I shot a larger match in Colorado and had a female shooter on my squad. The shooter was shooting an open gun, my wife made many comments about the lack of recoil from an open gun after watching her shoot. Needless to say, we have an open gun on order for her.

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We have a couple of ranges in the area that have started Ladies' nights and seem to be getting more popular.

Another rage in my area, which is a training range only, the owner was telling me that 3-1 women to men coming in for training.

My GF started shotting with me several years ago, and now she finds herself, when ever in the mood to hit the range during the day without me. The first time she told me about it, brought a big smile on my face.

Edited by PalmBeach1
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