Where now for OSK

[Blackstar Ninja]

With utter amazement And disbelief I found out today from fellow shooters that the Essex shooting ground in Fyfield has done away with Olympic Skeet! Having a matter of weeks ago ousted its long standing OSK members from the only decent skeet range there to a substandard patch of uneven cracked concrete with no markings. The proprieter Mr Searle has now got rid of OSK completely. At a time when British OSK shooting is on the up Amber Hill World Cup Gold, Michael Gilligan Silver, this is a kick in the teeth for the prospects of the next generation who now may not be able to afford to travel to find another ground to experience this discipline. Yes shooting grounds are there to make money but if the next generation aren't encouraged to take up shooting and its many disciplines don't they lose out in the long run when their aging regulars retire? and doesn't British shooting lose out overall?

 

[** Pending Removal **]

That is terrible news, but there is no one there to help this situation either.....because no one is interested in politics.

 

[Hotshot100]

That is terrible news, but there is no one there to help this situation either.....because no one is interested in politics.

No, they just want to shoot Nicola. Where are these people who don't want to get involved but just want to shoot going to do that now? 

One day the penny will drop but whether or not it's too late is another matter.

 

[ExSCA]

No they just want to shoot Nicola. Where are these people who don't want to get involved but just want to shoot going to do that now? 

One day the penny will drop but whether or not it's too late is another matter.

I am sure there is a comma missing from the first line...

 

[joe kitson]

it cost mike gilligan 1800 pounds to win the silver for england no surport from anyone including our cpsa and you want to  encourage our you/g to shoot i s u were are they surposed to get the money from

 

[Hotshot100]

I am sure there is a comma missing from the first line...

Not now there's not. Thanks Matt.

 

[Hotshot100]

I am sure there is a comma missing from the first line...

Rectified although by some of the posts on here it may not have been too far from the truth!! :haha: :fie:

 

[Blackstar Ninja]

It may well have cost Mr Gilligan £1800 but he takes pride in competing at World Cup level and achieving a medal. However with grounds like the one in Fyfield doing away with disciplines it reduces opportunities to gain the interest of youth. From a personal perspective first time I tried shooting was on a sporting layout and loved it. Second time DTL hated it didn't keep my attention then tried skeet and on to OSK and found a discipline that suited me in all respects but if the only choice available to me had been DTL I would have stopped soon after starting and not spent thousands on guns, ammo and shooting attire. Most peeps do this sport out of a sense of enjoyment and challenge but if grounds restrict choice to what they think they can make the most money out of do we become a nation of DTL shooters or pack up!

 

[joe kitson]

ninja we all take pride in what we do but a bit more help would be nice when you shoot for england dont you think

 

[Blackstar Ninja]

Joe, I whole heartedly agree with you the funding for men and women that make sacrifices to represent their country is absolutely rubbish Peter Wilson Gold medal winner had his funding withdrawn by the country he was proudly representing and had to be finance from Dubai? But how many of the non shooting british public even know who he is? Yet he was one of the first 2012 gold medals. But if not for having somewhere to practice his chosen discipline as well as the financial backing as you quite rightly said I doubt a Brit would have been on top the podium. Olympic legacy my ar$e! My nearest OSK ground is now Southend unless there's one hidden in someone's back garden in Barking! So come on where's OSK in or around London?

 

[Hotshot100]

Joe, I whole heartedly agree with you the funding for men and women that make sacrifices to represent their country is absolutely rubbish Peter Wilson Gold medal winner had his funding withdrawn by the country he was proudly representing and had to be finance from Dubai? But how many of the non shooting british public even know who he is? Yet he was one of the first 2012 gold medals. But if not for having somewhere to practice his chosen discipline as well as the financial backing as you quite rightly said I doubt a Brit would have been on top the podium. Olympic legacy my ar$e! My nearest OSK ground is now Southend unless there's one hidden in someone's back garden in Barking! So come on where's OSK in or around London?

Dartford did have Olympic Skeet but I don't know about now as there have been a lot of changes there. Might be worth approaching Peter Duffield, can only ask.

 

[Blackstar Ninja]

Thanks Hotshot!

 

[joe kitson]

lets all thank seb coe for our legacy

 

[Salopian]

What a good idea Joe, I have always wanted to shake Sebastian by the throat.

But are we not missing the point somewhere in this thread?

How many people actually shoot Olympic Skeet ? Is there enough paying customers to make a dedicated Olympic layout financially viable?

Doveridge have fabulous skeet layouts, but because of a drop in utilisation the facility is beginning to look run down. 

Businesses need customers to make it economical.

It is the same with Olympic trap layouts, use it or lose it .

 

[** Pending Removal **]

We had one last year at our Berkshire championships and the committee wanted to drop it. I managed to keep it because we ave trophies for all categories in it......and this year......we had 'one' again....!!

The one who has the trophy was not 'the one', because he did not turn up to shoot....!

So I am not sure how to read the results.......have we as a county.....doubled our OSK entry........or increased it by 100%......(in Cpsa spin speak)..........or.........are we wasting our ducking time...?????

 

[Hotshot100]

We had one last year at our Berkshire championships and the committee wanted to drop it. I managed to keep it because we ave trophies for all categories in it......and this year......we had 'one' again....!!

The one who has the trophy was not 'the one', because he did not turn up to shoot....!

So I am not sure how to read the results.......have we as a county.....doubled our OSK entry........or increased it by 100%......(in Cpsa spin speak)..........or.........are we wasting our ducking time...?????

Not much better in Kent. One lady. one senior,one veteran if we're lucky. Has to be set up just for one shoot and ties up a layout for the day.

 

[Jan Powell]

Whilst I deplore the closure of facilities i'm afraid we simply cannot ignore the economics. My county has 3 (yes 3) active Olympic Skeet shooters and two of them are father and son. Each year the county committee runs the county shoot at a loss. It costs us more in trophies and badges than we make from the levy but we do it for the good of the sport and because we represent all shooters, whatever discipline they shoot.

Clay shoots are businesses, to expect them to do the same just isn't realistic. I've no doubt, given the current economic climate, more grounds will focus on what makes money and do the same.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Yes we have also changed the way we do things. We used to have a county cloth badge for the category winners in 14 disciplines with a good design and county flag....but at over £5 each.....and several that were not presented as there was no one in the category.....we sacked that idea. Even our inter-counties cloth badges are now presented later at the AGM when we know how many are needed.....eg last year we only fielded 2 inter-county teams (no one wants to travel ) ....can you imagine the cost if we had all 14 disciplines covered.

Nope....lots of belt tightening in the sport.....everywhere.

Even in majors.....you should have seen the crap medals presented at the English Helice. They were a joke.....one person referred to it as a 'life saving medal'. The quality was nothing anywhere near our simple county medals.....it was an embarrassment . I am not sure if they were provided by Cpsa or BICTSF......but considering that birds only was £58 for 20 birds and competition was about £85......the medals were a disgrace. But then we are a 'minority' discipline :smile:

 

[Hotshot100]

Yes we have also changed the way we do things. We used to have a county cloth badge for the category winners in 14 disciplines with a good design and county flag....but at over £5 each.....and several that were not presented as there was no one in the category.....we sacked that idea. Even our inter-counties cloth badges are now presented later at the AGM when we know how many are needed.....eg last year we only fielded 2 inter-county teams (no one wants to travel ) ....can you imagine the cost if we had all 14 disciplines covered.

Nope....lots of belt tightening in the sport.....everywhere.

Even in majors.....you should have seen the crap medals presented at the English Helice. They were a joke.....one person referred to it as a 'life saving medal'. The quality was nothing anywhere near our simple county medals.....it was an embarrassment . I am not sure if they were provided by Cpsa or BICTSF......but considering that birds only was £58 for 20 birds and competition was about £85......the medals were a disgrace. But then we are a 'minority' discipline :smile:

Kent have now done the same. We were dumping well over £100 worth of badges every year in categories that weren't represented in the county championships. Unfortunately the minor disciplines will always have to be supported by the major ones, it's just the way the cookie crumbles.