New Shooters

[Salopian]

How can we introduce more people to clayshooting?

Is reduced entry fees for children a good idea?

Should grounds subsidise Colts & Children?

Years ago we gave disabled shooters free entries and had lots of interest, but as soon as we started charging they stopped coming?

If a junior comes to shoot with us with his parent, and Mom & Dad have furnished junior with a Krieghoff or Perazzi plus premium cartridges to shoot are we doing the right thing giving them free entries?

What is the key to getting new people into our sport?

I would appreciate your views.

 

[JayJay]

I think what would be nice is a little side stand at a have a go clay shoots at game fairs with a big sign saying interested in taking up this sport! Where people can talk about getting into the sport And give them information about forums like this! Also let them know theirs different disciplines, only with me looking into it more i learn t this and didn't realize the variety in the sport ! And just basically let people know it is a viable hobby to do and not just something you can only do at game fairs. And with being at game fairs the people there obviously love the country side and field sports so its the right people to target.

I do think this would get more people into the sport since i always see many people in the ques wanting to have a go!

Ow and one ting for me Salopian how can i sort out a private lesson with you ???

Cheers JayJay

 

[paulc]

Hi Salopian

Being someone who shoots with his 11yr old son this is of interest to me.

Firstly though i have to say that asking this question on a site full of people who already partake in this great sport will give you a hugely different answer than the one a parent introducing their child into clay shooting would give.

Anyway i agree with you that in the instance you quoted free entry doesnt seem like the right way forward.

We both shoot every weekend so i pretty much accept the costs involved, dont get me wrong free entry for my son when i shoot and pay would be great, but i would love to have a coach come on our round and help my son develop as i am a C class poss B class on a good day shooter and i know my son is close my standard. I would love to have him coached so as not to pick up my bad habbits but the cost of that on top of the entrance and cartridges really does make it too expensive.

I appreciate that could be difficult to work and possibly not helping getting new people through the door, but in my opinion, after the 'have a go' has them interested, coaching to progress their talent might just keep them involved.

Just my view, hope it helps

Paul

 

[Angelfire]

"How can we introduce more people to clayshooting?"

If anyone could supply the definitive answer to that one, the CPSA would go from strength to strength. Imagine the Association with half a million members and the revenue it would generate.

Phil*

 

[Fuzrat]

Tin hat on already.

Even though I am an avid shooter of the live stuff, I believe we need to de-sensitize clay shooting. Unfortunately the public perception of shooting is Toffs blasting pheasants out of the sky or camoed up rambo wannabes just waiting to go on a rampage. I know it has been voted on before to replace the "Pigeon" with "Target" in CPSA and it was voted down. Agreed, shooting sports should and need to be united but if we can bring in target shooters some of them may try their hand at the live stuff and quite honestly the BASC and CA are fighting the live side far better than we are promoting the target side.

We need to promote the competition element and the social side. This is where grass roots clubs are worth their weight in gold. CPSA seem to be getting the message with the Clubman league, but need to do more to support the smaller clubs. Try and get some of the golfing types over, usually got the disposable income needed. The classification system needs an overhaul to bring it into the 21st century along with bringing coaching up to a graded level along the lines of the Pro Golfers Association. Unfortunately the later wont happen with the many coaching organizations competing for supremacy. Maybe the new coach training manager will address this situation but I for one am not holding my breath for the drinker of this particular poisoned chalice.

Had the CPSA been on the ball and were prepared to speculate to accumulate, this is the ideal year for a media liaison officer to be really getting some press time, pushing clay shooting in an Olympic year. Oops forgot we dont have one.

Oxford Gun seem to be doing a great job for juniors with their schools challenge, but for me if you look at the schools involved its all private schools. The type of schools where a good percentage of the kids already shoot with their parents. A quick mention and well done to Oddjob of this parish for his work at the school he teaches at for starting a clay club. Maybe combine the role of press liaison with schools liaison?

Juniors shoot free IMO is probably not the way forward, dumping a 13yr old kid onto a reg layout is not going to make them come back, hell, sometimes I don't want to come back! We need a structured, progressive juniors club. This is something the grounds that say kids shoot free could implement. At a small charge(say half an entry) a suitably qualified coach (see above for properly graded coaches) takes a squad of juniors off to shoot a few stands away from the main shoot. Targets set for their ability and quality coaching. Those that have progressed and attained a certain grade could be squadded together to shoot the reg with a coach in attendance. This will hopefully bring in "outsiders" rather than the junior with a full paying adult scenario.

Just my Saturday night musings over a bottle of wine

 

[Salopian]

Who is the 'new coach training manager' ?

 

[Fuzrat]

Only just been advertised Salop, would you like an application form?

 

[40UP]

This is an exciting new post created to lead what is known as the CPSA Academy, focussing on developing instructors and coaches to be the best in our sport. The role is also responsible for developing tutors and assessors, for the full range of training courses covering safety, refereeing and Shotgun Skills and for promoting these courses to the widest clay shooting community, as well as organising an annual coaching conference.

 

[Salopian]

Definitely not.

I do not have enough years left in me to extract CPSA coaching out of the mess that the last coaching team left it in.

 

[Salopian]

40UP,

That may well be the job description, but frankly it is going to take an amazing person to actually clear out all the dead wood and do all of those things, but I would be one of the first to offer my help and assistance, because it is a mammoth task.

 

[Fuzrat]

As an aside, how exactly does the "shotgun skills" course work? does anybody actually partake of it? is it promoted by CPSA coaches?

Reason I ask is this would be a perfect way of "grading" new shooters and juniors and help them in a non-mandatory way. Have a CPSA "passport" that is signed off by the instructor when different elements are completed ie safety, shotgun law etc. would be a good thing to assist new shooters and juniors on their way to getting their sgc. How many posts do we have on various forums titled "SGC help" that could be covered by a shotgun skills course?

 

[SP Clay]

I have been shooting for a year now, and the cost is by far the most prohibiting factor. I have a number of friends and family that I have dragged to the ground and all loved the sport but felt 2 or 3 times a year would be their limit in terms of cost as they all play other sports. I think we all would love an entry level low cost way of shooting but I think the cartridge manufacturers are the key, sponsoring grounds and supplying cartridges at cost etc. The industry needs to decide it wants more people shooting more often. Its £50 a Reg. Comp. (entry and cartridges) and this is plus fuel etc. etc.

I got my first class win a few weeks back and was looking forward to at least covering my entry and cartridges though a pleasing £40 arrived it doesn't cover the costs.(137 shooters took part) And as you head down the class you can see why many go birds only.

If the industry could sponsor prizes down the classes then people would shoot more knowing they would get something back more often.

I think there are ways to bring the sport too the people and it may be at the schools they have to start, the sport encourages discpline, focus and a chance to shoot against World champions.Something I only found out when I started in the sport last year ! I will look to encourage all around me to shoot and get in to the sport and I hope to get more involved myself currently family and work commitments only allow 1x50 comp mid week and 1x reg comp. And to be fair I need to be winning some money each month to help justify the outlay.

My friends all play golf and thats approx. £700 yearly membership plus general costs but thats not going to get you much shooting!

Get the costs down the shooting community will grow and the sport will benefit, current shooters are the best way to encourage others as we are all addicted already - its just got to be cheaper if we want new people to get involved.

Maybe the golf model can be made to work for bigger grounds i.e. Some sort of membership and free shooting but that would need to be tied up with some sort of cartridge support as this is still a major cost.

Steve

 

[SP Clay]

A thought on the Junior side could be a smaller comp. Run perhaps through the easier stands on Reg. Shoot plus a number of extra stands just for the Junior comp. Which could be refereed via the "squad" of adults shooting so no extra ref costs.

 

[Mr Potter]

"How can we introduce more people to clayshooting?"

If anyone could supply the definitive answer to that one, the CPSA would go from strength to strength. Imagine the Association with half a million members and the revenue it would generate.

Phil*

Bloody Hell Angelfire, half a million members is roughly a 25 fold increase on today's CPSA membership total. I can't cope with the queues on the stands at some of our more popular local shoots now !!!

Mr Potter

 

[jinxy72]

One way has to be a reduction in cost for either trying the sport or basic coaching … are most of the CPSA coaches worth £60 p/h ?? No… period. Thats not painting all coaches with the same brush as there are some brilliant coaches out there just sometimes difficult to find when new to the sport … just i don't think the cpsa hold their end of the bargain with the entry requirements for the coaching courses

 

[jonz]

Something needs to be done, I've just been reading the Pull mag and the report of the AGM shows 66 people attended the meeting and they read out a list of 72 members who had passed away since March 2011.

I believe that the CPSA needs a good shake up and work on getting the profile of the sport raised, try getting some major sponsors in and more press coverage, lets see clay shooting on the TV - Hopefully if Team GB win a couple of medals in London it will be the start

Jonz