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Is there a decline in the amount of 3D tournaments ???

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    Is there a decline in the amount of 3D tournaments ???

    Just wondering if anyone else thought that there are not as many 3D tournaments out there as there were last year? It seemed there was a tournament every weekend somewhere that you could go to. The numbers at the tournaments do not seem to be down.

    #2
    I think there is! I know we are finding the same thing. Some weekends we would go to two different ones, now it is hard to find one! But since we have be out of it for 5 years, we kind of expected some changes. We have noticed a large decrease in attendence over the last 5 years.

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      #3
      Originally posted by aggie2000tx View Post
      Just wondering if anyone else thought that there are not as many 3D tournaments out there as there were last year? It seemed there was a tournament every weekend somewhere that you could go to. The numbers at the tournaments do not seem to be down.
      Toby,

      I believe there isn't as many as there was last year, but with Big Oaks shutting down I'm sure that is a big reason far as I'm concerened. I never missed those that were 2 miles from my house

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        #4
        Don't forget, we lost two and almost 3 driving forces behind the 3D tournament schedule this year...Big Oaks put a dent in every month, Cowtown used to have at least one shoot a month, and HCB almost went under at the end of last year...take two of the 4 weekends out of play and you have half as many tournaments...some of us have filled those weekends with clubs from Dallas, Eastland, Bryan, etc, but it's going to be awhile before someone steps up and fills the shoes of the two biggest clubs/organizers of tournaments...let's hope that Waco stiffens up and takes a weekend for the summer and runs a 3D tournament for us fanatics...or that maybe someone with about 50 acres steps up and starts a club locally.

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          #5
          A lot of 3D ranges have shut down for 2 reasons -

          1. Lack of help in running the shoots.

          2. Lack of participation in the shoots.


          I think #1 is the biggest reason. People have told me they don't mind hosting a shoot for 10-15 people, but they'd like to have more than the same 2-3 people setting up, mowing, cleaning, serving food, hauling trash off, and taking down the targets.

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            #6
            Exactly Tracey! I think that is the problem here in the Houston area. I have heard that Buffalo, which was one of the biggest and nicest clubs in the area 5 years ago, are only having 3 shoots this year for that very reason.

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              #7
              I can't imagine a club that enters into a concept like hosting a series of 3D shoots "every (blank) weekend for the summer, without thinking this through...this is alot of work, and either you have the manpower to do it up front, or you don't do it. It's like saying...we have X number of members, and surely somebody will help...that doesn't happen...if you don't have a crew before you start, and they are not all on board, you just don't have the shoots...simple as that...what you guys are describing is poor planning it sounds like.

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                #8
                Lots of times, at the beginning of the year, everybody is willing to help! It sounds exciting and like a lot of fun. Then as the year rolls along, baseball season starts, the weather gets real nice and people have other things come up to do. Or they get real serious about shooting and end up traveling to the "big" shoots instead of club shoots every weekend. Alot of people just don't realize the amount of work, time and committment it takes to put these on. Then the club president and a couple of officers are left doing everything. Just ask the greek.

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                  #9
                  Some clubs have addressed the lack of help issue by offering discounted membership fees for assisting with set-up/tear down. Cowtown would offer shoots for free for helping. I see the decline due to a lack of leadership from one particular group to arrange, contact, and advertise throughout the state. Meaning, there is no group or person that is willing to contact all the clubs, arrange the schedules, and post them by region or area so everyone can look it up, and either go to a far away one, or shoot something more locally. Since most of us do this as a hobby, and not a job, it will stay this way until we all get together.

                  Is there a listing of all the archery clubs in TX? Or is it more word of mouth, and very locally advertised stuff? If there is not a bow shop that you are locally involved with, how would you find out what is happening in CC(which has an awesome course) or Houston, or San Angelo?? Hopefully this will change soon.

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                    #10
                    Don't get me wrong here, I know that other things get in the way, and life goes on...but if I were to plan an event...like a 3D event every 3rd Sunday of every month, for the entire summer, and I was to be responsible for it's success, I would make sure that BEFORE committing to this endeavor, that I had a faithful team of volunteers to accomplish this. I think that too many times we rely on that "Yeah, I'm on board, and would like to help" from our members, only to be let down when something more important comes along...if you're not going to work, don't play...how many of these "busy" members show up at the shoots and shoot, but don't help after volunteering to do so? I think too many clubs look at the profit potential, and jump into this without realizing the impact this is going to have on their lives and their well being.I stand by my earlier statement...either have it all in place before you start, or don't have the shoots.

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                      #11
                      so davik, how would you address the folks who commited to help, and then backed out? maybe yo ucould write a few days of mandatory work into the membership, but other than that, how?? this is no different than beer league softball, golfin trips or even hunting trips. it moves in waves, and the ones dedicated will keep showing up and the others will keep making hollow commitments.

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                        #12
                        That's my point...you can't run a 3D series of shoots like a church softball league...3D for archery clubs is a money making event, pure and simple...your club is trying to lure me and my money to your location over several other clubs at the same time...how would you do this if you were a business? would you rely on several volunteer workers to maybe show up and help? not a chance! and if 3D clubs are going to survive, they are going to have to change along with the rest of the world...what percentage of club monies are generated by these 3D events? maybe it's time to "hire" club members to be in charge of the 3D events, the setting up and taking down of the targets, etc...pay them for their time and efforts...make it a percentage of the proceeds from the shoot...I bet you'd have no trouble getting volunteers then! This isn't rocket science...as long as you keep relying on volunteers, you are going to be disappointed with the results...as long as you treat this problem like church league softball, it's going to remain church league softball...and the number of shoots and the quality of shoots is going to decline (the original reason for this thread) I have never heard Roger Boone complain about not having enough "volunteers" to set up his range...he never tried to brow beat me into volunteering to help for free, and he never once had to post on any web board that the main problem with 3D clubs was getting people to help...he knew going in that he had to have X number of workers (him) and that those workers would benefit from the number of people at that particular shoot...he set quality, clean, professionally set up courses that kept us coming back every month because the shoot was worth going to...and he didn't rely on anybody except his 3D committe(himself and family) and the range was a huge success. Maybe some other clubs should take a lesson from this.

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                          #13
                          Very interesting stuff brought up in the thread. Now knowing that Cowtown lost it's course I know that is at least part of the problem in the metroplex. While the amount of people has not declined that participate in the events it just seems to me that the lack of tournaments may turn people away. This being just my second year ever shooting 3D not having places to go to shoot may make me look into doing something else. I realize that it takes alot of work to put together a course. I live near Denton and there are not good clubs up that way so I am not a member anywhere. Just because I am not a member anywhere does not mean that I have not told several clubs around the metroplex that I would be more than willing to help put up a course. I have yet to be contacted and I see the same people at just about every 3D shoot. I know that if I lived in the southern part of Texas it would be even worst and I do not know if I would keep shooting having to drive to the North Texas to shoot any of the big tournaments such as ASA and IBO. So since we know the problems what can we all do to make it better and have quality courses to go shoot every weekend???

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                            #14
                            That is pretty much what we are doing with our practice shoots. It is Lefty and I and one other couple. We do all of the work and show up every Tuesday and Thursday night. We do it out of love for the sport and the money goes to buy new targets and help defer the cost of the 4 of us going to the IBO World shoot in Indiana. Luckily we have a good archery shop with some land that will let us do this.

                            I agree that it is very hard to find people with the committment level to set up a good clean shoot (that know what they are doing). I really don't know that many of the volunteers would even commit faithfully if you paid them.

                            Where is this club that you are talking about? I would like to shoot it someday!!

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                              #15
                              The North Texas ASA clubs (Mesquite, Irving, Cowtown, Eastland, Paris, and Clifton) have a coordination meeting in Oct./Nov. every year. We set our schedules so as not to "step on" each other as well as working around ASA national events and other local club events. Believe me. Its not as easy as it sounds. This year for instance we have several two day events that "step on" each other but we have designed our schedules to keep this to a minimum. Two years ago I had 4 ASA qualifiers. This year I have 6 scheduled plus the state championship. Next year we are looking at 7 or possibly 8 ASA events plus the state championship. It is very diffucult for us to put a schedule together now without conflicts and it is going to get worse next year. We always work around Easter, Mothers Day, and Fathers Day as attendance is very low (we have tried it in the past) on those holidays. I will post my "tenative schedule" from our coordination meeting below so you can see how crowded the dates actually have become in North Texas. There are plenty of shoots up here in North Texas to attend. Check the schedules for the six North Texas ASA clubs I mentioned. Paris has TWO shoots a month, factor in Collin County, Tyler Bowhunters and i think you can be busy every weekend.

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