No More Club Shooting

[Putty]

I know we have bashed this around the forums, whereby there are usually a group of shooters at a club that never succeed in setting up, tearing down or keeping the stages running, much to the chagrin of others. One helpful suggestion by my wife was to make, upon sign in, a requirement to choose either set up, tear down etc. with the exception of new shooters. Someone posted here, that a re-iteration of said, during the pre-shoot meeting goes a long ways.

Well here we are after the last shoot, and my back has yet to recover from the setup of stages under the watchful but inactive eye of this same group. So rather than harbor resentment and the continued inability to walk normally....I QUIT! Sux but is rather liberating as the phony happy face I force upon myself, when in the presence of non-producers who only bitch about the stages they didnt help design or set and steal my brass while I am shooting, is not required.

Yah sure I am an emotional guy and will miss a few matches and be back refreshed and ready to take abuse until I boil over again.....

[gm iprod]

Well done, find a club that appreciates people who are like yourself.

[ipscron2000]

I don't blame you one bit. You aren't given any other options.

RJ

[standles]

Here is an idea (not mine) that may have merit. Charge an extra $5 entry fee for the match. If you help setup or tear down you get a refund after everything is picked up and put away. Could even be credits toward a "free match" coupon. A little more bookkeeping but at least the infidels will be paying something for thier lazines and it might even motivate a few of them.

Later, Steven

[Ray_Z]

There is a term for this disease, it's called termenal burnout. It happens to all of us that bust our crack putting matches together so others can enjoy the fruit of our labor. I've let the whiners and range lawyers get to me a couple of times too. Oh, and by the way, when you quit they won. That's the fruit of their labor.

Look at it like it like this. There is a very given ratio to any group of people. 90% of the people are there to enjoy what's going on. 5% of the people are there to put something together so everyone can enjoy what's going on. The other 5% are there to whine, complain, and just generally tear down everything you've done.

The bad 5% usually don't last long. The only people they can show off to are others like themselves and they get burned out fast. If someone doesn't help during the match eather pasting or picking up brass, they usually find that when it's their turn to shoot their targets still have holes in them and after their through shooting they need to pick up their brass. Remember, they only have a 5% following.

If you're done, you're done. If you can get past these hemorroids the sport needs people like you to continue.

[robomanusa]

I always try to help out where I can

[Ray_Z]

Nick is one of the good 5% that I was telling you about. His help is always appriciated and I try to tell him so every chance I can.

Although there is more to this than meets the eye. When Nick does come down from the mountains of Sardinia it's really to take on fresh water and breed with our women folk.

[robomanusa]

[Sac Law Man]

I bet every club has the same issue.. I know ours does. As far as tearing stages down, we make the last group who shot that particular stage tear it down. Scores and awards ae not given out until the bays are clean. We have a real problem with shooters not volunteering to be match directors or even designing one stage. These are the same shooters who will not pitch in to S/O or even assist. We have decided to start assigning people to be match directors. We are also thinking of ways to entice new shooters to take the S/O class and take the burden off some of us. This Saturday we have a range clean-up day. Our club president said if the turnout is poor on Saturday, the work will be finished on Sunday, and Sunday's match will not start unitl the work is done.

[EricW]

You know, there will always be those that show up early to set up and those that don't. The early birds need to learn to sit back and drink pina colodas while the late risers do 100% of the teardown and cleanup after the match. I always see the early birds working just as hard after the match as before. I wish they'd realize that once the last shot is fired, it's their time to relax.

[carinab]

Been there, done that...Ran a club for awhile and even tho I was six months pregnant, and could barely strap the gun belt round my belly, I still was the only person doing the setup removing eight of the range's 4'x8' ply sheet wood target backers (40lbs a piece and ackward as heck to move)....Turned over the club to another guy a month later, club closed two months after that.

[Dave Marques]

Gotta add my two cents worth........

I help out at two different matches every month, BUT I don't do all the work myself!

MAKE people get involved! Or at least ASK. I find it a lot easier to exercise my mouth and ask dudes just standing around to put some stuff away then do all the work myself and be pissed off that those same dudes didn't help. Some will help, some won't, but all you should care about is the ones that will help when asked.

I'm match director of one match > OBCATS (Old Bridge R&PC)

I help the other match by designing and setting up a stage (with the help of others) > CJRPC

At the walk thru for both matches it is STRESSED that the match is here because of volunteers and that eveyone needs to help put stuff away at the end of the match. We also ask for stage designs and people to build them. We do this religiously and enthusiastically at every match. (You have to have fun running the match otherwise why would anyone wanna be a part of all the work?-AND we do make it fun!)

At both matches, some of the people who run the match finish their last stage a bit early and plant themselves at each stage to DIRECT teardown. That way, someone is there to encourage participation!

If you peruse the OBCATS website and review the stage designs you'll see we do a lot of work for a local monthly match, and I can say that through the help of MANY local shooters "it" happens!

"ASK ...........AND THEY WILL HELP BUILD IT"

Dave Marques

[Flexmoney]

Everybody should re-read Dr. Duff-duff's post three or seven times.

[Putty]

I guess our club runners have tried everything for the past 15 years and some just won't do it.

[Nik Habicht]

You have to have fun running the match otherwise why would anyone wanna be a part of all the work?-AND we do make it fun!

At both matches, some of the people who run the match finish their last stage a bit early and plant themselves at each stage to DIRECT teardown.  That way, someone is there to encourage participation!

"ASK ...........AND THEY WILL HELP BUILD IT"

Dave Marques

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And Dave does make it fun: He held a free three stage rifle match last month. Price of admission? Two to three hours of work during a work party, held specifically to get everything ready for the 2005 summer season. That kind of stuff --- let's do a little work, have some lunch (on Dave), and then lets shoot a little to keep the fun to work ratio high enough......

The toughestr part of learning how to be a good match director is learning how to ask for help and how to delegate. But, when done well ---- it's amazing how much more can get done......

[Precision40]

Sandoz,

Seeing as this is a volunteer sport. I normally set a stage each match, then I tear down my stage when were done, that's about all I can do.

I injured my back 3 years ago and ended up having back surgery, sometimes I can't even get out of bed, but I still feel the need to set a stage. If your burnt out from feeling like you do the brunt of all the work, just throttle back, set a stage and force the other people to get off their cans and help. If that means that there will only be one stage in the match, then so be it. Do YOUR part and don't feel guilty one bit about it. I sure don't.

We have people that never help out, show up late and leave early type of people. Been like that since I started shooting and it will continue long after I finally burn out and take up golf.

[Ron Ankeny]

I can't tell you how many times I have threatened to just quit setting up and let the club go down the toilet. Last year, the worker bees practically begged for help.

We tried something different this season. We simple asked guys to help on a one to one basis. Last Sunday I had to run home before set up to pick up a few items that I forgot. We shoot at 10:00 AM. When I topped the hill and could see the range at 8:30 AM, I couldn't believe my eyes. There were at least 10 pickups sitting at the shed waiting for the reguylar crew to start shouting orders. After the match, all but one guy helped tear down. Man that was refreshing.

[Ray_Z]

I'm lucky to have a group of half a dozen guys that help with the our matchs. They shoot the match at no charge. We also have a requirment for new members that says that you have to have 2-4 hour work days to get your membership. A prospective member can sign up for Saturday setup and Sunday helping out with the match (pasting, scoring, tear down) and take care of his work requirement in 1 weekend. I try to make the membership meetings. That way I can explain just what practical pistol is and if they sigh up for the full weekend they can get their membership requirments in in one weekend. You'd be surprised how many new shooters have no idea just what the heck practical pistol is. In the past year we've gained 8 new regular shooters at our PP matches from these meetings. All of which are glad to help out.

[ima45dv8]

Not so fast, Sandoz. You should host one more match. I'll even provide the stages.

[diehli]

Not so fast, Sandoz. You should host one more match. I'll even provide the stages.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't care who you are, that right there is funny.

[Putty]

LOL! Thats the ticket!!

[ima45dv8]

And there should be no problem with having final scores immediately available at the end of the match, thus further enhancing your shooters' level of enjoyment.

[John Dunn]

Those ROs and Stage Designers make so much friggin' money off of stage set-up and tear down, that I never feel bad to just shoot and scoot. When the greedy clubs stop their 5-10 dollar per match gouging, maybe I'll lend a hand. Until then I'll pretend not to know what a roll of tape is for, and remain haughtily aloof.

Internal monologue brought to you by: Retards are Us!

[Loves2Shoot]

And there should be no problem with having final scores immediately available at the end of the match, thus further enhancing your shooters' level of enjoyment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We do as soon as the stages are put away the match is done

[Ray_Z]

Those ROs and Stage Designers make so much friggin' money off of stage set-up and tear down, that I never feel bad to just shoot and scoot. When the greedy clubs stop their 5-10 dollar per match gouging, maybe I'll lend a hand. Until then I'll pretend not to know what a roll of tape is for, and remain haughtily aloof.

I've been doing this for 12 years. The most I've ever gotten out of it was an a RO shirt and I get to shoot for free. Page 10 of the green book says it all. We do so others can enjoy. Any profit from a match goes to the club. I don't know the finances of other clubs. Ours has a minimum operating cost of a little over one hundred thousand dollars a year. Nobody gets payed. We're all volenteers. Just the cost of keeping the property up, taxes paid, and insurance. All we are doing is trying to make a nice place for everyone to shoot.

Those targets that you shoot at cost 60 cents each and a roll of pasters maybe $4. It doesn't sound like much does it? We usually have 6 stages. That usually takes about 40 targets. Our steel has to be back rolled about twice a year to keep them flat and one of use is always taking something to work to get it welded. All of this for the satisfaction that what we are doing is going to help others enjoy the shooting sports.

The next time you're at a match and don't particularly like the stages, step up and volenteer to design the stages for the next one. Anyone that's been doing this for a while is running out of ideas.

Please think about what's been said here.