Decided not to hijack any other threads with this.
Every now and again I get involved with discussions concerning the increasing age and declining numbers of those actively participating in the shooting sports. Typically this involves those forms of competition with higher equipment costs and requiring a lot of experience. Which by definition excludes the typical begining shooter.
Usually in those discussions, some self proclaimed guru will make a statement along the lines of "You can't win with anything but top of the line custom and very expensive equipment, and if you aren't in it to win you shouldn't even be shooting in said competition." Of course this sort of statement usually makes my head want to explode because it's about as counterproductive as it gets since a typical new shooter will read this to mean that they shouldn't compete in any discipline unless he has equipment to equal that of the pinheaded twits making such statements.
With pretty much any new shooter, the immediate goal is to put lots of rounds down range and have fun doing so. The typical precision match won't suit that goal because the typical precision match is about as much fun to watch as grass growing. Some old fart agonizing over a field of funny looking wind flags wondering how to call the next shot. It's worse if it's same old fart that made the equipment snob sounding proclamations earlier.
And yes, in pretty much any precision match, off the rack equipment will not win or even place well. So what to do.
In recent years, tactical style matches have been growing in popularity. One reason is any decent off the shelf rifle can ring steel out to 500 yards easily, the results are immediately recognizable to the shooter and those spectating, and the round count (read fun and excitement) tends to be much higher. Scoring by time to successfully engage all targets is the simplest way to determine standings. The same course of fire can by shot several times by each shooter, and the course can be reconfigured several times during the match (using the new guys as convenient labor) to mix things up. Take a page from Speed Steel here on courses of fire, increasing range for rifle rather than pistol.
If the range will onlly support 100 or 200 yards, then turn it into a rimfire match with reduced size targets. Just keep in mind that one of the primary considerations is the new shooter puts a satisfying number of rounds down range. Ultimate accuracy should not be a consideration for such matches.
Do NOT allow it to turn into an equipment race, which is the kiss of death for attracting significant numbers of new shooters. One thing younger shooters do not have is a lot of discretionary income, especially if supporting a young family. And a young spouse is not likely to look kindly on large financial expenditures (in terms of percentage of income) to support shooting.
Speaking of spouses, if the new shooter does drag the spouse with them, a range more attractive than the traditional garbage dump is a plus. If the range doeesn't have permanent structure for a "lounge area", a couple of sun tents and comfortable camp chairs might go a long way towards a good first impression. So would some sort of "facilities" and if that is only a porta-potty make sure it's been serviced before the match. Rusty old 55 gallon barrels full of bullet holes might be functional for garbage cans, but a little paint makes them less ugly to the non shooting observers.
Once you get new shooters out a few times they may stick, but you need to cater to their expectations of what they consider satisfying, NOT YOURS. You are selling the sport as a whole, not just your discipline. It's like selling cars. The average first time buyer can afford a Mazda 3, not a Ferrari. Sell them on what they can afford and will enjoy. The rest will come later.
Keep in mind, if it's not an interesting and enjoyable experience, they won't be back.
Every now and again I get involved with discussions concerning the increasing age and declining numbers of those actively participating in the shooting sports. Typically this involves those forms of competition with higher equipment costs and requiring a lot of experience. Which by definition excludes the typical begining shooter.
Usually in those discussions, some self proclaimed guru will make a statement along the lines of "You can't win with anything but top of the line custom and very expensive equipment, and if you aren't in it to win you shouldn't even be shooting in said competition." Of course this sort of statement usually makes my head want to explode because it's about as counterproductive as it gets since a typical new shooter will read this to mean that they shouldn't compete in any discipline unless he has equipment to equal that of the pinheaded twits making such statements.
With pretty much any new shooter, the immediate goal is to put lots of rounds down range and have fun doing so. The typical precision match won't suit that goal because the typical precision match is about as much fun to watch as grass growing. Some old fart agonizing over a field of funny looking wind flags wondering how to call the next shot. It's worse if it's same old fart that made the equipment snob sounding proclamations earlier.
And yes, in pretty much any precision match, off the rack equipment will not win or even place well. So what to do.
In recent years, tactical style matches have been growing in popularity. One reason is any decent off the shelf rifle can ring steel out to 500 yards easily, the results are immediately recognizable to the shooter and those spectating, and the round count (read fun and excitement) tends to be much higher. Scoring by time to successfully engage all targets is the simplest way to determine standings. The same course of fire can by shot several times by each shooter, and the course can be reconfigured several times during the match (using the new guys as convenient labor) to mix things up. Take a page from Speed Steel here on courses of fire, increasing range for rifle rather than pistol.
If the range will onlly support 100 or 200 yards, then turn it into a rimfire match with reduced size targets. Just keep in mind that one of the primary considerations is the new shooter puts a satisfying number of rounds down range. Ultimate accuracy should not be a consideration for such matches.
Do NOT allow it to turn into an equipment race, which is the kiss of death for attracting significant numbers of new shooters. One thing younger shooters do not have is a lot of discretionary income, especially if supporting a young family. And a young spouse is not likely to look kindly on large financial expenditures (in terms of percentage of income) to support shooting.
Speaking of spouses, if the new shooter does drag the spouse with them, a range more attractive than the traditional garbage dump is a plus. If the range doeesn't have permanent structure for a "lounge area", a couple of sun tents and comfortable camp chairs might go a long way towards a good first impression. So would some sort of "facilities" and if that is only a porta-potty make sure it's been serviced before the match. Rusty old 55 gallon barrels full of bullet holes might be functional for garbage cans, but a little paint makes them less ugly to the non shooting observers.
Once you get new shooters out a few times they may stick, but you need to cater to their expectations of what they consider satisfying, NOT YOURS. You are selling the sport as a whole, not just your discipline. It's like selling cars. The average first time buyer can afford a Mazda 3, not a Ferrari. Sell them on what they can afford and will enjoy. The rest will come later.
Keep in mind, if it's not an interesting and enjoyable experience, they won't be back.
