To all the Ohio Shooters!!

Here's your chance to really make a difference! Would be good start in your endeavor to fix the ATA forever, but like most noble causes you need to start somewhere!

 

They may need a little help from you in deciding what needs done.
What do YOU think needs fixed first?
There must be something. That place in ILL NEWS isn't living up to expectations OR promises. What do you think would get another 1,500- 2,000 shoooters to sign up for the GAH event.

I don't live in Ohio but I know one way to at least save the ata around $15,000.00

And I don't need a graph to "explain" it

 

I'd Love to see the Grand anywhere closer to infrastructure. I believe that is 100% the reason for the downsizing of the Event. My fear now is that the ATA has embedded itself there for the long term, and for the reasons discussed ad-nauseam on this site.

As for the $15K Gun, I don't really have issue with it, as most that achieve that have spent well beyond the expenses the ATA provides compensation for. Small price to repay someone for 15-20 years of Thankless Service to the shooters in their State. Like some of the previous Delegates have posted here, most shooters don't understand the amount of time and by my Math $15K breaks down to about $2 an hour based on the Time invested to get there. (No Graph, just an educated Guess)

As for what needs to be fixed, I'm not sure the System is truly broken. Sure it could use improvement, including more Transparency and more involvement directly from the Members and not the BOD. After that, barring a move from Sparta, I'd ask the ATA to focus more on local shooting. Perfect example is here in SE PA where we've lost 4 ATA clubs due to lack of interest. While our State homegrounds has maintained attendance, clubs like the one I helped run for 25 years struggle to get 10 squads in an area where you can drive an hour in any direction and shoot everyday of the week, for over a month, and never visit the same club. There's been a significant move also to Sporting Clays and just to give an example is Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays. I recently was there and they had over 300 shooters paying $41 per 100 to shoot the course.

Believe it or not I agree with what most post here, but it's the way it's presented, that makes me question the true intent of the poster. That's why I posted this, as if you truly want change, blogging about it gets you your 15 minutes, but it's dismissed in the next 15.

JMHO

 

Dedpair
Of course you dont think the system is broken. You have been defending the PA delegates keeping the votes secret. And you missed the point about the illegal gun giveaway program your pals allowed. It was against the bylaws!

What honest person would want to work with you or your friends? You just said you had no problem with your friends abuse of the bylaws. Tell more about how nice they are.

Have fun in Illinois. Buy a gun there.

 

Sorry Jeff, our home grounds has NOT maintained attendance. If you believe a drop in Singles championship entries from 1,604 in 2006 to only 1,095 in 2016 isn't significant then your math skills need upgrading. Handicap championship entries went from 1,164 down to 774 during the same period. Maybe you should check with some vendors and they'll help you with the math.

 

Dawg, Yes the 3 Championship Events are down compared to 15 years ago, but you forgot to mention the Non-Championship events, along with the other 3 Shoots we host annually. Those have, barring unforeseen Weather, maintained and in some cases increased in Attendance! Perhaps you should focus on why clubs like Lappawinzo, Bucks County, Oxford are no longer throwing ATA, or significantly declined in attendance, before you narrowly focus on my Math skills?

 

Sorry Jeff, the decline in attendance was GRADUAL, nor a precipitous one year drop. Surely bad weather may have affected a few years-not 10. I'm quite sure you also have access to those declining attendance figures as I also have. If you need more I can provide 'em and it's not pretty. The reason why many small clubs dropped ATA shoots is they're no longer profitable while others lack capable management. Moving the grand to Sparta certainly didn't help.

 

Is this what you're referring to? Keystone is up, so compared to a 60% drop in Grand attendance, I'd say we've maintained quite well. The Pa Grand has declined as we generally run against the VA State Shoot. And agree the move to Sparta has diminished local interest and a necessity to acquire Targets to avoid Penalty. Which is why I stated an ATA need to focus on how to possibly reacquire those lost Entries.

 

"by my Math $15K breaks down to about $2 an hour based on the Time invested to get there."

I guess we are just lucky the Good Old Boys Club didn't decide to give away a gun that came to about $4.00 per hour huh?

Of course is some peoples minds that would be OK too.

Are these guys surprised at the hours they have to put in? I would think they know going in what is involved. I put in thousands of hours at our club since 1978. Board of directors, UNPAID AND PRETTY MUCH THANKLESS, 4 different times, and NEVER expected to get anything. I did take care of the grounds for $250.00 a month for about a year. When I did figure it out, didn't have to guess, it came to $2.50 per hour. Nice being the first one to have to park then walk up the hill to get the tractor and plow out when there is 12" of snow on the driveway. Shoot starts at 9:00 am, I'll be there at 6:00 thank you. I knew the day I said yes how much time it was going to take and what I was EXPECTED to do.

You can spin the gun gift any way you like but you and I both know it smells to high heaven.

 

Flyers,
Imagine if we paid them Minimum Wage!!

Yeah always going to be an issue with the Gun, and can see your point as well.

Wow, $250 a Month, damn that has my Cheeseburger beat when I was Office Manager at our Club!!! But even though that was one fine Cheeseburger, i didn't ask for it. But thru 25 years I was accused of Stealing, Cheating and assorted other things, and while all were 100% unfounded, it never wavered my desire to make the Club better!

Sad part is I haven't been to Sparta in now 10 years, but I do miss it since after all it's still the Grand, all be it diminished from what it once was! Running and helping with the Shoot-Offs there are still some of my best Trapshooting Memories. Now my position at PSSA keeps me involved and around people I've called Family for 40 years now!

 

Hi again DEDPAIR
It is unfortunate the bylaws of the org mean nothing to you or your delegate friends. They have turned a blind eye to everything that has happened in the BOD meetings. Tell me about a single time they asked for a roll call vote. How about never.

If your friends did not like the bylaws they should have changed them.

Or they could man up, drop by and tell us why PA delegates have chosen to keep the votes anonymous.

 

Wow, Milking the 15 Minutes there Smithy? You do realize this post was intended for you, right? Here's your chance to make a difference my friend and not be Trolling my posts/replies looking for Answers no one is going to give you! Step on up, run for Office, and then we'll all pat you on the back for resolving an issue that obviously plagues your daily existence!!

 

Jeff, losing 500 shooters in 10 years in the championship events is not a success story. Just spend some time on vendors row and view the emptiness. Maybe PA should have given the location for a new venue I provided a bit more look. Of course, it's too late for that now. We're stuck with a mish mash of fields that favor the prima donnas only. You can fool some of the shooters sometime but not all the shooters all of the time. Shooters vote with their feet and go elsewhere.

 

Hopefully you all realize that the solicitation for candidates is NOT IN ANY WAY CONNECTED TO THE ATA! It's a message encouraging Ohio shooters to run for a position on the Ohio State Trapshooting Association B.O.D. I served for nearly 7 years on the OSTA Board. The premise of this thread is that "this is your chance to fix the ATA". Nothing could be further from the truth! As an OSTA Board member you have absolutely zero say in anything the ATA does. While I encourage all interested Ohio shooters to get involved with the OSTA, the rest of this thread is pure rubbish!

 

You might have thought DEDPAIR knew the OSTA does not control the ATA. One may have thought he was talking about a delegate position in OH. Big dif between delegate and OSTA director. DEDPAIR said somewhere else he is only here to antagonize.

But OSTA directors help choose delegates?

Don, not sure about the "rubbish". I am sure the OSTA does not have anonymous voting as mentioned above.

 

Don, First thank you for your service to the State of Ohio! And to my point I was simply encouraging folks to use this as a starting ground to gain the experience necessary for eventually being a Delegate. But am I wrong in assuming the ATA Delegate also answers to the OH BOD, or at worst could be requested to ask for an Open Vote at the ATA BOD meeting?

Union, I 100% know that the OH BOD doesn't control the ATA, but the ATA Delegate does have a say. And that post on the "other" site was out of my anger for being incorrectly banned there. I posted here about that and someone from there questioned why I jumped over here to complain. I'm glad you're keeping tabs on me and the other site though!

Dawg, Would have absolutely been behind the move to Allentown! As for the rest, we've discussed that on multiple occasions and unfortunately no good answers for you yet!

 

that was prompt timing, Friday 3:48AM expired 2 deays ago