Sunday, April 03, 2011

Professional Shooters: Part II

The Hobo Brasser (216.105.75.114)
Skeet shooting went downhill when they divided it up into so many classes that one could not hope to recoup your entry fees even by winning a high overall in a guage. It just got too big and the overhead was too high. A major match like the USPSA Nationals now costs almost $300 dollars to shoot. This is all ready too high IMHO. Lets leave it alone.
Yesterday, 3:40:02 PM
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jerrydgeek (24.20.226.106)
We got to this point in IPSC/USPSA in 1998-1999, when we (USPSA members) were torn about whether to add a New Division: Limited 10. I recall being at the Nationals in Las Vegas, and being approached by "a candidate for the USPSA Presidency" (who shall remain nameless) who seemed to thing that this was the "make or break" decision for USPSA.

Subsequent history? We not only added Limited-10, but also Production Divisions. And the consensus seems to be thta we have improved the sport.

I'm not saying that the analogy between USPSA and Skeet Shooting is inapplicable. I'm only saying that USPSA has chosed "The Road Less Travelled", and now Production Division is often more 'higly subscribed' than that division which had earlier been described as The Road to the Future.

New ideas are difficult to accept. I don't much like "change" myself. But Benjamin Franklin, when asked what value could be found in a New Invention, replied: "What use is a new-born baby".

We don't know what adventures, what advantages the road ahead may hold for us. And until we allow it room to grow, we probably never will.
Yesterday, 11:50:30 PM
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Whitefish (75.94.54.221)
While it may have merit, it takes us to a whole different level of bureaucracy, which we already have plenty of. Witness our burgeoning rulebook and those infamous interpretations thereof by JA. At what point does someone become a professional? Does someone (say a company or gunsmith) giving you a gun to use constitute enough to be called a professional? How about ammo to shoot at matches and practice with or a shirt with a sponsors name on it for advertising? If you will recall a certain arrangment with STI and the open gun you have used for several years, that may constitute "being a professional". I think that is great, but it also falls in the category of be careful what you ask for!!!

I've tried 3 times to reply to this: I can't meet the 3000 word limit that the commenting softwary includes as a restriction. I'll make this a separate, now article. Suffice it to say .. there are other issues than "The Grown of Burearucracy" which may be related to this major change in USPSA organization.

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