Gun clubs hosting your high school trap teams?

Our club is the home of a youth shooting team. While we encourage all youth shooting we are having an issue that I would like to survey other clubs to see if it can help.

The trap team uses the club for practice and they shoot a lot of targets. We let them buy there rounds at cost. They have free reign of the club two months prior to our league shooters starting. They can use the club house, garage, kitchen etc. The only thing the club asks in return is to keep it clean and stock the trap houses. Now they do have an overlap in early spring where the league shooters will start shooting and the club gets free help to keep trap houses full of targets in the Spring only.

We are in need of trap help. We traditionally hire kids from the trap team and yes pay them..not a volunteer thing. But it seems the latest generations of kids do NOT want to work. They would rather just shoot and go home.

We are trying one more ditch effort to STRONGLY encourage kids to sign up to work and get paid and if that does not work we will have to explorer other options.

How does your club work with your local youth trap teams?

 

Meet with the coach or person in charge of the youth program. Lay down the law. Clearly state your expectations in return for the bargain you are providing. If those expectations are not met, it's time to charge the public rate.

This is not a problem with the kids; this is a problem with the push-over running the youth program.

 

It your club you can negotiate any deal you like.

I am not sure you want kids working at the club who don't want to be there.

Its good they pitch in while using the facility.

 

One issue is we have board members wearing two hats. Three of our board members are coaches. Makes it tough but we need to find a fair solution to our problem.

 

Those that don't work don't get birds at cost.

Nothing in this world is free, and it's good for the kids (and their parents) to realise that.

 

As the head coach of our team, I have had little trouble in getting the team to help.....I have got the parents to believe that the kids should help pay their way. BUT its only 10 of 26 kids that are willing to help, this includes all event our club hosts.

 

Discounts only for those who contribute there time.
Discounts should be based on how much time contributed.

You can offer part time work to the ones that do a good job.

 

Himark
Whatever your club decides to do, kudos for supporting youth shooting.

It sounds like your club has lots.

 

If I understand you correctly, you are looking for help outside their season, after this overlap period where they do already help.

It is very possible that many of these kids already have jobs that would conflict with your needs.

Sounds like your otherwise happy with the relationship between the team and the club. It's just that you can't get any of the team to come to work for you. Simple answer, just hire someone else. I don't see the big deal. Like someone else stated above. If they don't want to be there, you don't want them there.

If you want more in return for the support you give the team, talk to the coaches before the season starts and lay out the expectations. Of course, you've already stated that three of the coaches are club board members. If they're not on board, then good luck.

The club where our HS team shoots allows the team to shoot at member rates vs non member rates. No expectations from the club.

 

Iowa Guy,
Do you provide trap help for those times they are using the club for practice? Loaders and scorers?

 

yes. We have a small one trap club. We coaches are members and have the ability to open the club for shooting. The kids load the trap and keep score during our practices and team shoots. Most of them never set foot on the club property other than for team events. It's really too bad that they don't. We have some kids that could be really good, but outside of our once per week practices they don't shoot. When the season is over in June they go on to other things.

We warn them....if it's got tits or a motor it's nothing but expense and heartache in your future. They just don't listen.

 

So the kids that shoot are your trap help and loaders. They are not provided by the club? just want to be sure we are on the same page.

 

Yes. When we practice or host a shoot we are complete self sufficient.

 

Iowa guy, Sounds like we are similar to Your club, Although we are really big dogs, We have 2 traps! Have some guys that run a really great larger 4-H kids shooting club. Trap and rim fire rifle/pistol. Recently, starting another very small team of FFA kids. I'm helping them get going at our club. My hat is off to all people that donate their time, shells, targets etc. to youth shooting programs, as it is a lot of work. Poorest paying job I've ever had, but the rewards are substantial. Wish they could get the youth shooting to take off out west here, like they have in the Midwest. Schools pretty anti-gun here. Good luck.

 

What is your "fair" solution? Are they supporting themselves or are you "subsidizing" the trap team (ie. losing money on them? Giving them more than your members?) If you think they should be treated like members, do you treat them like members? Do you provide pullers and scorers and load the traps for them? Do they only practice when the club is open or do they practice and use the club when it is not "open"? Do any of them shoot at the club outside of the trap team activities, are they supporting the club outside of the trap team activities? Do any of the family members support the club? Would they be supporting the club if there was no trap team? Maybe the club is benefiting more than you realize? Are they contributing to the club in other ways? Don't know your situation but maybe, just maybe, the club is getting more out of these kids and their families than you are giving them credit for? Maybe not? How do the other board members feel? Not the ones that are coaching the trap team, I assume there are other board members with an opinion?

 

Sorry, After re reading your post I see they are using the club when you are not open! Disregard that part of my post.

 

You've decided to sell the kids targets at cost. Good for you.
That does not obligate them to become your employees.

It would be NICE if they did.....


What you have at this point is the kids are getting free targets (the parents are paying for the targets) and don't have to work, either for pay or for no pay. You aren't going to change the attitudes any time soon. I'd say find your paid help elsewhere, with people who WANT to work.

 

At one time our club had a youth team that shot for our club at the Grand in the youth team competition. We let them practice at our club at no cost to them, supplying targets and shells. When at the Grand a parent or guardian was supposed to be in charge of the kids but it got so that only the coaches were there to supervise them when not shooting, sometimes supplying money to the kids out of their own pocket. This led to the the club to discontinue the program. During this time the kids were never asked to work at the club and non ever did nor were the parents asked for any funds. No member of the club objected to this program but could not expect the coaches to be totally responsible for the kids while at the Grand.

 

I think your heart is in the right place but your head isn't. I don't think your club or any club for that matter can afford to give, give and give some more with out getting something back in return. It is part of the Hand Out part of our current society. I have seen several youth programs that were very successful where the youth and parents gave back to the club some way, most of the time working practices or registered shoots. You are trying to help them and they expect free. What happens when they age out of the program, you don't see them or their parents any more, money loser for you.

You have to Give to Get. Cost to play differentiates between the freeloader and the really interested. Give the kid a way to pay the cost by working and should have a really interested kid.

Good luck but you are a lot like a little league coach, an unpaid babysitter.

lefty

 

THAT unpaid babysitter situation was exactly what we ended up with in one of my old clubs. Kids were asked to help serve Sunday morning breakfasts at our summer Sunday Breakfast shoots. 3 kids from one fmily did all of the serving, the rest showed up just in time for the every other week Youth Shoot.

"Free everything", and the parents would not even stay for the two hours to watch the kids shoot (or help out). It got so bad we were asked to come get Johnny or Jimmy, and drop them off afterwards...BUT NOT before it's time for them to shoot !

Needless to say, after a few years, we (the club) got sick of this, and abandoned the Youth Shooting portion of our Sunday breakfasts...You should have heard the parents howl...BUT ask for some help ???

" Johnny can't be there for any of that, 8 AM is too early on a Sunday morning, but he can come shoot at noon."

Can't work, can't shoot ! (for free)

 

;


I notice in your post, "The only thing we ask in return is to keep it clean and stock the trap houses". Are you changing your requirements? Sounds like you are telling them that in the past, this is what was required, but now you want to add to the requirements. If you were required to do "x" number hours of work at the club to keep your membership and you agreed, then after you "bought" said membership, the club said "we are adding an additional required hours of work, would that be fine with you? And again I ask, are they "costing" the club money? Are there other members that are being asked to give of their time or they will have to pay more for their use of the club? If so, then yes, they should be required to contribute their fair share as would any member, but if not, why should they be required to do anything you don't require your other members to?

 

Other than targets at cost for the kids, are they paying memberships to club? Or any other perks members don't get?

 

If they sign up for the trap team they are required to pay a membership. That membership is paid to the trap team and the gun club gives the kids a membership and gets no money in return. They also shoot for less than any other member pays. Asked above was why the requirements have "changed"....they have not. BUT, in the past the kids would flourish in our trap help rosters to help the regular leagues and get paid for it. Lately its been a slow ride to almost no one signing up to work. SO, in the past it went without saying but apparently it has to be said now.

Just an update, I went to the first meeting and pleaded for some help. We now have 6 kids signed up! Just a heads up all of those 6 are new kids and most of the regulars still are not signing up. This is a indication of if we were doing OUR job of relaying the need better we would of got better attendance. JMO.

 

I am a member of a few clubs that host school teams.
Club #1 is a school that is coached by a non-shooter and a rifle shooter. There is little to no crossover into regular league activities. There coach complains about calling losses and reading scores after each station, says it hurts kids egos that others know there scores.
Club #2 is a ATA member and they do have a fair crossover of youth into club activities such as scoring and filling houses along with shooting on league teams. Coach is a trap shooter and teaches kids to be all around sportsmen not just "shooters".
Club #3 is coached by ATA shooters and has a good crossover to league shoots and work along with adults in day to day activities.
In short I think that its the coaches that make the difference. In this day and age where kids are not exposed to shooting its the adults that need to reach out to clubs and make it a mutually beneficial partnership.

 

It seems like coach #1 in the above does not understand the rules required to call the scores before moving stations or is one of those people who feel everyone should get a trophy just for showing up regardless of the score or effort. In my view this does not help to educate the youth of today into the requirements of the world in which we live, everything has a price. Flame on!

 

Like i said... rifle shooter, wait till end of round to get results.
he also teaches kids to turn left on pad 5...
Right into 4th pad...
his kids are good kids just need better safty training and coaching in proper etiquette.