Was George right ?

[Deershooter]

George Digweed last year said that there were too many competitions , it now seems he was correct.

The golden goose has only so many golden eggs . People just don't have the money some people expect to compete in all competitions 

Deershooter

 

[Sian]

But you could say the more choice, the more people can be discerning about what they choose to shoot and this in turn keeps the course setters on their toes to produce quality shoots to attract people to them or you could just be greedy like me and try to do lots.

 

[Jim Wheeler]

krieghoff masters has been cancelled,,, southdown often cancel Fitasc, and others,, there is a limit to  the number of shooters with enough time and money , 

always nice to go to a big shoot,the cost of entry keeps going up, way more than inflation rate anyway, but very few can expect to do well,  basically giving money to sponsored shooters !

 

[Sian]

Thing about Fitasc is there are only so many you can really have come in order to get everybody around but you need it to be full to make it worth while.  Ask people like Phil Moss, Steve Lovatt and others who have to organise a good Fitasc, how much effort and resources (traps etc) goes into it.  They effectively limit their business takings by putting on the Fitasc so if you do not get a full house, it makes more sense to cancel it.  You also need enough qualified refs to call upon so even if you are a big ground like Southdown who could run an ESP and an FSP at the same time, it is not cost effective for them.  

 

[Will Hewland]

More competitions will be fantastic for the elite and be out of range for those with less time, money and ambition. The top guys will do them all (or nearly) and continue to hone their skills further. Success breeds more success while failure (or non-attendance) breeds not much. Shooting 10-15,000 clays IN COMPETITION annually is a big ask for most people. So, the skill divide widens. Mostly, I get shown that I am half as good as the top blokes. Even on a good day, where I hit a 94 for instance, the shoot may get won on a 98. that means I have missed three times as many clays. Bridging that gap is a huge ask.

But we cant hold back the top guys if we want the sport to become more mainstream / well publicised / respected. You pick a personal level and keep it realistic is the answer.

Commercially, It does seem that mostly, the mass of big sporting events do well, but there is a point at which it cant be stretched a lot further and i suspect we are near it.

 

[Darkside]

More competitions will be fantastic for the elite and be out of range for those with less time, money and ambition. The top guys will do them all (or nearly) and continue to hone their skills further. Success breeds more success while failure (or non-attendance) breeds not much. Shooting 10-15,000 clays IN COMPETITION annually is a big ask for most people. So, the skill divide widens. Mostly, I get shown that I am half as good as the top blokes. Even on a good day, where I hit a 94 for instance, the shoot may get won on a 98. that means I have missed three times as many clays. Bridging that gap is a huge ask.

So, by your logic Will, the 'elite' shots are shooting 10-15,000 competition clays and widening the gap between you and them because you are unable to shoot as many competition clays as them...so I did a quick comparison;

Looking at 'total number of scores' on the cpsa

Digweed 30

Winser 21

Faulds 19

Husthwaite 13

Hewland 54

So, statistically, Hewland has shot over 2.5 times the average number of shoots that the 'big 4 elite' shots haveshot in the last 12 months...

 

[chubby]

In August every one is in Spain  not in wet and windy Gloucester 

 

[Sian]

So, by your logic Will, the 'elite' shots are shooting 10-15,000 competition clays and widening the gap between you and them because you are unable to shoot as many competition clays as them...so I did a quick comparison;

Looking at 'total number of scores' on the cpsa

Digweed 30

Winser 21

Faulds 19

Husthwaite 13

Hewland 54

So, statistically, Hewland has shot over 2.5 times the average number of shoots that the 'big 4 elite' shots haveshot in the last 12 months...

66 for me and that is of course only registered shoots you are counting.  No doubt all of them will have been shooting abroad, game, practising without scores being recorded.

 

[ips]

Many top trap shooters record very very few reg comps however they practice many many times a week behind closed doors so to speak.

Just saying....

 

[Sian]

Also they have all shot a very very long time and have a gift to start with no doubt which has been honed with plenty of hard work.  Mr Hewland hasn't really been shooting that long in the scheme of the other's lives and may I say is doing very very well indeed.  You can pay me later Will - I like jam doughnuts, which apparently are the cause of my crappy shooting.

 

[ips]

 I like jam doughnuts, which apparently are the cause of my crappy shooting.

see thread re-food before shoot.

 

[Sian]

see thread re-food before shoot.

I know Ips, I've got to move to bird food apparently.

 

[Will Hewland]

So, by your logic Will, the 'elite' shots are shooting 10-15,000 competition clays and widening the gap between you and them because you are unable to shoot as many competition clays as them...so I did a quick comparison;

Looking at 'total number of scores' on the cpsa

Digweed 30

Winser 21

Faulds 19

Husthwaite 13

Hewland 54

So, statistically, Hewland has shot over 2.5 times the average number of shoots that the 'big 4 elite' shots haveshot in the last 12 months...

Statistics and damned lies.. I notice you omit the like of Martin Myers, Chris Childerhouse etc who are the core of the blokes I'm talking about. The others you list all work with shooting, instruct a lot and shoot almost daily. I pretty much only get the gun out to shoot reg comps, whereas many others shoot huge amounts otherwise. GD does about 40 non reg shoots a year that won't make your list.

 

[Sian]

Statistics and damned lies.. I notice you omit the like of Martin Myers, Chris Childerhouse, Paul Lovick etc who are the core of the blokes I'm talking about. The others you list all work with shooting, instruct a lot and shoot almost daily. I pretty much only get the gun out to shoot reg comps, whereas many others shoot huge amounts otherwise. GD does about 40 non reg shoots a year that won't make your list.

Its true and it has to be fine weather doesn't it Will?  

 

[Hamster]

More competitions will be fantastic for the elite and be out of range for those with less time, money and ambition. The top guys will do them all (or nearly) and continue to hone their skills further. Success breeds more success while failure (or non-attendance) breeds not much. Shooting 10-15,000 clays IN COMPETITION annually is a big ask for most people. So, the skill divide widens. Mostly, I get shown that I am half as good as the top blokes. Even on a good day, where I hit a 94 for instance, the shoot may get won on a 98. that means I have missed three times as many clays. Bridging that gap is a huge ask.

But we cant hold back the top guys if we want the sport to become more mainstream / well publicised / respected. You pick a personal level and keep it realistic is the answer.

Commercially, It does seem that mostly, the mass of big sporting events do well, but there is a point at which it cant be stretched a lot further and i suspect we are near it.

Excellent post  , the very best tend to be nearasdamit full timers and coach for a living too. It makes a huge difference being out and about and around guns generally instead of cooped up at work waiting for Sunday. GD posted on FB that he shot 4 comps last Sunday, 99,98,98 and 94  B)  anyone who thinks they can compete with that work rate is having a larf to himself. 

The numbers of big shoots per year will even itself out in the end, supply and demand always rules. Ultimately the vast majority are in it for the fun and a few have the chance of the pot, they deserve it too because you get out what you put in. 

 

[Sian]

I'm trying Hammie, I have managed three shoots in one day and I am shooting on Saturdays as well between 250/325 cartridges in an afternoon.  Soon I'll be able to shoot four times per week if I co-ordinate the shoots and shooting days right as summer time is here and I am on part time work from next week until September - yippeeeee!  Somehow though I don't think I'll be chasing anyone's coat tails 

 

[Hamster]

I'm trying Hammie, I have managed three shoots in one day and I am shooting on Saturdays as well between 250/325 cartridges in an afternoon.  Soon I'll be able to shoot four times per week if I co-ordinate the shoots and shooting days right as summer time is here and I am on part time work from next week until September - yippeeeee!  Somehow though I don't think I'll be chasing anyone's coat tails 

I've done three separate comps in one day before but that was a while back, up until a few years ago I tried to do 2 if possible and the weird thing was the more I shot the more I lucked into a place too.  :lol: B)  

 

[Ian Lawrence]

I'm trying Hammie, I have managed three shoots in one day and I am shooting on Saturdays as well between 250/325 cartridges in an afternoon.  Soon I'll be able to shoot four times per week if I co-ordinate the shoots and shooting days right as summer time is here and I am on part time work from next week until September - yippeeeee!  Somehow though I don't think I'll be chasing anyone's coat tails 

Blimey Sian!  No.1topdog said you were showing potential and one to watch. With 66 registered scores it's easy to see why you are on the up. Keep at it, but it's a hard road I should imagine (never having traveled on that one myself).   :smile:

 

[Sian]

I've done three separate comps in one day before but that was a while back, up until a few years ago I tried to do 2 if possible and the weird thing was the more I shot the more I lucked into a place too.  :lol: B)  

I do two on a Sunday, I feel cheated otherwise.  Having only taken shooting up nearly 3 yrs ago, it's like someone whose woken up from a coma and has to make up for the last twenty years!  

Blimey Sian!  No.1topdog said you were showing potential and one to watch. With 66 registered scores it's easy to see why you are on the up. Keep at it, but it's a hard road I should imagine (never having traveled on that one myself).   :smile:

It is true I shoot a lot and I have made progress but I lack discipline both on the stand and generally and that is what will hold me back - oh that and a lack of talent of course and still learning all the different presentations and trying to remember them in my memory.  I'll never make it big but that is not what it is about for me, I just love being out with my Lola May.  Tony and Caroline Marshall were giggling behind me at the Sportasc - a big target left to right and my gun was in the wrong place to start off apparently as I just find it difficult remembering sometimes where to start but I still got it - just went like the clappers to catch it up.