Grandbagging

[John Thompson]

I agree with PaulW, I don't even understand what "competing against yourelf" means.  I've always thought it was a metaphor for "not choking" in a match.

If I wasn't competing against everyone else I wouldn't go to matches, I'd save my money and just shoot in my back yard.

I want to win, that's why it's called a competition.

[PaulW]

LMAO  Well said John, my point exactly!!  Now, from a little different angle, you can only control how you do in a match and not everyones else's.  You don't want to get in the way of yourself, if that makes any sense at all.

[Ron Ankeny]

Shooter Grrl:

Actually, I don't spend all of my time worrying about my class. The post was made to point out that there isn't a "one size fits all" solution. Furthermore, as long as I behave in an ethical and responsible fashion, and use the classification system appropriately, then what I do should be of no concern to anyone.

We really need to view this thread for what it is, a differing point of view from the old grandbagging thread. Now that everyone is so grouchy and disagreeable, it's probably time to go on to another topic.

"Half the world is composed of idiots, the other half of people clever enough to take indecent advantage of them."

-Walter Kerr

[Shooter Grrl]

I NEVER said that I believe that, just that that was what I was told.

Hell yes it's a competition!  And I want to win!  My other coach says "Whatever it takes" :-)

And Ron, that was NOT directed at you, my apologies if looked that way.

IMHO, Granbagging and Sandbagging both DO have a part in our game.  The people that do this present a challenge for the rest of us to overcome!

[Jack T]

Greetings,

Paul is right in one of his previous post where he stated you don't know the situation/reasons why a GM/M might place so low in the scoring.  (I am guilty at looking at major matchs and questioning this)

Before I was diagnosed with the cancer, I was a Master Class Shooter.  This is not something I freely like to admit, but my mental game was  weak and when I went to a major match where the big dogs were, I felt intimidated and shot very poorly.

My prior classification (11 years ago) means nothing to me now because it would be a farst to try and reclaim it.

I have struggled since I have started to compete again and am about to move from C to B Class.  I have had a couple good matchs where I quit thinking and started shooting and won the match (defeating Masters).  This is not the norm because I still have not developed a consistent mental game.  I pressure myself so bad on the classifiers that I blow them.   Talk about being called a sandbagger, but these are people that do not know my situation.

As far as re-shooting a classifier.  If you can do better, go for it.  It's really no different than going to a match and some squads shoot the classifier as the first stage and some might shoot it as the last.  (in reference to being warmed up advantage)

 

Latter

 

[j1b]

I've been reading this post for a while. I think all points mentioned are valid. I will admit - I don't really see what all the fuss is about though.

If one "grandbags" all they do is short themselves in a match. A match destinguishes who can do what when - and if it takes re-shooting a classifier a couple of times (at the club level) to achieve a certain class level you desire then you are probably close - you probably have all the skills - and what you probably need to work on is the mental aspects of execution. Its all semantics - that at a match tend to work themselves out.

Sandbagging shorts people that are at a certain class level. A person does that intentionally and is basically shooting to win a good prize. I have an issue with that. As for "grandbagging" - I could care less. If someone wants to do it - go for it.

People are touchy about this subject - so I hope I didn't step on any toes.

JB

[38supPat]

As I've said before, and I agree with JB, if you grandbag, you only affect yourself. Believe me, when you shoot a big match we all know what class you belong in despite what might be on your card. I see all kinds of GM's below my name at the nationals, I personnally would rather be an M mixed in with the GM's on the score sheet than a GM mixed in with the B's. Gotta think that'd be a bit embarrassing.

Pat