Honestly, What Would It Really Take?

The idea of another shooting association has been discussed and kicked around for awhile but in the real world, what would it take? Startup materials consisting of what? Costing what? Record keeping ability costing how much? Dedicated individuals to get things off the ground. Finally generating interest. Not looking for a bashing contest just realistically what would a group need to do to achieve the goal. Thoughts?

 

Come up with potential games, options, rules and such, the rest will fall into place. Start small, say for example "TriState Trapshooters Association" consisting of Ohio, Michigan and Pennslyvania. Go for the extreme angles, purses, classes and simple tight rules you discuss here so many times. Set your delegate numbers based on shooter pop as mentioned for tighter control you often pine for.


If you truly offer a desirable game so often referred to, numbers will grow, people will join and expansion will come. Might have change the name of the organization a few times.

 

Azcotrap, I think you are on the right track. I would start with record keeping, simple rules, and no membership fees. I'd just charge a daily fee so shooters could rotate in and out and not have to worry about being paid up year after year. Once you're a member you're always a member like political parties operate. This would also have the benefit of always having a growing membership to beat the news media over the head with. Statements like fastest growing shotgunning association come to mind. Then it's important to keep the sign up and shooting system simple.

I believe we would need to rethink the 200 bird events strategy and of course all the other mistakes made with targets, categories, AA points. It would be great to not promote a place but a sport, let the local and state clubs run the shoots with as few rules as needed. I've given this lots of thought over the years and this is just a quick internet reply. I hope it happens. Brad

 

So, who, when, where? Is there someone out there interested in getting the ball rolling? A little nudge might help see if it can be done. I would support it but my shooting is not what it used to be or as often. I do think it needs a chance. PITA is an organization I've never shot with but my friends involved with PITA seem very happy with it. I think there's always room for something new if it's done right. Would those on double secret probation be allowed in or would they have to obtain permission from the all knowing? Just thought about a solution, Merlo for President. It would get him out of Sparta and he could start wearing men's clothing once again.

 

You need someone who would know what they are doing, an intelligent Midwesterner to get the ball rolling, which leaves out Family Guy, WPT, and Ollieoleodog (they are all the same person anyway). You need a positive attitude type guy to promote it. We all ready have the PITA out West here, but they almost mirror ATA which tells you that you need to stay different.i would support it too, but live West of the Mississippi and do not have a passport or my shots to enter the Rust Belt area.

 

I think a lot of people would support another shooting association, got to believe it could be quite an undertaking just to get it started but no doubt it could be done ... I used to join clubs that I knew I was never going to see or shoot at just as a way to help support them financially a little bit ... I used to buy Life Memberships to our State Association every years for them to give out any way they saw fit at some of the shoots, not a big deal but a little something ... The changes that came about in the State Association curtailed that for me once the people who had it moving in a progressive manner left or got voted out ... I sincerely wish the PITA folks would expand here in the southwest, might give a lot of people a reason to get back and start shooting again ... Its hard to support an Organization that ignores the supporters (members) of that organization no matter what type it might be ... The ATA used to be a members organization for the members and became the EC and some of the BOD's play ground (Cash Cow) at the members expense ... Miss the Good Ol'Days, but much like yesterday they are long gone ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Seitz9010: It would take dedicated non-paid individuals like those that started the ATA, A Computer/Printer with the proper amount of capacity for all members/categories/Gun Clubs/Magnetic Membership Cards & a machine to encode those cards/ a company to print the average cards, and print a new rule book, A good place to find out would be the PITA for start-up costs. Trapshooters w/integrity/honesty to hold office, this just a sampling of what it would take.

I would call it The Great Lakes Trapshooting Association, anybody else have a suggested name?
Gary Bryant

 

Grand National Trapshooting Assoc Inc..................... just came to me
Gary Bryant

 

Just remember how "governing by committee" works. And don't choose a name that would cause an embarrassing acronym like Central Reform American People's Trapshooting Association.

 

The name is noth'n. The managing infrastructure is everything.

 

OTSA/Outlaw Trap Shooters Association

 

Rosey is right, a new association doesn't need to be over thought. Go back in trap shooting history and copy what worked when registered shooting was king. I'm not for limiting yourself by a name to a region. A loose confederation is a good place to start. What always made pigeon shooting so interesting is they had a basic framework of rules but each club had their own ground rules just like at different major league baseball parks. Also every pigeon club had one guy in charge, the owner, so a strong commissioner of trap shooting is needed.

Azcotrap's point of governing by committee is just what the ATA's EC and board of directors is with a union mentality of seniority, go through the chairs to be president and get your gun. When Dave Bopp was manager he pretty well kept the EC's in check and kept them from doing dumb stuff like have been doing recently. I didn't agree with him a lot of the time but he was a strong man in charge and kept the ATA mostly on an even keel, at least until n1h1 and a few others came along and the "Rest is History" as they say. Brad Dysinger

Oh and I don't want to forget the great job being done today for the HOF, X ec members abound.

 

I have seen for the most part over the years (40 +) where shooters pretty much police them self when it come to rules and enforcement of same ... Common sense, logic, and reasoning is needed as well as membership involvement rather than being ignored like the "Bastard Red Head Step Child" (no offense intended to any Red Head step children out there) when major issues should or do arise ... It does take strong leadership and there is obviously no shortage of that ... WPT ... (YAC) ...