What's the Trend in USPSA membership?

[Jim Norman]

A good match need not have 200 rounds, 5 good stages and 110 or so rounds will beat a crappy poorly designed 200 round match. In other words Quality NOT Quantity will bring out shooters and keep them coming back.

We need to be mindful of the perceived costs of shooting. People look at 20 cents a round add in the match fee and think this is a 60 dollar match or a 30 dollar match. building a round count for the sake of a round count is detrimental in this day and age.

Jim

This is all true but when there are only two clubs within 175 miles 4 stages and a classifier with 200 rounds is a more cost effective match than the same 4 really technical stages with a classifier with 110 rounds since the travel can be triple to quadruple the entry fee. I have friends who drive 350-400 miles to watch their kids play basketball or football without thinking about it. Cost can become relative.

Leroy, I cannot disagree with you. You have a situation where you are that is far different from here. We have, within two hours of my home, at least 8 regular USPSA matches and at least 2 practice matches each month. Occasional cancellations due to poor range conditions. Add to that at least as many Steel and IDPA matches and we have to compete to an extent for shooters. Now that said, 4 technical stages, a classifier and only 70 rounds would not fly here, but likewise, adding 70 rounds to the same stages is not going to make a quality match. I would, given the situation, set up the 4+1, shoot them, move the targets a couple feet, change the start position, maybe add or remove a target and shoot the stages again. now you'd have quantity as well as quantity.

Jim