zhunter Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 (edited) I waded through most of the 1st two pages of Jake's thread before I went to make a post for it to only be closed. Who ever closed it, well done!!!! As a former professional sportsman, I have some thoughts: 1) Sponsored shooters will show up!!!! They don't need to be paid. The reason is, if they wait to be "paid" and end up sitting at home, they won't be in the news and the sponsors will drop them. They are being paid to be at matches and shooting!!! NUFF SAID on that one!!! Just wait them out!!! 2) Prizes are for PROS!!! NO, why should they get prizes, they sponsors are already giving them the equipment they are REQUIRED to use. Simple as that!!! 3) IF companies want to donate prizes to a match, let them be random. As for Professional shooters: Do it like the Golf Mini-Tours do it. There is a decent living to be made. Entry Fees start at about $500.00, and go up to about $1200.00 depending on the tournament. Obviously the more in the "Professional Field", the higher the pay out. Normal Pay-out percentages are 20% for the winner, 13% for second, 10% for third and so on down the line. Normally a Mini-Tour event pays to about 50 or 60 places. It can be tailors to fit any type of field. If it is a small field, the top 40% of the finishers get money. NOW we are talkin' The old saying Money Talks and BS Walks just showed up. I am so freakin' sick and tired of this whole prize table whining that is makes me sick. And I feel it is the top shooters that drive the whining!!! Now, just so you know that I have been there and done that. Here ya go: For 15 years as a professional, I played a total of about 10 mini-tour golf events. BUT, as a European Tour player, my weekly expenses were about $5000.00 per week. So, yeah, I have put the money up to play the game. IF you have the cajones to wanna play with the BIG BOYS, put it up. Now let the rest of us have fun, we don't need a prize table, cuz we shoot for fun!!! If I win a random prize, WOW, that is just a cool bonus. So, with MY plan, you have a Professional Division, most likely two, one in Open, the other in Limited, and the rest of us folks would shoot as we do now. If you want to show me who can shoot, put up YOUR MONEY and then show me how good you are. It would also be a lot more fun to watch for us LOWLY amateurs Like Tightloop said in the other thread, this is a hobby sport, I reckon for 98% of the USPSA members that is most likely the case. If you want to make money, do it against your own kind, NOT against a bunch of hobbyist who have NO chance!!! That is nothing more than being a bully in the schoolyard. You get 20 guys putting up $500 for a match, and your gonna get $10,000 in the purse. Big matches will have LOTS more that 20 Professionals. Break it up the way you see fit. I SAY, GET THE PROFESSIONALISM ABOVE BOARD!!! Edited August 6, 2007 by zhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I like it! Put your money in the pot and bring it! I say since they are pros heads up run watcha brung like I hear about in the old days. I like the matches where the prize table is random...hell Indiana I show up and sign in and got a prize before I fired a shot how cool is that! I would just as soon pay my match fee and see where I place, if I "bring home the wood" then that is just icing on the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 The only thing I disagree on is that the top shooters are driving the whining. Otherwise, I'd be happy to pay a higher match fee to say "be in the money" vs. doing it for trophies only. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Let's review.... Flex closes a thread. That's supposed to be the end of it. It's very bad form to turn around and start the same discussion again just because you didn't get in before the lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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