Teams

[Bryn12]

Leading on from a couple of comments on another thread(s)........ Shooting is an individual sport unlike football etc., so an individual's score is not directly affected by the other members, HOWEVER just like team sports it takes each and every individual to play their part in order for the team to succeed. I have read some comments bemoaning the lack of 'team spirit' in I think Team GB (or is it Team England?)

What do you perceive as the differences that make the American's, Spanish and Italians more of a team?

Is this apparent lack of 'esprit' down to culture, the organisation, leadership (or lack of) or just the particular make up of the current team/squad.

Just curious.

 

[HDAV]

Cycling is similar individual/team dynamic but they are very very successful....

 

[no.1topdog]

Look at any Great Team, anything like Football, Rugby, Cycling, or individual sports like Tennis, and behind them all you'll see a Great Coach. If that partnership and leadership don't exist, all you'll see is runners up at best. Never underestimate the influence of the people behind the Stars in any sport.

Even G.D. would not be where he is today without key players around him (although a certain degree of talent is required too!!)

 

[** Pending Removal **]

You need a good team manager who does not allow infighting or Prima Donas ....fairness to all in the team....fair funding to all in the team. Meet as a team, eat as a team, train as a team, travel as a team. Slam right down on any who will not comply. Simple.

Then you might stand a chance of them working well together.

Several of our GB team members across several disciplines cannot stand each other. Several top shots cannot stand each other. So don't expect it anytime soon...... :wink:

 

[Guerini Guy]

"Meet as a team, eat as a team, train as a team, travel as a team. Slam right down on any who will not comply. Simple."

Absolutely agree Nic.

Shame that the Essex CPSA Committee don't agree . . . . . . just saying !

 

[ExSCA]

What Nic said. 

 

[dashman1]

Iff anyhing like cpsa committees I have come across its run for

certain little elite groups not based on results just my opinion

 

[Bryn12]

That's such a shame. Yes it does take all the individuals and the backroom staff to put any ego's and antipathy aside and pull together for the team.

I guess I was just lucky in a past life, the national coach and two other team members and myself were from the same small club, as we were miles from anywhere we had to travel together which built a strong team. I really enjoyed the squad weekends and learned a hell of a lot, the senior squad members were all prepared to help and encourage the tiros like me. We competed hard against each other in GPs but away from the FPs there was no hostility, helping sort problems, lending kit &etc. As a team it was about everyone supporting eachother to enable them to give their best you had the elite shooters then tiros like me doing our bit lower down the order, as long as we all shot to our personal ability (hopefully above) then we won, simples.

 

[Skeetfreak]

The BEST examples i can think of this WORKING was at county level back in the early - mid 2000's.

Form 2003 to 2007 BOTH Warwickshire and Staffordshire had incredibly strong skeet squads and the West Midlands Regional / National Inter-Counites skeet events were very hotly contested between these teams.

I know from a Warwickshire perspective the 5 / 6 man seniors team was always booked on together as a unit and usually took one of the last two squads out (Staffs getting the other). We all arranged to meet up and during the event the encouragement was huge. We shot in a certain order EVERY time and everyone knew there spot / responsibility to try and ensure success. Mine was to hold it together as last man on the squad - let me tell you the responsibility to break them all if the rest of the squad had run 25's and you were walking on to station 7!

We always at the end of the day went for a Chinese on the way home as a TEAM- including the rest of the team - Ladies, Juniors, vets etc. 

Working that way as a county team meant that during that time period we won:-

Regional Inter Counties Skeet Seniors Winners - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

Regional Inter Counties Skeet Seniors Runners Up - 2006

National Inter Counties Skeet Seniors Winners - 2003

National Inter Counties Skeet Seniors Runners Up - 2004, 2005

That was one of the best examples of a TEAM i can think of over a consistent period of time - mind you we were lucky in that we had some truly excellent skeet shooters in the county team at the time. As did Staffs as Joe Kitson will remember! (To give you an idea the 2005 England Skeet team in the seniors category 5 of the ten places were taken up by warks / staffs skeet shooters!!)

I know i fully enjoyed those twice yearly contests over that time period.

 

[paul b]

I was lucky enough to be part of the GB FITASC sporting team(when there was a disabled class)and at the time Bruce Faulds was the manager,the way bruce ran things was fantastic, we ate together shared cars to the ground asked each other how the day had gone and generaly were a team and then there was the atention to detail like who needed to be where when etc and even sorting out the hotel all planned out by bruce.

The only thing that wound people up was the lack of funds for the GB team,but that old chestnut will be getting talked about for as long as shooting sport lasts no doubt.  

 

[Bryn12]

Certainly think training weekends, travelling, eating and staying in the same accommodation helps bond a team.

Maybe a part of that comes down to funding, we all know UK shooting squads (and others) are chronically underfunded so we can't all afford to stay in ideal accommodation so there may be a bit of a cause of friction there. Having said that the folk actually doing the competing shouldn't have to think about that sort of thing their job is to hit the targets, everything else should be taken care of by the backroom team, who in turn should be duly acknowledged.

 

[lead belly]

As far as I can see it all comes back to money. Or lack of it. 

 

[Salopian]

Very true Steve.

Passion, enthusiasm, organisation and fund raising, all attributes required by a team manager.

Makes you wonder what the CPSA does with our money doesn't it ?

Just a thought, if we have 23,000 members paying an average of £47-50 per person for example that's £1092500 per annum.

Now that is a fair chunk of money to get through for running a scores register??????

Plus remember grounds pay for registrations and there are other sources of income.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Very true Steve.

Passion, enthusiasm, organisation and fund raising, all attributes required by a team manager.

Makes you wonder what the CPSA does with our money doesn't it ?

Just a thought, if we have 23,000 members paying an average of £47-50 per person for example that's £1092500 per annum.

Now that is a fair chunk of money to get through for running a scores register??????

Plus remember grounds pay for registrations and there are other sources of income.

Are the books open for member examination?

I would have to go with the previous posters about funding.  Funding would have to be THE most critical issue.  Everything stems from that, even more funding.  US teams certainly have a large base to draw from but they get NO funding from any government source unlike many "national" teams.  I can certainly sympathize with your situation as that was very much the case for USA Shooting in the not that distant past. 

 

[Salopian]

Charlie ,

 Yes the accounts are open for scrutiny but we spend a lot of money on computers , heating, and numerous sundries that manages to help us to dispose of funds. 

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Ah, yes, admirable. Supporting the economy as it were.  Good for them.

We should all try to stimulate things more.  Speaking of the economy, of course.