Expensive trapguns not for trinkets in bad weather

If you notice the trinket and point shooters don't shoot in the bad weather. Put some money out there like before the handicap system was destroyed. Like the Vandalia days! The two yard reductions by Kiner and his pals and the easy targets (Neil) are the big problems. jmho

NO SUN - NO SHOOTERS

 

Who put the money out there in those good old days?

 

I'll tell you exactly who put out that prize money-it was us. We did it while shooting 870's 1100's and Model 12's. We didn't parade around with $15,000 shotguns while staying in $250,000 motor homes. We weren't afraid to plunk down a $50 bill knowing we might just win enough in handicap options to pay for next weeks' shooting expenses-sometimes much more. I guess you could say those old timers had something todays' shooters lack-guts!

 

Over $14k in Lewis Option for one event. Someone is still paying.

EVENT # 14 - HANDICAP LEWIS OPTION 587 ENTRIES = $14675.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 97 1 $2445.75 96 1 $1467.50 95 1 $ 978.25 85 29 $ 84.25 84 31 $ 47.25 83 42 $ 23.25 79 34 $ 72.00 78 17 $ 86.25 77 29 $ 33.75 EVENT # 14 - HANDICAP 25 OPEN OPTION 229 ENTRIES = $4580.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 1ST ----------------- 25 5 $ 229.00 2ND ----------------- 25 6 $ 190.75 3RD ----------------- 25 8 $ 143.00 4TH ----------------- 25 7 $ 163.50 EVENT # 14 - HANDICAP 50 OPEN OPTION 197 ENTRIES = $5910.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 1ST ----------------- 49 1 $ 985.00 48 7 $ 84.50 47 10 $ 39.50 2ND ----------------- 49 1 $ 985.00 48 3 $ 197.00 47 13 $ 30.25 3RD ----------------- 50 1 $ 985.00 49 1 $ 591.00 48 5 $ 78.75 EVENT # 14 - HANDICAP JACKPOT PURSE 81 ENTRIES = $4050.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 97 1 $1620.00 94 3 $ 405.00 93 4 $ 202.50 92 2 $ 202.50 EVENT # 14 - HANDICAP GREAT EASTERN PURSE 278 ENTRIES = $8340.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 97 1 $2085.00 96 1 $1251.00 95 1 $ 834.00 94 3 $ 695.00 93 7 $ 178.75 92 9 $ 92.75 EVENT # 4 - EVENT # 14 HIGH OVER ALL LEWIS 59 ENTRIES = $885.00 SCORE WINNERS PAID 1172 1 $ 106.25 1169 1 $ 70.75 1141 2 $ 53.00 1140 1 $ 70.75 1111 3 $ 35.50 1109 1 $ 70.75 1099 1 $ 106.25 1095 1 $ 70.75 1044 1 $ 106.25 1043 1 $ 70.75

 

Your numbers are about 1 tenth what they were in the late 80's and early 90's at a Vandalia Grand. If you would have won a handicap with a lone score you would have won about 30,000 dollars. I know because I did in 1989. A lone 50 would have paid about 5K, I saw it

In 1978 I broke a 200 in the Clay Target and won the shoot off. I got about 1500 dollars. Add inflation over 40 years to that figure to imagine what that would be in 2017 money. In 1975 I bought a new ford pickup for 6000 bucks. The only money in trap shooting today is in the camp ground.

When you won a trophy at the grand it was sterling silver. You would win 40 pieces of Stieff silver ware in a nice wooden box for one of the main events, and fewer pieces for 2nd, third, ect. For preliminary events a carving set or something like that, no aa points, no ribbons. Just cash and silver. Out west at shoots like the golden west grand it was gold coins and silver belt buckles and sometimes cars and once again no aa points. Even more telling is that in 1978 the Clay Target had over 2500 shooters and the Budweiser Handicap over 4000.

It hasn't been just one thing that ruined money shooting but dumb ass decisions from EC members and better ideas like the 2 free yards off twice. Easy targets are the real killer in this, throw in voice pulls so you seldom get a bad pull and letting everyone reset the traps to how they like it and you got Trap Shooting Today. Just Lovely. Brad

 

Since event 14 this year is Doubles I'm sure you meant event 13-Handicap.

That breaks down to 47% played the Lewis

18% played the 25's

16% played the 50's

6% played purse #1

22% played purse #2

4% played the HOA Lewis

Pretty pitiful I'd say and a preponderance of trinket shooters obviously attend the grand!

 

Nope "Dawg", Columbus's numbers are from the Ohio State Handicap Championship. And that is with roughly 64% of entries playing the lewis which is unusually high. Of the posted handicap events for this years Grand (2,5,8 &11) the average Class #1 lewis payout has been $988. Average entries playing the lewis about 46%. Denis Bringleson won event # 8 with the lone 100 and played all the options. His total payout was $6,735.50. Even with today's depressed attendance numbers that's a pitful payout.

 

64% is unusually high as 50% players in the old days was the standard!

 

It's $6,735.50 more tha ofn he had when he started!

Let me guess 10Guns, if you'd have hit that payout you would have turned it down
because it wasn't as big as it used to be?
Lot's of things aren't as big as they used to be. LOL!
I doubt it.

 

Someday "Win101" you will grow up and understand ..... after you spend 15k for a shotgun, 50k for a truck, 40k for a camper, thousands for shells and entry fees, and spend days away from home ..... you are FAR FROM being happy with "$6,735.50", when you could be about 100k "better off" staying home .....

 

Great comment, User 1! Could it be that the low participation percentages in options shown above reflect that the vast numbers of recreational Trapshooters have figured out your very well-stated insight? Have they concluded that the odds of winning anything in these shoots as compared to the expenses involved make it a losing expenditure of their disposable funds other than enjoying the event? Perhaps many are content to play the small "lucky number" Lewis option. For too many, the realization that competitive shooting is just "registered practice" and playing options without the ability to consistently shoot perfect (or almost perfect) scores is simply a waste of hard earned money. So, regardless of where the competition is held (Illinois or Ohio or ???) the same potential for enjoyment (or winning anything) other than the fun and expense of participating is still present. Flame Away, but Regards, Ed

 

Win 101,
Would I have turned down the $6.7K+ payout? Nope and would have been happier than a pig in s$#t to get it. Several years ago I missed the last target for a 99 and watched about $5K float away. Why I stated that the payout was "pitiful" is simply that the Grand American is supposedly the showcase tournament for trapshooting. It has always been billed as the largest shooting tournament of its kind in the world. Yet today probably less than 10% of the ATA membership will attend. And, of those attending 55%+ will not play any option monies. Is this truly a representative competition of a trapshooting tournament at its highest level? For many of us who attended tournaments in Vegas, Reno, Linn Creek and Vandalia to name a few I would say no. It is depressing to say the least to see what the Grand has become. I am not a Sparta basher but I have been around the game for 45+ years and agree with Dysinger and others that until we get a proactive leadership to change the direction of the current ATA the sport and in particular tournament shooting will continue to delcline.

 

Not a great comment User1. The payouts aren't as big because not as many play them. That's just it! Why I don't know. Maybe we are hitting older and don't care as much? All I know is it's not like the past but you can't live in the past! JMO.

 

I can tell you what an affluent adult, with enough ability to "win" an event has figured out ..... You now have a "shooting partner", called the "IRS" .....

You spend years and untold thousands "improving your game", spend hundreds for "entry fees and shells", and the "IRS" is at the "pay window" to collect their half .....

I am sure a well traveled, always in the money, opinionated "shooter" like "Win101" knows this ..... reducing a "$6,735.50" check to about half .....

Yea ..... "the good old days" ..... much more than a location ..... it was a destination full of money, fun, and the "Weekend Warrior" .....