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the ugly truth to registered skeet and trap

5K views 45 replies 8 participants last post by  rockratt 
#1 · (Edited)
join in. go on the www and find some real costs to registered shooting out in the nation.
lets make this thread to cast light on just how good a deal it is to get free matches at the ftf shoot and hoots.
i'll start. this ones off the www. its in va. this summer. daily fees means you still must pay for your targets, (games.) say if its 8.00 a game...thats 32.00 more dollars on top of the purse cost.
the more the shooters, the higher the pay off.
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IWLL will host a ATA registered trapshoot Saturday June14. Targets $17 per 100 plus daily fees.
Handicap Mid -50 purse will top $1375, run traps 2& 3 and take home 1/2 the purse(ties divide).
Long Run purse on Handicap, $10 entry if we get 5+ entries the park will add $50 to purse.
10 participants in Handicap Lewis and we add $50.
Lunch available on the grounds.
HOA-$1 per adult entry to purse.
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#2 · (Edited)
32.00(i/e) 4 games
17.00 for 100 scored birds.(4 boxes)
10.00 for lewis option.
10.00 for high score on handicap line.
10.00 for handicap lewis.
1.00 hoa
48.00 6 practice games
=====
128.00 for the day. and thats just trap!

add food cost.
add ammo cost.






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so......at the ftf shoot, you get 250 birds for 50.00.
18.00 to 30.00 for clays.
total 65.00 to 80.00.
making sense now? watch as more chime in.
 
#3 · (Edited)
That and golf are too expensive for me. The high cost of shooting matches just make it too expensive when you figure in all of the costs.
 
#5 ·
A local shooting center charges $9 per 25 targets so that 250 birds is $90. For that, you get to pull/score your own, no one does anything for you. If you want instruction, it's $75 per hour for a minimally trained 'certified' instructor who has never 'been there, done that' - and that is for a BASIC shotgun beginning course. No advanced level stuff.
Is this starting to make the shoot 'n hoot look like a deal? It should.
 
#6 ·
oh...dont get me going on the current instruction craze going on out there!
people cant make money shooting competition, so they teach it. hey, ok...no problem....its a good thing, but no brain needed, just take the brains nra or nssa sells you and you teach what they designed.
so people get the same training no matter where they go! no personal inputs received. its too generic.


---------------
so....anyone find any more shoots coming up that can get posted here?
 
#7 · (Edited)
The Livermore-Pleasanton Rod & Gun Club in Livermore, CA is proud to host the ATA Western Zone Shoot July 17 to 20, 2014. This is the third, and last, of our "big shoots" of the year.

$2,300 added money
$713.50 in Perfect 50s
$500 added money to shooters' $1,000 to hit a 100-straight in handicap (club pays 50% for the 100-straight in a handicap event)
1,000 targets

$32/100 targets ($20 for juniors and sub-juniors not playing options)
$3 CGSTA daily fee + $3 ATA daily fee + $1.50/100 targets Western Zone fee
$359 to shoot all events

Thursday 7/17
Event 1: 100 Singles
Event 2: 100 Handicap
Event 3: 100 Handicap

Friday 7/18
Event 4: 50 pair Class Doubles
Event 5: 100 Class Day (Preliminary) Handicap
Event 6: 100 Class Singles

Saturday 7/19
Event 7: Western Zone Singles Championship--200 targets

$700 Added Money across 6 classes 50/30/20% High Gun​

Sunday 7/20
Event 8: Western Zone Doubles Championship--50 pair Doubles

$700 Added Money across 6 classes 50/30/20% High Gun​
Event 9: Western Zone Handicap Championship--100 targets

$900 Added Money across 3 yardage groups 50/30/20% High Gun​

Livermore Pleasanton-Rod & Gun Club
4000 Dagnino Road
Livermore, California
 
#9 ·
Plus 4-5 days stay in a hotel, meals, transportation to/from, lost wages for taking Thu/Fri off from work - that weekend would set you back $1500 or more. Chance of winning that much back - slim to none. 'Added Money" draws the big guys like ants to honey. They will be shooting off - or dividing - the 'added money'. The average guy is donating.
This is the main reason - but far from the ONLY reason - that I quit registered shooting. Joe Average has no chance at a shoot of any size, he is just the Cash Cow.
 
#10 ·
Well of course the average guy has no chance in a big match. The seasoned competitor knows the area. He is going to be eating home cooking and sleeping in a soft bed. Joe the Plumber is going to be sleeping at motel 6 and eating clown food.

It is the same way with any type of competition. Seasoned competitors are going to have every advantage.

If you don't break 100 straight in trap with a 20/28 ga quite often you have no business at a big match. It's not a rip off. You are throwing your money away trying to beat many shooters who consider your best match a joke.
 
#11 · (Edited)
rkb nailed it.
new comers are the cash cows.

purpose of this thread isnt to call matches a rip off. its designed to show people that the cost of attending these typical sanctioned matches is in some cases out of reach to most and odds of winning are slim.

that goes for any shooting event.
you have those that make a living doing it. and there are some that pick up the tab for those that make a living doing it.

the lure is...huge pay outs attract those that like to win. (over achievers, type a's,) and it takes a lot to want to travel 3000 miles for an event spending thousands of dollars doing it.

ok, for those that cant afford that level of competition on a national scale...you have your state or local events.

same lure is used though.... cash pay outs and the title of champ etc...

but the sport is hurting. memberships are down.

reason????

the cash cows got smart.

and now you know why i offer ftf shoots. you can get a taste of big buck shooting for a fraction the cost, and you wont get laughed off the range with your grandpa's gun.

with the cost of shooting on the rise....more creative ways are needed to keep people shooting. not scaring them away with entry fees in the 100's or in some cases...the thousands.

shooting is fun, but its not the nfl or mlb.

and there are enough old guns out there that can do the job...instead of the new italian race cars being imported as the best thing since puffed rice.
 
#12 · (Edited)
another point is...when clubs bite into the high dollar shooting industry....they need to maintain income or lose support. so managers desperately try to lure people to their shoot or get fired. they must cater and bend over backwards to demanding shooters....who grade shoots based on the last one they shot last week somewhere else.

the crabs were raw, the bbq wasnt tasty, parking was bad, machines broke, money purses were low, etc...

host clubs try so hard and still sometimes come up short. and its so big...no one knows you. they will remember your score before they will remember your name. or they will remember the car you drove in with.

everyone looked me up and down when i showed up at the world shoot with a 3200 remington with purbaugh tubes in a 28" gun. it wasnt vogue. but it got me a gold medal.

and with that experience, i promised id always remember humble beginnings and tip my hat and offer my knowledge to the beginner and person who is out of fashion. ive met a quality of people the big time operations have missed.

or should i say...ignored.
 
#13 ·
rkb nailed it.
new comers are the cash cows.

purpose of this thread isnt to call matches a rip off. its designed to show people that the cost of attending these typical sanctioned matches is in some cases out of reach to most and odds of winning are slim.

that goes for any shooting event.
you have those that make a living doing it. and there are some that pick up the tab for those that make a living doing it.

the lure is...huge pay outs attract those that like to win. (over achievers, type a's,) and it takes a lot to want to travel 3000 miles for an event spending thousands of dollars doing it.

ok, for those that cant afford that level of competition on a national scale...you have your state or local events.

same lure is used though.... cash pay outs and the title of champ etc...

but the sport is hurting. memberships are down.

reason????

the cash cows got smart.

and now you know why i offer ftf shoots. you can get a taste of big buck shooting for a fraction the cost, and you wont get laughed off the range with your grandpa's gun.

with the cost of shooting on the rise....more creative ways are needed to keep people shooting. not scaring them away with entry fees in the 100's or in some cases...the thousands.

shooting is fun, but its not the nfl or mlb.

and there are enough old guns out there that can do the job...instead of the new italian race cars being imported as the best thing since puffed rice.
Most people who do all that traveling have a sponsor or a benefactor. It is hard to keep a job when you are gone all summer shooting various matches. In the 80's I shot in a qualifying tournament for the US national team (skeet). The ones that could really stand up to the preparation, practice and travel had a team and big money behind them.

Most people are far better off and will have more fun putting up $20 each with some friends to have an informal match. No one gets hurt financially and you get better practice when there are a few shekels on the line.

I never started shooting really well until I started shooting for cash. I would imagine most people are the same way. You are going to quit giving it your all in inclement weather or when you get tired if you have no incentive to keep going.
 
#14 · (Edited)
and thats the problem. cash becomes the draw, not the desire to shoot well.
when cash is on the line, more people will use the rule book as a weapon and cheat to win.
like any sport....the focus becomes blurred.
i was ranked 57 in the world. it wasnt my goal to achieve that. it just happened as a result of practice and commitment shooting on the navy team. the result was i was given an invite to tryout for the olympics in 95-96.
if i was obbessed to be 56 or higher the next year...with no reason in mind other than to do it....the lure would have controlled me. instead, i controlled it...and retired, knowing id be too old to make the olympic team in 2000.

i never had a desire to (be someone.) whatever i became just happened. i had more fun and more serious shooting, representing the navy....rather than myself. whatever personal awards i won were bi-products, to the navy being 1st.
 
#15 ·
john.....you seriously got to come to one of our shoots. we can use your expertise. and besides, we want to offer you a chance to relax with us. granted carolina is hard to beat...but we got cows and tractors. so we aint 1/2 bad. :>
 
#16 ·
heres a quick 250 birds in one day............
when you shoot numbers like this, the extra cost for a well built gun starts to make sense...when 4,000.00 is on the line.
so all you guys that shoot 25 trap and 25 handicaps at my shoot...no complaining! :>


=============================


DOWNERS GROVE SPORTSMENS CLUB JULY 6TH JAY MARQUARD HANDICAP SHOOT NOW UP ON PRE-SQUAD

100 16 YARD TARGETS

100 HANDICAP TARGETS

50 PAIR DOUBLES (Will be shot concurrently with Singles & Handicap)

PERPETUAL PURSE OVER $4,000
 
#17 ·
and thats the problem. cash becomes the draw, not the desire to shoot well.
when cash is on the line, more people will use the rule book as a weapon and cheat to win.
like any sport....the focus becomes blurred.
i was ranked 57 in the world. it wasnt my goal to achieve that. it just happened as a result of practice and commitment shooting on the navy team. the result was i was given an invite to tryout for the olympics in 95-96.
if i was obbessed to be 56 or higher the next year...with no reason in mind other than to do it....the lure would have controlled me. instead, i controlled it...and retired, knowing id be too old to make the olympic team in 2000.

i never had a desire to (be someone.) whatever i became just happened. i had more fun and more serious shooting, representing the navy....rather than myself. whatever personal awards i won were bi-products, to the navy being 1st.
You can cull the ones that are not like minded. There are a zillion ways but the easiest way to cull them is tell them you are shooting a freeze out. After they get the cold shoulder a few times they won't ask anymore.

We shoot to have fun. We all are to old or banged up to get serious. If you have some guy saying that bird doesn't count your toe is on the line, it takes the fun out of it. Most of the people I shoot with the pot doesn't matter. They just threw out some money to get good competition.
 
#19 ·
heres a classic..........

Nora Ross is holding a 2 day Trap shooting clinic on July 5- 6 at Gateway Gun Club in Bridgeton MO.
only 2 spot left so if you are interested please call asap. day 1 singles- day 2 handicap and doubles
Mitch Hoffman 314-780-1328 or pm me for more info
cost $300 (shells and targets fees shooters responsibility)
 
#21 ·
I don't engage in registered Shoots, not because I don't want too, just the time commitment it takes be and stay active. I have shot clays for several years Trap, Sporting, 5-Stand, and some Skeet. I am an 80% Trap shooter, 65% Sporting and 5-Stand. Skeet, I haven't done it enough to have a good feel for my average. However, a couple years ago I wanted to try Skeet; and at our local club is a certified instructor. He is the, or one of the highest ranked certified in the state. He took me out for an hour (no charge, friends) and I will say - he really caught a bunch of my bad stuff. I think he would be $75/hr well spent. I am going to have him give me and my boys some schooling.

I have never really pressed him for advise because he is an instructor and I just wouldn't feel right asking without paying.

On the other hand there is an abundance who "think" they can teach and, are on about everyone, trying to "teach". I commend these guys, their intentions are good and their heart is in the right place, but sometimes these guys can do as much harm as good. I found that out during that "lesson". My friend corrected me and it really helped, but what he corrected was something someone "taught" me.

So, I think there are some out there who are not "world champions" but fully understand the mechanics and do have the skills to teach.
 
#23 ·
no offense taken.
as all know, i never toot my horn.
i am glad you realize that there is a difference between good shots and good teachers. sometimes the 2 merge. and when it does, its a bonus.
none of the ftf shooters have seen me perform for pay. if they did, id be a whole different person.
ftf shoots are just intro's. so if those that have been here can picture what they learned from just an intro....one should only imagine what theyd learn if i was hired.
one of the murphy's laws of teaching is......
"the one thing you knew that allows you to hit birds will be the one thing youre asked to change."
:>
so true!
 
#24 ·
Deg, you are fortunate. Most of the 'certified skeet instructors' that I have seen can give some fundamental instructions to new shooters - but nothing beyond that, and most can't correct learned bad behavior as yours did.
It is rare that a really good shooter has the teaching skills to pass his knowledge on to the Joe-average numbskulls (like me).
My biggest regret in my shooting 'career' is not getting some quality instructions. I might have been a competitor instead of a donator - but it sure was fun while it lasted.
 
#26 · (Edited)
which brings up a point....is it his knowledge, or was it learned knowledge?
i/e: if nssa holds a cert course, SOMEONE wrote that course. so....whoever wrote the course is who is teaching the course.
follow me?
and the rule of thumb these days is....pad the resume' and whoever gets the most awards and trophies gets the head nodd.
which boils down once again to.....great shooters arent always great teachers.
see the loop?

its like getting a drivers license. the dmv is for the most part pretty much the same wherever you go. so, everyone drives the same no matter what state youre in. skeet and trap has adopted this method of control for the game.
its their way or the highway.

so tell me...do baseball or basketball teams train like that?
no.
each team is unique. each coach is unique.
and this is my purpose in life.
skeet should be unique to the person, not to an organization.
people should be competing against people, not instruction methods against instruction methods.
whats happened to the sport is you have little benders all shooting against little shimas or ash'es in skeet.
and you got level 1/2/3 instructors all teaching the same criteria nationwide. theres nothing unique.
anyone following me?
and to deviate from that format would mean losing a qualification. so people teach what is taught them or lose the ticket.
its like making cheery pies all tasting the same.
some may say, whats the problem with that?
well...just look at the sport. at the world shoot, how many ties for 1st place with 100 straights are there?
how many of those people are all the same cherry pies..i mean shooters?
and they are all baked in the same oven with the same ingredients.

does anyone have any idea how many different ways there is to shoot?
you dont see that anymore because the lure to win at any cost has clouded the sport. so...in a sense, you have a handful of people steering the boat and putting all the same gun, same length bbl, same brand gun, same glasses, same pouches, same calls, same stances, same everything into every shooter, to a point that if someone outside this fabricated loop shows up...they are treated like outsiders and frowned upon....as 'not one of the guys.'
ive seen it.
 
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