A total Revamp

[686]

i saw an artical in a police mag. i use to get in the late 70's that said ihmsa had grone to 4000 members. that would be nice to have today. our little club now has 4 ihmsa members and we have 6-7 people shooting each mo. i wish we had one of your nice range where more than one person can shoot at a time.

[IHMSA80x80]

Dean,

I know that I can run faster than you which should make up for a the fact that you shoot better than me.
I say do it at Crittenden. I could use a $5000 gun.

Jim K

Considering my back and knee problems, no doubt you can. At least I shoot the correct targets. I'll let you know when we get the new match started.

[jrywho]

I must agree with Charlie about our primary concern, the home range. Improvement starts right at the local shooting range. We have control of that part of IHMSA. It is no secret we have declining participation and membership. We must do what ever possible to create interest. So in my opinion we must get creative and just simply ask the membership (of our clubs) what shooting disciplines they would like offered.

Jackson Purchase had three people attend the Sept 2012 match. Hand writing was on the wall, something had to be done to save IHMSA shooting. The club also needs to see a profit. Without it we loose the range time. We offered shooting classes that the membership asked for. It started out with adding FP. This worked its way into Bordello. The addition of Practical Hunter also played a part in growth. We have now added SB rifle to our shooting itinerary. There aren't many NRA shooters in this area, but an excellent idea. I am glad to report the club is making money again. We have close to 30 entries each match and have signed up two new IHMSA members. Also 5 renewals. Numerous people approach us during our matches and ask when and what guns can they use in our matches. With our offered disciplines I can happily say most anything excluding BB rifles above 2300FPS.

I plan on attending the Internationals this year and I believe it is the heart and soul of this organization. Without it I'm afraid IHMSA would not exists. It is the benchmark for our goals.

Jerry Stringham
43487.

[braud357]

Jerry, I applaud your efforts to grow your local club. I do have to say that I somewhat disagree with part of your post. I have attended 6 International matches since joining in 1980. The last one I attended was in Tusco in 2004. My life situation has changed a bit, and unless something changes I do not see myself attending the Internationals anytime in the near future. To say that the Internationals is the goal we all strive for is in, my opinion - a stretch. I feel that the "glue" that binds IHMSA is people like you and my brother Charlie, and every other match director on the local level. Without you, and all of the rest we are doomed. I know many long-time IHMSA members who have NEVER attended the Internationals, and have no intention of doing so. Also, I know many other shooters who have said that they will never attend another match in Fort Stockton or Oklahoma City. So, it is not the pinnacle that EVERYONE seeks ! The local match director is the fuel that keeps this ship running !

[encore22]

The analysis of the 2012 Internationals is a bit out of kilter. The income for entries should be all even numbers as the fee was $30.00 per entry. There was no volunteer fee this year either. None of the other number were reflected in the year end financial report. Where did these numbers come from? Could be wrong year, but I think not because OKC was referenced in the explanation given. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[19 Turkeys]

The analysis of the 2012 Internationals is a bit out of kilter. The income for entries should be all even numbers as the fee was $30.00 per entry. There was no volunteer fee this year either. None of the other number were reflected in the year end financial report. Where did these numbers come from? Could be wrong year, but I think not because OKC was referenced in the explanation given. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, you are exactly correct & I screwed up! I blame that on advanced age, being less than 1 month from my 69th birthday. I grabbed the 2012 March issue of the paper rather than the March 2013 issue. I had the year end 2012 on my mind hence grabbed the wrong year. I have now analyzed the 2012 Internationals from the March 2013 issue of the paper. You will note the same difficulties in analyzing the 2012 financials that I noted in my original post, that the Internationals is mixed in with all the other financial data. Hence it is impossible to know exactly how much of travel (as an example) is attributable to the match & how much was spent (as an example) on going to the SHOT Show.

That given Here is the real 2012 Internationals. Note, again a negative number.

I will go back and remove my prior post to remove any confusion. (Or at least any more than I created by my error for which I humbly apologize.)

Steve W.

[jrywho]

I know many long-time IHMSA members who have NEVER attended the Internationals, and have no intention of doing so. Also, I know many other shooters who have said that they will never attend another match in Fort Stockton or Oklahoma City. So, it is not the pinnacle that EVERYONE seeks ! The local match director is the fuel that keeps this ship running !
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Philip, thank you for the kind words about growth at Jackson Purchase. In the grand scope of things I want to see this organization at least take a turn towards a positive direction as Jackson. I also believe things such as officer paid expenses for the Internationals are an unreasonable expectation. Especially at this time considering the size of our organization. Possibly make an exception for those that are retired with limited incomes. The annual shot show is something I would not support paid expenses. The industry long ago stopped listening to our request for products due to the declined membership.
I am trying to keep this brief so on to the point. You and others have lost interest in the International Match. As stated you and others will not attend at this time.
I'm in total agreement that there are events and procedures that prevent people from attending.

My question is, what needs to changed with this match that would draw you and someone else to it?

As the former Region 2 Director I'm sure you would have some constructive comments.

thanks,
Jerry Stringham
IHMSA 43487

[19 Turkeys]

My question is, what needs to changed with this match that would draw you and someone else to it?

From my perspective, it is simply a three pronged issue, time, distance & money. All recent locations (Fort Stockton, OKC & TUSCO) that have hosted an Internationals in recent years are in excess of 2,000 miles away from me. That is 3 days on the road each way plus 4 additional motel nights & meals. You are talking 13 days out of my life plus $$. That is a no brainer. I will not attend.

For the record, I have attended several Internationals, the last one being TUSCO in 2002. It was a miserable trip there & back. Once was all I needed! Fort Stockton was not too bad as the second day layover was at my brother's in Phoenix. Still a hard 3 day run however.

Steve W.

[braud357]

Jerry, my reason for not attending the Internationals in past years is simple - I CANNOT AFFORD IT ! I have lost all of my travel companions, so no shared expenses. This is also the reason that I have not attended Greg's East Coast Championship. Figuring lodging, gas prices, food, entry fees, etc., etc. - there you have it. I am not boycotting these matches - quite the contrary. If my financial and work situation was better - I would never miss them ! The last "distant" match that I have attended was the 2008 Region 2 match in Lawrenceburg, KY. Being honest, I really could not afford to go then, but I felt because I was the Region 2 director at the time that I should attend. I am sure that others, such as Steve Ware stated - find these matches to be more drain on the bank account than can be justified. Just the reality in our depressed economy ! Concerning travel expenses and lodging allowances for board members - this needs to be discontinued. We cannot afford it - plain and simple !

[encore22]

I am not being critical of any one's reason for not attending the Internationals. We all have our own circumstances for keeping away. Since 1983 I have attended twenty six matches. Twenty two of them consecutively. Every one has been a very good experience. I have met and talked with every president we have had, since '83, and there were a few. I also have made a lot of people that I can call my friends. Socially the match was a total success. The shooting part left a bit to be desired, but I did what I heard a lot of shooters saying, "shoot against yourself and have fun". I did enjoy all of those Internationals. I even attended a match in Idaho that I shot one gun, but I was at the internationals. That was my goal. Age is creeping up on me, so I don't know how many more I'll be able to make, but I'll do my best to get to as many as I can. I can remember in Ft Stockton there was a guy that was 89 years old and he tried to shoot standing. They gave him a chair so he could shoot. I don't know if he shot through, but he was at the Internationals. Years ago there were vendors that sold their goods, but that has gone by the wayside, so when I attended the OKC match in 2012, I brought a bunch of stuff I had no use for and put it up for sale. I paid for almost half my expenses for my stay. Just a thought. If anyone is on the fence about going this year let me say this to you. OKC would be the right match to start your string of matches. It is a very nice range with auto reset targets. That alone cuts out a lot of down time. There is room for shooters, spotters and spectators and it is easy to get to. It would be a good first experience for your, I WAS AT THE INTERNATIONALS.