The end of an Era?

[Woody]

Friendship is a little burg located in Southeastern Indiana. West of Cincinatti, Ohio, East of Louisville Kentucky, North of the Ohio River and South of US 50.

Woody

[RMulhern]

It's become painfully obvious over the last few years competitive shooting has become a red headed stepchild for the NRA. It's not just BP shooters but most all of the other shooting sports are getting the same treatment and competitor numbers are declining. I know in our sport the NRA made a decision in 2009 to de-fund the U.S. Creedmoor team. A number of us made the team in the tryout only for the NRA to turn around immediately and say "sorry, we'll give a discount on the 2010 entry fee". Frank Monikowski flew from Rhode Island just to shoot in the tryout, made the team, and the NRA pulled the plug.
I think for the NRA the constant fear mongering for the threat against the Second Amendment has been such a cash cow for them the bean counters in the NRA are de-emphsising competitive shooting. I feel it is important to remain a NRA member but will remain only as a "generic" member as long as they keep trying to cut our collective competitive throats.
Keith Lay

Doc

"competitor numbers are declining"

Recently I got an email from an old shooting buddy, Mitchell Maxberry who is now living in New Zealand and Mitch informed me that Camp Perry had 278 shooters this year for the XTC matches!! Americans are so busy posting on Facebook, Twitter, etc. that they no longer care about what's important! I've seen in years past when there were 2500 plus shooters show up just for the XTC events!!

Hope you're doing well Doc! Take care!

[Tasmanian Rebel]

Doing well Rick. Sometime this Winter or Spring I need to give you a call and come over to that fine range you have again. You are so correct about young folks and machines. I'll go into an exam room sometimes and the patient is oblivious to anything going on around him/her because they're texting/playing a video game on the damn things.
The NRA has written us off obviously but still feel we need to show up and shoot.
Keith Lay

[art ruggiero]

thanks woody; thought it might be an interesting trip from connecticut art

[desert deuce]

Received today from Dennis Willing Director,
Competitions Division NRA Fairfax, VA

Steve,

I have been recently informed that, according to forum reports, the Black Powder National Championship is being moved to Camp Perry. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

I have NOT now nor will I ever authorize that. Camp Perry is totally unsuited to this type of competition. I will leave the events in Raton before ever considering Camp Perry.

I do not know where this rumor started but according to the forum Kenny Wasserberger reported that it was a done deal. I don’t know where Kenny got his information but he didn’t ask me. People should try that sometime, it works.

All I am considering is a move somewhere east of the Mississippi due to declining attendance at Raton. This was suggested as a possible move to me by BPTR competitors. I want this sport to survive and thrive but whatever is going on in Raton, it doesn’t seem to be working. Attendance has been in decline since 2008, 4 years before I assumed this job.

I am only CONSIDERING such a move and NOT MAKING such a move, at least not yet.

I’ll see what happens in 2015 before making a decision. No decision has been made as to the location of the 2016 championship. It could conceivably be held in Raton.

If you would please inform the BPTR community of this it would be greatly appreciated.

Denny

Dennis L. Willing
Director, NRA
Competitive Shooting Division

11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Office 703-267-1460
Cell 571-299-9429
Fax 703-267-3941

[mdeland]

So is the whole thread based on misinformation or is some one at the top in the NRA had a change of mind from the prevailing winds?

[Don McDowell]

Can guarantee you this thread was not based on bad info...

[jackrabbit]

??!!?? I don't see what Dennis is talking about. It seems to me we all in an uproar over the fact that they are wanting to move the match out of Raton to somewhere back east. It doesn't matter where, the point is that they are blaming the lack of attendance on where the match is held rather than their piss poor performance at their jobs. Moving the match will not help, and in fact will probably further decrease attendance if they don't change management as well. It looks to me like Dennis's letter was an attempt to get us to take our eye off the ball. You know, make it about Camp Perry and try to put some heat on Kenny so maybe we will forget about the subject at hand. Just to remind everybody, that subject is that he probably already has his mind made up that the BPTR Nationals will be somewhere else than Raton in 2016. For whatever it is worth, Kenny's word is a hell of a lot more credible than the NRA's. I feel like the NRA has lied to me on too many occasions to mention. On the other hand, Kenny has never been afraid to tell you the truth, even if you didn't like and didn't want to hear it.
Just my thoughts, Cody

[Jim Kidwell]

Below is some correspondence I had with Denny this morning .......................

...Numbers have been declining in recent years due to several decisions made in the Competition Division. The decision to split off the Target Rifle venue from the
Silhouette venue has caused many to make a choice on what venue to attend. Many of us cannot afford to make two trips in a two month period to the Whittington Center in one year.

The BPTR and BPCR Nationals have to re unite in order to keep both venues realistic. Shooting the Silhouette match on the 4th of July is not a favorable date for most
competitors because of family commitments and weather. Shooting BPTR in the heat of early July is also unrealistic. Combining both in late August or early September is a realistic
goal.

I know there is no happy medium, but I would appreciate your consideration of what will make this sport grow back to the way it was. All I have heard in recent years from the Competition Division is the reason the Nationals are declining in participation is the cost. Not true…… Why are other venues growing and are even including foreign shooters?

There has been no communication from our Committee on what has been discussed at meetings. In some cases, we have been told from committee members, their input goes nowhere, so why communicate. Your email is a bright light on maybe someone cares……….Thank you…..It is appreciated, even if it goes nowhere……………………..
Regards,
Jim Kidwell

Jim,

I have received your email that was forwarded from Zack. I’ll do my best to respond.

The decision to split BPTR and BPCR Silhouette was made long before I was ever in this chair. Thankfully, I cannot take credit for such an idiotic move. I understand that the previous Director wanted the two sports to survive on their own.

The question now is how can we marry them back up again?

Contrary to popular opinion, we do not own the Whittington Center ranges so cannot simply order anyone to give us the days we want or present them with a calendar and say “make it happen”. The Whittington Center staff goes out of their way to insure that NRA staff does not receive any special treatment of any kind. It has something to do with their 501(c)3 status involving equal access to all.

The 2015 BPTR events are scheduled in September because that was what was available when staff was also available. There weren’t dates available for 2015 in July, and the late August dates that were available conflicted with staff being in PA for other Silhouette events.

I have spoken with Barry about this and we will look at the 2016 calendar to see what we can do. If we can make this happen then BPTR might be able to stay in Raton. However, we are not miracle workers here and have no sway with the Whittington Center when it comes to scheduling.

Thank you for your input. It was well receive given the barrage of complaints that I get with no useful suggestions.

Denny

Dennis L. Willing
Director, NRA
Competitive Shooting Division

[desert deuce]

Even though Kenny was not present, he is correct about what was said at the Competitors Meeting at Raton Sept 2014. I was there, Don McDowell was there and a host of others were there that heard what was said.

Looking at the overall picture two things must be addressed, first:

One, obviously Competitions Division and the NRA have dug in and dug themselves into a hole with the competitors essentially by institutionally not listening to and honoring the competitor. First they need to stop digging that hole. Apparently, Competitions Division is gaming the information pipeline to the Committees and that influences the information the Board of Directors receive which influences support and the larger perception of the role of competitive shooting. They are focused on the process of ($) revenue generation from their point of view and not the product (:>) enthusiastic competitors that want to compete in their sanctioned matches which naturally draws more participation over time and more money, their short term view is poisonous to participation. They act as though they have a monopoly on competitive shooting and have communicated to us it is their way or the Highway. The mechanism that promotes this environment and mindset is driving our problems and has done so for over 20 years. They have paid lip service to changes we brought to their attention at best. Their actions contradict their words. This arrogance has advanced us to the breaking point by further discouraging robust competitive events. This fairly outlines the consumer perception.

In this case perception is what the competitor has to go on.

Second, we the competitor have been remiss by allowing this to happen over time by not "effectively" addressing our point of view and being arduously persistent at, forcing if necessary, the larger NRA organization to ensure that the destructive organizational environment that persists inside Competitions Division becomes non existent. Complaining amongst ourselves is self defeating and accelerates decreased participation. We must join together as one voice, one mind and one spirit to make competitive shooting the very best it can be. It will never be perfect because humans are involved. The current Black Powder Competitors and those that want to become Black Powder Competitors must coalesce around this goal.

At this point it literally is a: LEAD, FOLLOW or GET OUT OF THE WAY, situation for the competitors and the intellectually superior peanut gallery. What you think is unimportant, what you are willing and able to do about what you think is important.

FWIW People that want to move toward a positive solution on both sides are the ones that can fix this.

If it comes to the point that this cannot be reversed at that point we should regroup and decide what to do. Let's eat this Elephant one bite at a time.

[Steve Rhoades]

Zack,
I've eaten about all of this elephant that I can stand!

[Don McDowell]

to give us the days we want or present them with a calendar and say “make it happen”.

Not exactly what we were told at last years competitors meeting...
[img].%20It%20was%20well%20receive%20given%20the%20barrage%20of%20complaints%20that%20I%20get%20with%20no%20useful%20suggestions[/img]
It's damn helpful to receive useful suggestions, if when someone asks you a question or two, you answer those questions... Not even bothering to respond to letters sent is not any way shape or form going to get you "any useful suggestions".

[Jim Kidwell]

Zack,
I've eaten about all of this elephant that I can stand!

It sounds like what you serve on your Chuck Wagon. .......................................Jim

[desert deuce]

Jim, all I saw in the Chuck Wagon was of the liquid variety. As if he was expecting company

No salt, no pepper, no flour and no corn meal.

[buffalocannon]

I have said this before, and been beat about the head and shoulders for saying it, but I will say it again, one last time. Rather than pissing and moaning about the NRA, why not let them ONLY protect our Second Amendment freedoms, those ones we still have, and just organize all these shooting matches yourselves? Those folks running the Q, and the Shiloh folks, and the Phoenix bunch, and more than one outfit in Texas, the Cody group, etc., among others, run great matches. Just establish a board of directors containing some of the notable gurus and run a national match somewhere centrally located, perhaps Kansas? This thing about the NRA is just going to keep coming up. Follow the money. Our numbers are down. Join the NRA and leave them alone, while we can still own firearms. We need their legislative and political prowess. We have plenty of other folks who can run a shooting match.