Why is the attendance at SxS events down?

[John Liles]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

This is an interesting thread from my perspective of running Parker's part of the Spring Southern.

For the Fall Southern, we take the top 5 shooters and then the top youth shooter, lady shooter, senior shooter, super senior shooter and then a random shooter from those in the qualifying round

I hear ya Mills, as the same guy for the LC Smith team in the Fall. I've been associated with the Southern SXS events since I picked up my first shotgun of any flavor about ten years ago. Maybe I've not been paying attention, (not very likely) but I've never seen many of this threads posters at a single one of these shoots since I've been going. As for the same guns from the same folks for displays at the Southern, I've been tasked with that very thing for the last several years, and while it might not be fashionable for those of the one ilk to peruse the display of the other ilk, if they had they'd see that for at least the last couple of years(and for the foreseeable future if I have my way) we're showing average members guns with other than average characteristics. Hell, our shining star last spring was a beat-up, low grade Market Hunters gun complete with pictures of the original owner and the gun in front of rafts of hanging ducks waiting for rail transport to market. Included with the gun was also a picture of the current owner, (grand child if I recall correctly) in a darn diaper, sitting on the floor with the gun in the foreground. Pretty darn cool in my way of seeing things and pretty far removed from the dynamic pitched earlier in this thread.
The way I see things, feel good, everybody gets a trophy, the hell with scores, is great for those who don't spend the time to get good enough to be competitive, or whose skill level in their mind is directly tied to their ability to write a check for a gun that most could never afford.
I'll shut up in just a second.
Some folks are primarily collectors, and some folks are primarily shooters. Some folks are primarily BOTH.
Those that primarily collect, will always be happy to just show off their guns, and curse the wind, target setter, or solar anomaly that caused them to miss entirely too many targets today.
The primarily shooter contingent will always take these competitions too seriously, and dream all year of beating those rapscallions that bested them the last time out. (count me in on this category!)
Those that collect and shoot, and I'll not mention any names from either Team Parker or Team Smith, are the ones that love the guns, shoot for score, and look forward to the next outing whether they won or lost the last outing.
Sorry, as I know that I've pissed some folks off with my thoughts, and if I get banished...oh well.
Hope to see the rest of Team Parker at either the Fall Southern in a couple of weeks, or in Sanford in the Spring.
John

[B. Dudley]

^^ that is interesting ^^

[MarketHunter]

Yes it is.

Sadly it's in the fall when my time is spent shooting birds made from flesh rather than clay.

[Bruce Day]

If you guys are concerned about team line up being too restrictive, why not do a drawing of participants to create the make shooting team?

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

If you guys are concerned about team line up being too restrictive, why not do a drawing of participants to create the make shooting team?

Bruce, that has been brought up before, along with doing a Lewis class with a couple of shooters from each group plus a teenager shooter and that was turned down too. So the shooters that want to shoot for fun (as we know we won't make the squad) shoot at Drakes Landing and then we come back on Sat to watch the competition. We have a great time like we use to at the very earlier challenges when it was just for fun,( now it's not in my opinion, but that's me) so it is what it is.

[C grade]

When we set up the Fall Southern we wanted it to be fun, not a repeat of the spring"top gun" guys. Initially The Elsie shooters were very upset at the squading but after the first year really liked it.(even though Parker won!) We made it fun! I suggested we start modifying the spring event and that went nowhere. I made the Parker Team in 2015 but did not even try in 2016-not fun. Life is not all about winning JMHO
David
David

[C grade]

This is a timely and informative post for me. I will move to Johnson City TN sometime soon. There is not a sporting clays venue near there so my wife suggested I start one. Not sure that is a great idea after reading all these posts.
David

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by David Dwyer

This is a timely and informative post for me. I will move to Johnson City TN sometime soon. There is not a sporting clays venue near there so my wife suggested I start one. Not sure that is a great idea after reading all these posts.
David

there is a difference between a venue - shooting facility/club

and a specialty shoot at a club which is what i see as the topic here

[Dean Romig]

Go for it David. You can always file Chapter 11 if it doesn't work out. Look at the Donald - he did it and he doesn't seem to be hurting......






.

[Mills]

We'll come shoot your course. I bet you could make a great one in the mountains up there