MANAGEMENT - How do the rest do it?

Knowing just enough to get my butt in trouble how does the management setup of the ATA compare with the other shooting sports. Do they have dedicated management with long term planning in place run by capable management or do they have five guys shooting from the hip for awile and then gone. It would seem our style of leadership breeds complications. The old buddy network with no effort to find knowledge leaders. Most capable leaders wouldn't get involved so not sure how we have anything but a bumpy road ahead.

 

The separation between the figure heads (EC and BOD) and the membership is getting wider all the time ... The EC has its own agenda, and the Bod gives them the okay to go ahead with it by vote ... The problems started long before the move from Vandalia as been verified by the numbers in attendance dropping off even before the relocation ... Those elected (BOD) are supposed to be the mouth piece of and for the members, not to rubber stamp anything and everything the EC does ... Its obvious by some of the existing problems that little or no thought was put into establishing a future for the ATA, the Grand American, and its membership ... The ATA made a move in desparation rather than step back and evaluate the situation they were faced with regarding the Grand location and possible problems in the future ... Now, the ATA is at the Mercy of the elected officials of the State of Illinois and eventually the voters who force the issues in the future ... Its only a matter of time until something has to and is going to happen that will eliminate the funding to the WSRC ... The ATA has a lease and an extention of same, time will tell if the State is obligated to honor its agreement and continue losing tax payers dollars in doing so ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

The Skeet, and Sporting Clays Organizations are not located in the middle of no place with little or no accomidations and infrastruture near or close by ... People said "build it and they will come" some talked about camping in tents like those people of many years ago did and peeing in and on the bushes, others said that in 10 years the area in and around the (Sparta) Grand will be built up just like the area in Vandalia, was after so many years ... NONE of this has become a reality and besides that its costing the State of Illinois a bunch of tax payers dollars to support a facility that the membership itself will not support by attending and spending their hard earned money in the cirrounding area ... YEARLY, Millions of dollars was the claim and over 100,000 attendees was also stated during the preliminary planning stages of the WSRC ... They have not had that many attendees in the total 10 years of its existance, but who's counting ...? Paint a picture, see who's stupid enough to buy it and in the end pay for it ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

As I stated on a previous thread it appears that both parties in this transaction (the move by the ATA to Illinois) sold each other a "BILL of GOODS" to the benefit of nobody. It appears that the State of Illinois has and are loosing a lot of money on this site and the ATA and membership are loosing a great shooting facility. Both sides have lost. Without a "PLAN B" including negotiations we are all presently in the dark.

 

Any ATA trap shooter that has been around for the last 10 - 11 years and is surprised by what is happening today with Sparta hasn't been paying attention. As WPT rightly points out, none, of the claims made by the build it in Sparta and they will come group have been correct. I can't blame the new ATA shooters who don't know any better, but I won't give a free pass to the old shooters that either didn't care or were too short sighted to see what was happening.


Why would anyone in business want to buy a place that has steadily declined each year they've been there. It doesn't matter how cheap you buy something, pennies on the dollar, if it looses money every year.

For years I've warned this day was coming, if not September 1st 2015 then soon. Math doesn't lie. BD