CPSA ESK Survey

CPSA has just posted a link to a survey on ESK which includes 2 proposals. I don't see what the first one has to do with attracting more ESK shooters. Can anyone enlighten me?

Personally I can't see how fiddling about with a minor adjustment is speed is supposed to attract new people. Wouldn't it be better to hold something like ESK taster or introduction sessions and to increase the publicity surrounding local ESK competitions such as county champioships

Surely the speed is what makes it ESK (mainly) 

As for attracting more people to it, well thats a 64k question.

Shooting is expensive enough now and most people i know just shoot sporting as thats there favourite and don't just pop down the local range for a few rounds of something else.

I firmly believe that if your consistent at skeet your sporting will/would improve.

This is a great idea, long overdue.... speed the buggers up because I'm sure I'm missing in front!!

Seriously, this thinking needs support. We need more people shooting consistent skeet targets and competition..... didn't seem to do any harm to Mr Digweed's career

Lets get behind this!

Maybe change the name also? British skeet? Maybe National skeet??

I shoot nssa skeet and stay away from esk because of the speed difference.

If YOU WANT TO SHOOT NASSA FINE LEAVE ENGLISH SKEET ALONE. SIMON IF YOUR MISSING IN FRONT FOLLOW THE TRIND PUT A BIG WEIGHT ON THE FRONT OF YOU GUN MAY SLOW YOU DOWN. GIVE US A BREAK GO SHOOT YOUR NASSA.

If I wanted to shoot NSSA targets I would go to NSSA shoots not ESK ones.  Would faster targets not be harder for beginners, assuming it's not blowing a gale and moving the targets a lot?

Chrisorgan said:

I shoot nssa skeet and stay away from esk because of the speed difference.

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Chris,

So IF the two were the same speed would you transition between them?

To be clear i am a fan of the move to increase the target speed and have been for a long time for two PRIMARY reasons and another entirely selfish one.

Reason 1.

The SLIGHTLY faster targets DO fly better. The targets flying better will mean fairer targets over multiple day competitions in maybe mixed weather conditions. This leads to less grumbles and complaints which can only be positive for skeet as a positive outlook will bring more shooters into skeet.

Reason 2.

The UK is falling behind in the OSK world and part of this i believe is the transition between ESK and OSK is too wide currently too wide (52m - 68m) the new propossed speed of 56.5m might make the transition easier in the future. Meaning more shooters might stick at it and we see a larger take up meaning bigger pool of shooters capable of going on and shooting OSK at Olympic level. Winning medals and raising the profile of the sport - again this can only be good.

Reason 3. (The selfish one)

Same as Chris i shoot mainly NSSA these days as i find it much more appealing - the challenge of the gauges etc. I prefer the targets too as they DO fly better and more consistently and fairer. I in all 100% honesty see not leed differences between ESK and NSSA and i do not find one any harder than the other - BUT - the look and hold points to me ARE different so as a consequence i shoot less ESK as i do not want to be messing about between the two - having them the same speed would mean i could transition easier keeping things the same. So from a selfish point of view another positive and the increase would mean i would shoot more ESK again going forwards.

So you can guess which way i have voted. The form could have been better laid out and i have heavily used the "comments" and "thoughts" boxes to put opinion across and make other points to be considered to make ESK more accessible and increase the take up of shooters shooting it and sticking with it as a discipline. Skeet is a great version of clay shooting and the more we can align / assist the various versions of skeet the better for everyone. We just need to accept that change is positive and to simply stay the same is to actually go backwards.

Those that think this is a move to make ESK the same as NSSA are mistaken i feel. 

NSSA has its own things (Gauges / different sequences etc) - ESK is primarily 12 gauge only and of course no station 8, the pair on four, different station 7 sequence so even with a speed increase they will be different still and it will STILL be ESK - just with better fairer targets.

Do i believe that the speed increase will make it harder? - No i do not. In fact in the inconsistent weather we have here in the UK it might well make it easier!

Do i think it will make it harder for beginners? - No i do not. We are talking about targets that need minimal leed compared to ESP / FSP and plenty of beginners shoot those disciplines. 

Skeetfreak said:

Chris,

So IF the two were the same speed would you transition between them?

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absolutely yes.

I've voted 'no' to both proposals. Faster targets will penalise the 'average' shooter. If I want NSSA speeds i'll shoot NSSA. The second proposal just seems pointless to me. Skeet is skeet, let's not try and complicate it by adding sub categories and competitions.

To some extent the problem with skeet is that it has become a little too competitive. Standards have risen to such a high level (thanks to the US influence upon shooting techniques, tuition, equipment and so on) that your average sporting shooter just can't be bothered with it.

Great post skeetfreak, I enjoy all forms of Skeet and upping the speed to match the NSSA speeds would be step forward for me, why live in the past.

I propose we Spead up the targets for DTL to ball trap Spead will make them fly better.WHAT a load of B NASSA boys tell the truth 40 shooters trying to Dictate to 1000 shooters what to shoot.

Jan Powell said:

To some extent the problem with skeet is that it has become a little too competitive. Standards have risen to such a high level (thanks to the US influence upon shooting techniques, tuition, equipment and so on) that your average sporting shooter just can't be bothered with it.

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Interesting as while i have not checked any facts... i actually feel the opposite in the last 10 years.

I would say the number of people breaking hundreds is less

Certainly less 100 straights being shot at Championships.

I think maybe the averages are lower across the classes too

Less ESK targets being shot overall (intimated by the survey)

Less shooters (intimated by the survey)

joe kitson said:

I propose we Spead up the targets for DTL to ball trap Spead will make them fly better.WHAT a load of B NASSA boys tell the truth 40 shooters trying to Dictate to 1000 shooters what to shoot.

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Nobody is trying to tell anyone else what to do it's a survey people are giving opinions about what they would like possibley make it better. You seem a bit butter about the whole thing maybe you should shoot more and lighten up a bit.

These proposals have been put together as I understand it by the skeet sub committee in response to the ever declining numbers of competitors shooting skeet. The volume of shooters at the English and British is in decline and something needs to be done.

The skeet sub committee has formulated these proposals as a positive way to move the discipline forward and to make it attractive to shooters of other disciplines to give it a go and hopefully shoot the major events.

Sitting on hands is clearly not the way.. unless you want the discipline to die.  It is always easy to knock others ideas, if you have some positive ideas why not forward them to the Chair of the skeet sub committee. Whom I understand is Mr Kitson.

By the way Jo, I'm not too sure where the 1000 skeet shooters to which you refer are?? The only occasion I've seen 1000 skeet competitors together is in San Antonio at the World NSSA skeet competition!!  Maybe you should be supporting your committee to move skeet forward to be enjoyed and loved by many in the future rather than coming on here and throwing your dummy at people who support the discipline.

Oh and thanks for the advice, maybe I'll buy a barrel weight.

Brilliant!

Sitting on hands is clearly not the way.. unless you want the discipline to die.  It is always easy to knock others ideas, if you have some positive ideas why not forward them to the Chair of the skeet sub committee. Whom I understand is Mr Kitson.

And there lies the main problem with english skeet.As only a occational skeet shooter and looking in from the outside it seems to me that there are old grievances between some of the old guard that are preventing new blood coming in and helping out at county level.If every county brought a full team then that would up the numbers in one go,and if  certain people dont want to be in the team just go down the scores till you find some that would love the chance to shoot for there county.Having the clays wound up a bit aint going to make any differance to real shooters apart from  maybe giving a truer flight.

I agree people need to get over any old blood and get on with it making the sport more appealing to everyone.