Probably no Registered Matches at Tomball in 2013

jackie schmidt

jackie schmidt

New member
We do not have a Registered Match Director. You can not have a Match without a Match Director. It's a thankless job. The men who have done it in the past deserve a special thanks.

We will have the Club Matches as before. I am the Club Match Director, and I have the same dates as last year, the first Sunday Morning of Feb, March, June, August, and October.

I did say in the title "probably". That is because no one has stepped up. The Club has already given the dates to other shooting disciplines.

I know it's a shame, but that's the way it is.
 
Last edited:
This unfortunate occurrence(unofficial) brings into focus the significance of volunteers in the Sport Of Benchrest Competition. My hats off to the volunteers that gave their time and energy to keep the Tomball matches going,and to the volunteers across the country who are making personal sacrifices that benefit us all in this Sport. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Glenn
 
Sad news.

I guess things just change. We didn't have a registered NBRSA match at Rockingham this year, for the first time since I can't remember when. We've lost a number of ranges holding matches in the Southeastern region over the last 10 years, and if there are any new ones, it sure isn't many. I was thinking there are more registered score matches now, but really, they are at the same ranges that either still do or use to hold NBRSA group matches. In any case, it isn't that many.

There are a few more ranges holding club-level matches in the SER, for what that's worth.
 
All too many shooters do absolutely nothing to help run the matches they attend. I wonder if they understand that not much money is being made and that, for the most part, the Match Director gets only the satisfaction of presenting an oportunity for folks to compete. If a club was to charge shooters what it would cost to properly compensate a Match Director and their helpers, the cost of entry fees would be considerably higher and perhaps, excessive for most. If more people helped out, the job of running matches would be easier and folks wouldn't get burned out. There is a limited amount of satisfaction derived from running matches. When one becomes un-appreciated for the effort they expend, the satisfaction becomes disgust, IMHO.

One of the problems is folks who insist on loading at the range. There are plenty of people who pre-load and win consistently by doing so, in Score Shooting, at least.
 
Jo Gris said:
All too many shooters do absolutely nothing to help run the matches they attend. I wonder if they understand that not much money is being made and that, for the most part, the Match Director gets only the satisfaction of presenting an oportunity for folks to compete. If a club was to charge shooters what it would cost to properly compensate a Match Director and their helpers, the cost of entry fees would be considerably higher and perhaps, excessive for most. If more people helped out, the job of running matches would be easier and folks wouldn't get burned out. There is a limited amount of satisfaction derived from running matches. When one becomes un-appreciated for the effort they expend, the satisfaction becomes disgust, IMHO.

One of the problems is folks who insist on loading at the range. There are plenty of people who pre-load and win consistently by doing so, in Score Shooting, at least.
Click to expand...

I whole heartedly agree with the above........doesn't seem to matter where in the world you are some Benchrest shooters just don't help at all when it comes to running a match.........Ian
 
Probably apples and oranges, but in my time away from shooting I got into cross country motorcycle racing. There is a tremendous amount of work that has to go into preparation for a race and is dependent upon volunteer workers. It was set up so that you would gain season points for working a race, (limit one per year). 25 points for working one, 20 points for racing and winning your class. For the serious competitors, it pretty much became necessary to work one. For the less accomplished racers it substantially moved them up in their class standings. I know lots of people who cringed at the thought of not competing for the sake of working but did it anyway. Had they not had the incentive hanging over their heads, there's no way they would have made the sacrifice.
 
I agree Joe and I admit to not helping as much as I should. I feel like I do not know what needs done and do not want to step on any toes when I attend a match so I try to stay out of the way. From now on I intend to let the match directors know they can use me as help anytime I attend. That way they will have a voulenteer and I will not be in the way either. Also I really like your idea on the point system but I really do not know how we would apply it to benchrest because the current system being hall of fame points. May be club match points or something could be done but I think everyone agrees that hall of fame points should not be given away. It is a great idea however and I hope we can find a way to promote more voulenteering at matches so we all can continue shooting and enjoying the great company. This is a great sport and I hope we do not see much more of this loss of matches because of lack of help.
Brandon
 
When we held matches at Rachel's Glen there were always volunteers to help. It was usually the same people but I never had to ask for volunteers. Often they would kinda slow us down because I had a routine and didn't like to vary simply because I couldn't think in two directions at once very well.

We ran matches with four people, all paid. I never thought volunteers were very dependable and I need to know that my crew would be there. The target crew always had a tip jar available and the shooters were very generous. The reason we stopped having matches is simple....burnout. I worked on the range all during the year and always tried to improve it. If you were here at the beginning you can well remember the "hole" we had at first. I'd like to believe that after 22 years of holding matches I came out ahead just a little but couldn't prove it. Just hoping, I guess.

I truly believe the interests of the shooters have changed. There is a group near Auburn that shoots 1,000 yards during the summer and they'll have 60+ shooters for each shoot. I think the long range shooting holds more fascination to the average shooter and our game does. Could be wrong, though.

Anyway, I really appreciate the shooters that came to Rachel's Glen during our time but I don't miss the details of having shoots. I now get to enjoy watching the deer that are feeding on the food plot that once was a range.
 
What a shame. I always enjoyed Tomball and the folks that ran the matches. A lot of prep and work goes into a registered match as well as the after work with the paperwork to the NBRSA and score sheets to the competitors. I've run a total of sixteen registered matches myself at the Austin Rifle Club, but that's nothing compared to the Tomball Gulf Regional and Texas State matches. And at that; I''m burned out and will only continue to run my local matches on the last Sunday of the month at the ARC, year round. And call the Blue Bonnet if called upon.

I can only hope that "Probably" is just a "Probably".

Virg
 
Tomball Gun Club information

Hi Jackie,
Looking forward to hearing back from you. Several questions: membership. I understand one needs to be 'vouched' for to become a member. How is this accomplished? And how long is the waiting list, if there still is one? Secondly, do you accept members of all ages? Do you have families? Thirdly, are there high school kids in the matches? Our son, Jacob, is in the ROTC program at the high school, loves to hunt and shoot and we're trying to find a place where he and his little brother can learn and engage with mentors who are knowledgeable and safe. Thanks for your help!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top