Gary Stevens Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 As the new Area 5 Director I am entirely open to new ideas for our sport. This is not to say I will always agree with you, but I want to hear from you. I am very interested in Area 5 comments, but if you have a good idea and you don't live in Area 5 let me hear it anyway. There you go, don't say no one ever asked what I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Gary, To kick-start this thread... I think we should make Area 5 "Glock Only". Why screw around with anything else? Some guns are so expensive that everybody can't afford to compete...other guns just don't run. (Ok..that was me..just having fun...) I do find it inspiring that you are openly asking for input from your members. Thumbs up!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 This Isn't an Area 5 specific comment, however I feel that its high time we revise the classifers. Im tired of shooting the same dozen over and over again. Many of them look great on paper but are a royal pain to set up so nobody puts them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Gary, congratulations on your election to Director! I'm in Area 1, but since your inviation was so, well... "inviting" I'll chip in my $.02. Now is a perfect time to grow the sport! In a post 9-11 world, gun control has started looking like the bad idea that it has always been. I suggest USPSA identify, develop, and publicize specific goals for membership growth. This is our time! Since we are all so damned competitive, lets make it a challenge, complete with rewards for clubs and individuals who recruit the most new shooters. We have a lot of great ideas about how to play the game, but without new blood, the greatest shooting sport that ever existed could stagnate. But with growth, everyone profits. New shooters, new sponsors, new money coming in to the sport, isn't that what most of us want? . (And yes, some people will bitch and whine and complain. So, what? It's always the same people anyway.) Do I know what specific actions we need to take to grow the sport? Actually , I don't. But I do know that whatever goals we set and work together to achieve, WE WILL ACCOMPLISH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted January 18, 2003 Author Share Posted January 18, 2003 Well it looks like we are off to a good start. As to the classifiers you are dead on correct. I do know that a new classifier book has been underway for a while now. One of the best ways to get a new classifier book is to draw up and submit proposed courses for classification. Understanding what a classifier is intended to do, and making a course that reasonably does that within the current rules, is not all that hard. The difficulty of setting it up, as you indicated, is also an area to consider. If each one of us drew one course and sent it in for consideration our new book would be out pretty soon. I'm going to accept the challenge, how about the rest of you? As to membership, this is an area that is constantly in discussion. One of the reasons the Production Division was started was in the hope of drawing new members. We are working with gun companies to include our USPSA materials in with the products they sell as a means to gather members. I am going to clubs that shoot other formats and attempting to draw them into our fold. We have one such club in this situation in Wilmington, Ohio that I have recruited. I'll think bout your incentive program for membership growth and see what I can come up with. As to the Glock only Area, well let's just say I consider the source:) Thanks for the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Gary, With the classifier stuff...I started another thread so that this one doesn't drift too far. http://www.brianenos.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard...6&topic=211 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 I agree with Flex on the Glocks with one exception. We need to include Revolvers. Actually, I sort of ranted on this in another thread. If USPSA is to grow it will be in the divisions where new shooters can enter cheaply. Production & Revolver both need to be promoted more, not as a beginner place, but as a division with as much pride & honor in winning as Open or Limited. The FGN is a good start. Stage design is another place to promote Production & Revolver. Anyway, Gary, good luck. Maybe I will see you at the Buckeye Blast. Bill Nesbitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted January 18, 2003 Author Share Posted January 18, 2003 Hi Bill, I'll be at the Buckeye Blast for sure. We want to try and make that a premier shoot. I also want to talk to you and anyone else about doing something in WVA. Too many good folk up there to let it go to waste. See you at the Buckey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Here's some ideas I am going to try if I can get the support of local clubs. Why not have posters, brochures and VCR tapes running at gun stores? I also think its a good idea to rent a table at some gun shows, play the tape, have some stuff on display and talk to people about USPSA. I do know that if you start these type of programs that you will need to have some formal safety training and orientation classes. I agree that its overwelming when you first shoot and would enjoy helping conduct new shooter clinics. The day before the match or the morning of the match you could have a orientation meeting and a small stage run as mentioned. I have always believed that you treat new shooters as guests in your house and try to make them feel welcome and comfortable. No matter what your experience is in shooting, your first USPSA match is hectic. I see other sections follow this plan with much success. Now that I am Gary's newest foot soldier (I have accepted section coordinator for Ohio) I know that with a plan, hard work and enthusiasm we can accomplish great things for USPSA and Ohio. As Gary, I am open to input and especially am looking for ideas that are working. PS Kyle I was sure when I bought my first Glock, that a chip was inplanted in my head that makes me have unwavering loyalty to Glock. Did you get 2 of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 New members: I am with Sam and BSeevers 100% on their ideas. Perhaps an addition to the Area 5 website is in order: an "Info on how to get started in IPSC" page might help - something to strongly state that a new shooter DOES NOT NEED SPECIAL EQUIPMENT to shoot. This is one of the biggest myths out there among non-IPSC shooters (BTW, we may call ourselves USPSA but we are still IPSC to the rest of the shooting world). A brief page to take some of the mystery out of IPSC would help new shooters understand that they are welcome at any match and after learning a bit about our safety rules, they can enter a match with nothing more than the gun they already own and 4 or 5 reduced cap. magazines or 6 speed loaders, a $15 Uncle mike's holster and a few mag pouches. Thats all they need to start shooting besides eyes and ears. I REALLY like the idea of VCR tapes played at gun stores and why not gun shows too? It could be sold to owners as a win-win proposition to get shooters to do MORE shooting than they otherwise would. What about USPSA demonstration shoots at Cowboy, Pins, steel, and GSSF matches? Politicaly challenging, I realize, but why not try? Please pass this thread along to the director of Area 8. Thanks!! D. TY-44934 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 About that Area 5 web page...is anybody running it? If you follow the links from USPSA > A5 > Ohio...Rayner's RAnge doesn't come up as a listed club??? I know the good folks at Rayner's Range have tried to get this corrected, no luck. They are sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 If you run videos, run videos with ordinary shooters!. Yeah, we like to watch the big dogs run, but it scares prospective shooters. We've seen it at gun shows time and again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 I encourage people who have been around awhile to bring spare gear (ie. guns, ammo, holters) to local matches to let people borrow/rent who don't have the gear to try it out. I also think it is important to encourage people to shoot their guns and design courses that allow 10 round shooters a chance to change mags between shooting positions. http://www.hosercam.com has some good video and I have been pointing people their to explain the sport. I think that once people see what we do they tend to like the idea of trying out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 What I would like to see is just one - ONE - truly six-round neutral Factory Gun Nationals. C'mon, who doesn't want to know if Jerry M. truly could whip ass on everyone if he didn't have to do all those standing reloads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Roy Thanks for info about real shooter videos. Guess I'm going to have to dig out the film I got of 3quartertime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted January 21, 2003 Author Share Posted January 21, 2003 I love the smell of ideas in the morning. It smells like victory! As to the web site, it has been under active re-design for several months now. I could not kick it off until 1-1-03 though. Eric Knee is graciously helping me with this project between his real job demands. We hope to have something up in a few days. Be forwarned it will be a work in progress for a while as the individual sections develop their links and we get the bugs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Maybe the USPSA could prod the FAA and TSA to get their acts together so we can fly to matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted January 22, 2003 Author Share Posted January 22, 2003 Why can't you fly now? I have been reading on the SASS web page about how their folk have been flying just in the last couple of weeks with 2 pistols, a rifle and a shotgun with no problems at all. Have you not been able to fly somewhere with your guns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcount Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Duane, I truly enjoy your sense of humor. Keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Gary Stevens - there is a conflict b/t FAA which prohibits opening a locked firearms container WITHOUT the passenger present and TSA procedure which REQUIRES TSA personell to open the contianer without the passenger being present. Check it out http://www.brianenos.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard...6&topic=157 Also see the "what I hate" forum under "Airline broke into my gun bag". DVC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRNinTX Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 My .02 is to get more families involved. My oldest son shot his first match three years ago at 17 after seeing coverage of Nationals on American Shooter . owns three guns and is now a B class Limited shooter. My youngest and I watched for about six months and could not stand it any longer. My youngest shot his first match at the NRA range at the age of 11, paid for his G34 out of his savings and is now A class in Production. We now travel , shoot matches, run matches, practice, dry fire and reload together. It has been one of the most rewarding things we have done as a family. USPSA has taught the boys responsiblity and given my wife and I the assurance that they have learned the best gun handling skills there are. As a club we are in the process of putting together a short video of area matches and club matches showing shooters of all abilities, from C and D class to GMs (Phil Strader shoots with us on a regular basis). We have recently had several new shooters that Phil recruited from a local PD and I am taking the video to area LE firearms instructors to try and generate interest. I know--cops with guns is scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 "Duane, I truly enjoy your sense of humor. Keep it up." Thanks, xcount. But in this case I was serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Bagoly Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 We know you were, thats the funny part. USPSA BOD appears to not be in favor of the 6 rnd. neutral thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 DT, I am always pushing for someone to shoot an 8 round revolver in Open...comped and red-dotted.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.J. Norris Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Flex, It has been done at our local club. Guy showed up with his 8 shot, comped, dot-sighted revo, and whopped everybody...... I'm sure that has some sting to the Open shooters . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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