Canceling a big match

[kimel]

In case you missed it in Match Announcements, the MDs pulled the plug on SpudGun 2008 today. I hate that we had to do that.

With 8 weeks to match time we had to start spending money to build the props and the entries were FAR below budget. They originally were going to call go/no-go several weeks ago but held off on construction just hoping things got better. They didn't. Less than 10 applications have come in over the past month. To say "people stayed away in droves" is pretty accurate. I hate that they did that.

We never could figure out what the reasons were that drove folks to not send in their applications. The previous edition in 2006 sold out in less than 5 weeks. So we expanded to handle double the number of shooters and with applications available for almost 90 days have so few as to make it financially unfeasible to continue forward. I hate that our good intentions seemed to have quite the wrong effect.

I hate that we will never know what the problem was. Was it that the Area 1 website hasn't been updated in 9 months and never had a link to the match website? Was it that we chose to not advertise in Front Sight to keep that cost out of the balance sheet? Was it that no one really wants to shoot a Level II but instead are only willing to travel for a Level III? Was it that various clubs failed to forward the match announcement to their members for whatever reason? Was it because we were a trophy only match? Was it that the stage designs were challenging and the majority of shooters are looking only for hoser matches anymore and are afraid of a true test of skill? The answers to these and many, many more questions will remain unanswered. I hate that.

I hate that the two MDs, myself and various others have put in literally hundreds of hours preparing for this match. From working and reworking stage designs and then tweaking them again once the new rule book was finalized to negotiating with clubs to be the host, working with shirt vendors and trophy vendors and so on. We are all out cash for phone bills, web hosting, and more which will now come out of our personal household budgets.

Yeah, you can chalk this one up as "experience"; this type of experience SUCKS!!!

But I doubt we will see either MD involved in match director stuff again. Area 1 has lost some significant talent there. And it also means that an area (Area 1) that has precious few matches above Level I will continue to be a bigger match wasteland. Enjoy your "big" Level I matches Area 1 boys and girls.

Will there be an attempt at SpudGun 2009 or beyond? I seriously doubt it.

I will remain available as an RM to Area 1 matches that wish to try and take that step beyond the Level I plateau. PM or email me if I can be of service.

But I really, really, really hate that the match that inspired me to go through the effort to become an NROI RM (SpudGun 2006) is now dead and buried.

Pardon me while I go pout in the corner for awhile. Sigh......