Jake Di Vita

Wow...I didn't realize it was illegal to carry a baton....oops.

I use a 4. I would probably use a 10 for Steel Challenge.

Amen Brother.

I'd love to....and for one I'm not whining (if I'm even considered a top shooter...I definetely don't think I am). But I really don't appreciate you saying that when all I'm saying is the best shooters in the entire world should maybe get something for their efforts. Two...Most top shooters already do put up their own money....I'm not even sure why you are saying that like a challenge? Three...The steel challenge is basically the closest thing we have to that and it works great...I would love to see an IPSC match like that as well. If I had a location nearby to do it, I'd run it in a heartbeat.

I think the reason sports figures get paid the astronomical amount of money they do is simply because they can do things the vast majority of everyone else can't. Let me throw something else out there... If this sport was as big as football or baseball or any other major sport...and don't say it will never be because that's not the point....how do you think the prize structure would be then?

TL, I can bet you just about every sponsored GM has been comped to shoot...If their sponsor sponsors the match...usually a free slot comes with it. So if you think the vast majority of big name GMs and even lesser known GMs (myself for example) think the world turns around us, you are horribly mistaken and I really don't appreciate you saying that just because some shooters are proficient enough and lucky enough to be sponsored. Jesus, if you feel that way strictly about match fees how do you feel about the ever sliming number of people who have all their shooting expenses paid for them.

Actually they don't have a choice. The Army Marksmanship Unit is only allowed to train other Army soldiers...how much sense does that one make.

You are taking what I'm saying completely wrong. This has nothing to do with me...I won't even be shooting for the foreseeable future. Just because the winners would get more than they do now doesn't mean the sport stops appealing to all levels of competitors. The vast majority of shooters compete now for fun...do you honestly think changing the prize structure would change that? I do agree we need all the shooters we can get...but as for the ones we do have I'd like to give them as much incentive to improve as possible. The people who shoot for fun will improve at their own pace regardless of prizes. For the people who desire to take this more seriously the only other way of doing that is having a tangible reward for their effort. Don't make me out to be the bad guy because I want the best shooters in the country to be rewarded for their efforts. I would be saying this if I was a B class shooter too.

Brian, Because for two reasons. One - there is finite amount. And Two - Because the awards should be higher as you become better....like in EVERY other competition. I said it before, but I'll say it again for effect. Most USPSA shooters want the rewards of a sport while treating it like a hobby. You want to win something....Earn it.

I got maybe 5 or 6 class wins...but then again....I was never trying to win my class, I was trying to win my division even as a C and B shooter. I got maybe 1 check and no trips to the prize table in my class victories....and I was perfectly ok with that because I personally saw anything but 1st overall as a loss. 1st C should not get as much as 1st A. There is a distinct difference in skill and performance. The people who are "whining" about that are perfectly righteous. Why should someone that won their division have to split whatever prize they could have with someone who didn't even win their class? The difficulty of the award should govern the amount of the reward. Sam, The reason I said to pay amounts to division winners based on entry fees from the division is to keep it fair. Granted it doesn't work everytime, because even though Revolver is the smallest division, anyone who beats Miculek with a wheelgun has accomplished a pretty amazing feat. But at a good amount of matches, some divisions simply don't have the competition that others do...hence a mediocre performance could yield a victory, which is exactly what I'm trying to get away from.

BTW...you can dry fire it in a match.

I've been to 5 nationals and easily 50 majors in the last 5 years. If someone gets a discount on a gun that really doesn't mean anything...since they already had a gun if they were shooting that division to begin with. I just don't understand why so many people are against the idea that to win something....you need to win.

90% of the people don't shoot for prizes anyway. All the appeal to the masses is already there...that's why they shoot now. These changes will change very little about the sport, and nothing about how it is shot which is why the vast majority of shooters compete.

Why does USPSA have to have major sponsors and be on ESPN for this to work? And people already enter the match just to shoot it...the payment of entrance fees has never been even part of the equation here. This isn't golf. The winner in each class is still being rewarded....what more of a "handicap" system do you want?

Most people think that sponsorships are readily available whenever you hit the Master or Grandmaster level. Let me assure you that it is anything but the case. Most shooters who are sponsored are only semi sponsored with equipment....usually their practice, travel, and match fees are all out of their own pocket. To be honest, the shooters that have sponsorships that help with their actual shooting throughout the season can probably be counted on 2 hands. There is no guaranteed "benefit" from being at the top level. Of these 299 GM cards and 1226 M cards...how many do you think were sponsored when they were A or B class. Bottom line is, if you want to get good...you make the time for it. I dry fired 4 hours a night from midnight to 4 AM after 12 hours of work and waking up at 7 AM seven days a week for 8 months. I was 20 years old, had no money (still don't as a matter of fact) had to scrape ammo together for matches much less live fire practice. To me...the people who are willing to sacrifice that much to become a proficient shooter has more than earned whatever meager dollars can be won at a USPSA match. EVERY other sport I can think of only rewards the top....because they are rewarding performance...not mediocrity. Here's the difference between USPSA and every other major sport in the country. Most shooters (the ones that believe everyone needs a pat on the back for being 3rd D at 34%) expect the rewards of a sport while they treat it as a hobby. You want a good trip to the prize table, or a little extra cash to pay back what you spent to shoot the match? Earn it.

Most of the issue with sandbagging is that people do it for prizes....usually those don't exist at level 1 matches. Special considerations can be made of course....such as the FL Open.

racerba, You only get moved up if you win your class. Any A shooter might not win their class for a long time. Also realize I said this only happens at Level III matches. Ben, I'm all for rewarding performance from a top down level...which is why I made the scale the way I did. This way it still rewards performance at every level...but only rewards the winners. From a competitor stand point....only the people that win or are in the top 3 of the division should be rewarded. There will always be a class system...and I think there should be...but there shouldn't be the "everyone wins" mentality that we have now. What USPSA was going for when the class system was created was basically having 6 different matches within the same division...which I think is fine. Reward the winners of each of the 5 classes and reward the best 3 performances overall. Be it a good thing or a bad thing....most people will try harder when there is a tangible reward for their work. By having monetary rewards for each class, USPSA shooters will improve more as a whole than any other way...and that is what we are trying to do...promote excellance in the manipulation of a pistol. Oh and as a side note. The other thing that should be done which I forgot to mention is one classification per shooter. If the shooter's highest classification is Master...he should be a Master in all divisions. By and large nowadays there are enough good shooters out there where you need to perform into the next class to be able to win your class...which is my reasoning (other than eliminating sand bagging) for an automatic bump after the win of a Level III.

Dues would be my guess. I remember seeing a financial report somewhere....but I'm having a hard time finding it.

Dave, The reason I believe it would eliminate sand bagging is because if you won your class...you are automatically moved to the next higher class. You can sandbag a win once...after that you have to work for it. It wouldn't eliminate sand bagging immediately...but after a year of everyone shooting matches, you can pretty much bet 99% of sand baggers in the sport would be put in their rightful class.

I can't think of a time when I would ever consciously not look to where I was driving the gun. Doing that to check your index is an entirely different thing...but doing it to see if your body can find the target with limited visual aid doesn't make sense to me.

I don't so much have a huge problem with the class system as I do with how it's rewarded. As a disclaimer...I thought all of this when I was a middle of the pack B shooter as well. Eliminate the prize table and make it cash reward only. There should not be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in every class....everyone can't win. Do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall, and each class winner except GM. If you are a GM you can only win by winning the match. Reward class winners with progressively higher rewards for each higher class. This way, the people who put more effort in get more out of it...which is how every sport should be. Once someone wins their class in a level III they are automatically bumped up to the next higher class. This way you have 8 paid placements for each division....much better than the 19 there already is. 1st place - 30% 2nd place - 25% 3rd place - 15% High M - 10% High A - 8% High B - 6% High C - 4% High D - 2% Percentage is of whatever prize pool there is per division. If by chance there is no one shooting one class in a division....that classes's percentage is distributed evenly amongst the others. I'm sure there will be people thinking that this isn't fair to them....fortunately....there is always dry fire. This type of reward system will eliminate sand bagging and encourage a higher performance level of shooting across the board.

I'm Ricky Bobby. If you don't chew Big Red, then f*** you. Hi, I'm Ricky Bobby. Christmas is just around the corner, and what better gift to give a loved one than the Jack Hawk 9000? Available at Wal-Mart.

Imagine a few years ago at Production nationals when Sevigny won by over 15%. Not only would he be the only GM in Production...there wouldn't have even been any Masters.

All it takes is one second of distraction.

I'm willing to bet it would work on all but maybe the most seasoned troops. Unfortunately most SWAT teams don't train nearly enough.