I find the comments on the new selection process of the challenge teams somewhat disingenuous and misguided. I find it frustrating that some of the posters who criticized the process were not at the VGC and have not participated in any challenge event that I can remember.
I'm the person who initiated this new selection process and I will admit it's not perfect but a work in process. I am open for suggestions but keep in mind my goal is to include the average shooter who would never qualify on score alone but just his or her desire to make "the team" and get the hat would make for a memorable weekend.
Let's start with our name. PGCA. Parker Gun COLLECTORS Assn. Not Shooters Assn. Most of us are not collectors in the true sense of the word but we enjoy shooting and hunting with Parkers. There are only a handful of serious, master class shooters who shoot Parkers and they have tended to dominate the challenge events for years. I don't want to deny them that pleasure. This is only an attempt to level the playing field so to speak for the average member who enjoys shooting his favorite Parker but doesn't shoot thousands of registered targets a year.
We need to step back and realize that the challenge event is not associated with the NSSA and the original SxS events were just gathering of like minded individuals who want to shoot their Parkers, Foxes, Lefevers, etc., and have some friendly competition. They were meant for original guns, not tricked out race guns. I witnessed this past weekend a SxS which I could not identify with extended choke tubes. Really?? I've seen shooters change chokes while on the course. But I digress.
So the two factors in this equation are the handful of the top shooters, those who post scores in the forties, and the average shooter with scores that run the gamut from the teens to the thirties.
This new process of team selection will still offer the top guns that competitive arena. They will just have to bring their A game to make those top two spots on the team. This leaves three spots left for the average Parker shooter.
I don't why we can't work together to change the process to be more equitable to the average dues paying member. In the last two challenge events we have had a youth shooter and a female shooter who would have never made it under the old system. I also know of a shooter this past weekend who didn't want to be on the team but accepted the hat and shot lights out, way above his pay grade.
People don't like change. All I'm asking is for is to give this new process a chance because I'm determined to make it an event for the members who are just casual shooters to have a chance to represent their favorite manufacturer, be it Fox, Parker, Lefever, in the various challenge events. Come on, who doesn't get a kick out of having their picture posted under the challenge results showing them on the team?
