Prepared By Chuckaroo, SASS #13080 What it takes to develop a successful shooting club.
From the initial organization to management, recruitment and beyond. |
Ultimately, your success will be determined by your club members and
guest that come to your matches.
You are in the entertainment business and
you need to satisfy your members and customers with your production.
Every
match, no matter what size, is a production on some level.
If money in your clubs treasury is your
main motivation,
it will show and eventually effect your overall
success.
In the eyes of the shooter, success is
value for their entry
fee and it is measured on their FUN meter. Here,
perception becomes reality.
VOLUNTEERS
are the cornerstone of any successful
match. Without them, you are destined to fail or burn out
the few that you
do have. Whenever possible, volunteers should be recognized. That can be
done in a variety of ways.
Most volunteers will not look for recognition
but failure to give them thanks, should not be an
option.
NECESSITIES
Range, Insurance, Targets, Volunteers
and Shooters
Range
* Required permits for a shooting range
* Sufficient backstops and drop zones
* Parking for expected number of
participants
* Insurance (required for SASS
affiliation)
* Safety and emergency plans
* Ideally, separate berm areas are best.
* Liability release forms for participants
Include shooters information,
club liability statement, signature and E-mail address SAMPLE
WAIVER
Once a range has been
secured
*
Establish financial arrangements
with the host range (In writing)
Develop initial start up
cost
* Become SASS affiliated
* Advertise your shoots
SASS Chronicle Listing
Local Gun Stores
SASS Wire
E-Mail campaign
* Establish a club board or sufficient committees
to establish by laws, run a match, set schedule,
make decisions on club functions. (The size of the board is
relevant to the size of your club.
Not all offices need to be filled.)
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Safety Officer
Territorial Governor
Additional Positions
Web Master
Newsletter Editor
Communications
Host Club
Liaison
* Good Shoot On a Budget
Forward Movement using the same targets
for rifle and pistol
Household items for props
Clay birds, balloons for
targets
WHAT ELSE YOU WILL
NEED
* Targets, target bases
Rifle, pistol and shotgun (plus target
paint)
Can use
balloons, paper, clay birds, plate racks, dueling trees, bowling pins (not
for shotgun) flat steel etc.
* Gun Rests
Can use straw, tables, special
long gun rests.
* Props
Simple everyday items can make
excellent props. They also provide a place for the hands to be prior
to the
start of the stage.
Consider
yard tools as farm tools. Rakes, wheel barrel, shovels, pitchforks, spades,
saws, picks,
rope, buckets, lanterns and hammers
make great props and something that is readily available.
Additional
household items are equally attractive for props. Pots, pans, plates, barrels,
boxes,
straw bales, cards, poker chips,
dice, card table, chair, wash pan, musical instruments,
whiskey bottle, shotglass, dinner
bell, fake dynamite, money and money bags, saddlebags, coffeepot
and water bucket are all easy to
obtain and inexpensive.
As
your club grows, it can make or purchase additional props like, store fronts,
portable split
rail fence sections, saddle for
horse etc..
When
constructing a permanent store front, consider the safety of the building.
Also consider visibility
for the spotters and
RO.
Do
not use props that are real heavy, very sharp, will get in the way when dropped
or make the shooters
hands wet.
* Loading and unloading
tables
* Timers
* Scoring program and computer, scorecards, pens, clipboards
* Safety Plan
Prepare ahead of time for an emergency.
* Budget
Should include all projected income and
expenses.
Determine match entry fees. Generally somewhere from $5 to $15, can offer discounts to members.
Sources of
income
Match fees
50/50's
Special shoots
Side match events
Annual match
Charity events
Raffles
New Cowboy Shooter
clinic's
SASS RO Courses
Buy a bonus (Not allowed
at State Level and above shoots)
Sponsors
Local Gun Stores
etc.
* BE ORGANIZED
A Cowboy Match is a "Production."
It requires a lot of timing, organization and advanced planning.
Even a monthly match
requires a sufficient amount of work prior to the match. Successful matches
will have a strong leader for a Match Director. Their job is to keep things organized and to bring
the
different phases of putting on a match, together.
BE ORGANIZED! If you are not organized,
it will show. You will need a sufficient
number of volunteers
to prepare stages, set up events and handle the associated
paperwork and business responsibilities.
It is important to have dependable
people in key positions. This includes the match director, stage writer,
set up and tear down crew,
registration and scorekeepers and club help with trash, food and water.
Each of these tasks must be coordinated and on time.
Delays, at some positions, could throw the whole
match off schedule. Remember,
the perception of the shooter is reality, no matter how good
your
match really was.
THE MATCH ITSELF
*Registration
Have a location suitable to accept money,
make scoring cards and answer shooters questions.
"I believe every
shooter should be required to run registration at least twice in their lifetime.
This is
by far, one
of the toughest jobs in the match. During a short period of time, you have to
get waivers for
new shooters,
you must take money, posse friends up with each other, keep the posse sizes
equal,
respond to
some of the dumbest questions known to man, and do it all with a smile on your
face!"
"I want to shoot with a guy from work, I don't know his name, is he here yet?"
"Is my friend coming?"
"Is it going to rain?"
"This is my first time, do I need to do anything?"
"I have to shoot with Lefty, we are sharing ammo!"
Posses need a
minimum of 13 members to run smoothly and have enough people to cover all of the
work
assignments.
I use a chart
for our monthly matches that has increments of 13.
(1 = 13, 2 = 26,
3 = 39, 4 = 52, 5 = 65 and 6 = 78). I then number the shooters cards for about
how many
shooters I expect. That way I know how many shooters we have at any given time.
It really
helps with
posse building.
*Stages
Shooting stages is the primary reason that shooters come to a
match. Poor stage writing can
ruin the most well run match. Many shoots have obtained an unfavorable reputation
based on poorly
thought out stage design. Although it may not be your cup of tea, the big and close target set
ups are
the most popular. SEE STAGE WRITING
Have an experienced stage writer
prepare the stages or have someone go over the stages for final approval.
Stages should have a smooth flow, be equal in
length (as compared to the other stages), and they do
not cause a safety
problem for the shooter, posse workers
or the public.
Shooter expectation is different across
the country and sometimes within the same state.
You do need to customize your stages for the shooters you
want to attract.
That means communicating with your shooters and asking for
their input. Generally speaking, shooters
like movement but not a marathon, lines off of the clock, action like throwing
an object or
performing
a task but, before the buzzer, all four guns on every stage, no more than
4 to 6 shotgun,
an even number of shotgun rounds, targets closer rather than
farther away, big targets, reactive targets,
variety in shooting sequences,
the same sequence
for the rifle as the pistol, props that allow optional
long gun placement
for right and left hand shooters, sturdy long gun rests, level footing and easy to
understand
shooting sequences.
*Posse
Leaders
Have trained posse leaders that
are also good with people.
*Scoring
Results available at the match
and whenever possible, on the Internet soon after.
To speed things up, have a
runner take scores up to the scorekeeper half way through the last stage
of the day. This will result
in the scores being half done when the posses finish up the last stage.
*Vendors
Give vendors free space during monthly
matches. Visit other shoots and let the vendors know who you
are.
BEYOND THE BASICS OF A
MATCH
Besides the nuts an bolts of
a successful match are the intangible things that can make the difference
between a
good match and a great match.
* ATTITUDE
The friendly attitude of match
officials can go a long way with the shooters. Do not take criticism personally
but use it to improve your
match. Choose your match director, posse leaders and RO's carefully.
Remember that this is a fantasy game
we play for fun. When it comes down to making tough decisions,
follow the
rules and if necessary "Do
The Right Thing" to resolve an issue. Doing so will advance
the Cowboy
Way.
* SHOOTERS ALSO LIKE TO
HAVE
Besides the match itself,
shooters like good food, vendors, camping, side matches, scores available
on
the Internet, value for their money, ice
water on the stages when it is hot outside, trash cans,
brass pick up tools,
recognition to clean shooters, door prizes
(sorry we ever started it but some folks like them)
stage design on the Internet
prior to the match, club badges, social hour
after the match, specialty matches
on fifth weekends, ribbons or other monthly
match awards, porta potties,
awards (no matter how simple),
and lots of FUN.
* CULTIVATE NEW SHOOTERS
Establish a program, like a
"New Shooters Clinic" to get new shooters involved. Teach potential shooters
all
about Cowboy Action Shooting
from start to finish. Advertise your clinic at local gun ranges, gun stores,
gun
shows, the SASS wire, club website and at
local matches. This has proven to be very instrumental in
getting potential new
shooters beyond the line of comfort and taking the steps toward
participating in
the sport. CLINIC OUTLINE
* SOCIALIZING BEYOND THE SHOOTING
The all around club will
include social activities outside of their regular shooting matches.
Group
dinners, dances, trips and special events in
costume can generate a solid club atmosphere.
It also helps generate longtime
friendships that reach beyond the sport.