Anybody else have this problem?
My club has been a Sporter-air based program for about 5 years. We started with a couple of Precision shooters and have gradually added a few more, but we still have more sporter kids. But- they don't really take it very seriously or want to compete. Age, gender, no matter-- kids who shoot sporter don't seem to get as involved or treat it as a competitive sport.
Has anyone else seen this phenomenon?
thanks,
Larry Sawyer
Sporter doesn't work
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963
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Kelly
Re: Sporter doesn't work
It is simply a numbers game Larry. For every 10,000 youth who play baseball only 1 will get serious. Sporter builds a huge base of people who have at least shot a gun and are immunized against notions such as "guns are bad". I know how to play chess but I don't compete, so should anyone have "waisted" time teaching me how the pieces move? Do I have an obligation to chess, and its support?
Ask yourself this question: Without the sporter shooters would we have enough participation to cover the cost of any indoor range that the precision shooters need? In Alaska every gold prospector knows you have to go thru a lot of ore to find one small nugget.
In the gun club I belong to many members have a hard time finding the black, should our club cancel their membership? If we did we would no longer have a club and couldn't pay our basic costs of keeping the doors open. Too many do not understand the absolute need for little league (regardless of the sport). Why do we see Olympic shooters holding a $200 or less Daisy in the ads? For the same reason "we" lose shooting facilities. Without numbers you cannot afford the cost of keeping something running.
Sporter is the best way to build the base outside of paying $100,000+ salaries to competitive shooters (that would generate interest!)
Ask yourself this question: Without the sporter shooters would we have enough participation to cover the cost of any indoor range that the precision shooters need? In Alaska every gold prospector knows you have to go thru a lot of ore to find one small nugget.
In the gun club I belong to many members have a hard time finding the black, should our club cancel their membership? If we did we would no longer have a club and couldn't pay our basic costs of keeping the doors open. Too many do not understand the absolute need for little league (regardless of the sport). Why do we see Olympic shooters holding a $200 or less Daisy in the ads? For the same reason "we" lose shooting facilities. Without numbers you cannot afford the cost of keeping something running.
Sporter is the best way to build the base outside of paying $100,000+ salaries to competitive shooters (that would generate interest!)
Sawyer wrote:Anybody else have this problem?
My club has been a Sporter-air based program for about 5 years. We started with a couple of Precision shooters and have gradually added a few more, but we still have more sporter kids. But- they don't really take it very seriously or want to compete. Age, gender, no matter-- kids who shoot sporter don't seem to get as involved or treat it as a competitive sport.
Has anyone else seen this phenomenon?
thanks,
Larry Sawyer
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Sawyer
Yeah, I know it's a numbers game. We're just finding that we have several kids--more than I ever would have thought-- who "don't want to do all that work to shoot well." We don't know how to handle that. We thought kids were joining to learn how to shoot. Turns out some are there just to shoot for fun-- they literally don't care if they ever get any better.
That's a foreign concept to me.
That's tricky for us coaches because we're there to teach kids how to shoot better. But that's counter to why some of our kids are there.
Larry
That's a foreign concept to me.
That's tricky for us coaches because we're there to teach kids how to shoot better. But that's counter to why some of our kids are there.
Larry
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Kelly
Larry, you are making having fun sound like a bad thing! I know that isn't what you are trying to convey but it is how it comes out. I shoot because it is an enjoyable activity for me. Yes I am trying to improve my scores, but that is not the ultimate goal, because I approach each shot as an enjoyable experience. Getting into the moment is a very rewarding experience.
Last week I had a fantastic experience with a youngster in pistol. His scores had gotten stuck. We worked together and found one issue (his grip) that needed improvement. 7 days later he fired a score 15% better than his last personal best. The success produced a pride of accomplishment for him, but the activity wasn't any more or less "fun". We have since talked abut the process of working on one small area and tracking the results and how this same process can work in all aspects of his life. The affinity the youth will have for the sport will come from seeing something beneficial. Fun is beneficial to ones well being.
To often the precision games are seen as drudgery. If that is the perception is it any wonder why the bulk are staying away from it? I do not think we are doing a very good job selling the positive aspects of the shooting sports, and focus too much on the drudgery. Practice should be fun in order for it to be done frequently and this frequency will generally lead to better performance. Why will some youth spend hours perfecting a move on a video game, and often become obsessed with it, but will not do the same for shooting?
Ask yourself are portraying Precision to your Sporter shooters as something fun and worthwhile, or as mostly just hard work with few rewards.
I don't know the answer with absolute certainty, but for me if it wasn't enjoyable (fun) I wouldn't give shooting a second thought. As it is I have been shooting for many years and look forward to shooting for many more. I also have no delusions of making it "big" either. Shooting 9 rings doesn't ruin my day ;~) (though I do like 10's better LOL)
Best of luck and don't take any of this as negitive criticism, you are one of the heros that does work with the youth and are to be commended for that. Always be on the lookout for ideas to do it better.
Last week I had a fantastic experience with a youngster in pistol. His scores had gotten stuck. We worked together and found one issue (his grip) that needed improvement. 7 days later he fired a score 15% better than his last personal best. The success produced a pride of accomplishment for him, but the activity wasn't any more or less "fun". We have since talked abut the process of working on one small area and tracking the results and how this same process can work in all aspects of his life. The affinity the youth will have for the sport will come from seeing something beneficial. Fun is beneficial to ones well being.
To often the precision games are seen as drudgery. If that is the perception is it any wonder why the bulk are staying away from it? I do not think we are doing a very good job selling the positive aspects of the shooting sports, and focus too much on the drudgery. Practice should be fun in order for it to be done frequently and this frequency will generally lead to better performance. Why will some youth spend hours perfecting a move on a video game, and often become obsessed with it, but will not do the same for shooting?
Ask yourself are portraying Precision to your Sporter shooters as something fun and worthwhile, or as mostly just hard work with few rewards.
I don't know the answer with absolute certainty, but for me if it wasn't enjoyable (fun) I wouldn't give shooting a second thought. As it is I have been shooting for many years and look forward to shooting for many more. I also have no delusions of making it "big" either. Shooting 9 rings doesn't ruin my day ;~) (though I do like 10's better LOL)
Best of luck and don't take any of this as negitive criticism, you are one of the heros that does work with the youth and are to be commended for that. Always be on the lookout for ideas to do it better.
Sawyer wrote:Yeah, I know it's a numbers game. We're just finding that we have several kids--more than I ever would have thought-- who "don't want to do all that work to shoot well." We don't know how to handle that. We thought kids were joining to learn how to shoot. Turns out some are there just to shoot for fun-- they literally don't care if they ever get any better.
That's a foreign concept to me.
That's tricky for us coaches because we're there to teach kids how to shoot better. But that's counter to why some of our kids are there.
Larry
Re: Sporter doesn't work
Great post Larry! Here is my 2 cents...Sawyer wrote:Anybody else have this problem?
My club has been a Sporter-air based program for about 5 years. We started with a couple of Precision shooters and have gradually added a few more, but we still have more sporter kids. But- they don't really take it very seriously or want to compete. Age, gender, no matter-- kids who shoot sporter don't seem to get as involved or treat it as a competitive sport.
Has anyone else seen this phenomenon?
thanks,
Larry Sawyer
I don't think it has anything to do with sporter, precision, individual programs, or the weather. Some kids just don't like the amount of "work" or commitment involved in trying to seriously advance - in anything.
Our club has been sporter-air based for about 3 years now, with 4 shooters going into precision at the start of this season.
We focus almost all of our serious competitive efforts on sporter for now. We have a small group of seasoned sporter shooters that are at a very good level, but the same shooters have a lot to learn to be near the same place in precision.
As you said about your group in a reply post, we also have a good number of members that just aren't that interested in advancing. We try very hard to make the club work for them as well. It is amazing though what a difference a new group of shooters makes. Last year at this time we had already lost (and replaced) 8-10 of our 26 shooters. For many it was a lot harder than they expected, and when they found they couldn't just jump-in and do well they quit. This season we have a different group (17 of our 26 returned from last year). So far none have left, and we even had a waiting list from the start of the school year that we have not been able to draw from. This group is more determined to advance, or just show up, for some reason.
All of our top shooters seem to be self-motivated. Driven (in differing amounts) to gain that extra point they dropped in the last match, set a new personal best, top their closest rival, or set a new club record.
It is a concern to keep it fun though. Luckily we have coaches better at that than me! I tend to want to make constant, though small, advances like I tried to do when I was actively competitng - not usually a "fun" thing to do.
On one hand they don't like to be pushed too much, but on the other hand they sure like to win matches!
Jay V
IL
www.aiac-airguns.org
Last edited by Jay V on Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sawyer
BINGO!
That's what I'm talking about: "when they found they couldn't just jump-in and do well they quit". We have lost some kids due to that, and we have others who, as I said, really don't care if they get any better, they just want to mess around and have fun with the other kids in the club. And fun is great! I just find it hard to help a kid with her position when I know she doesn't care about whether or not it will help her shoot better. That's my little conundrum.
We have truly learned that we have to make the learning process fun-- make learning how to shoot fun-- but we now find that we have kids who want to have fun, but they don't want to learn anything! Great kids, but it gets me to wondering if they're in the right club, sport, whatever.
I have perhaps 3 kids out of 14 who are self-motivated to do better. My original post about Sporter pointed to so many kids in Sporter losing interest-- but Precision seems to keep them interested.
So I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this phenomenon. There's just not enough "substance" to sporter, but Precision seems to have more intrigue and "draw power". Is there a pattern here, or is it just a few kids in my club that have made it seem that Sporter air is less interesting to kids?
Larry
We have truly learned that we have to make the learning process fun-- make learning how to shoot fun-- but we now find that we have kids who want to have fun, but they don't want to learn anything! Great kids, but it gets me to wondering if they're in the right club, sport, whatever.
I have perhaps 3 kids out of 14 who are self-motivated to do better. My original post about Sporter pointed to so many kids in Sporter losing interest-- but Precision seems to keep them interested.
So I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this phenomenon. There's just not enough "substance" to sporter, but Precision seems to have more intrigue and "draw power". Is there a pattern here, or is it just a few kids in my club that have made it seem that Sporter air is less interesting to kids?
Larry
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SRichieR
I had one boy come back to shoot sporter AR when we found out that we had girls in the club now and that we would shoot "high power" some this year. He's a pretty good shot and getting better slowly. He's only in it for the fun right now but at least he's shooting! The interest in the sport has to start somewhere. I always remind myself that this kid, like many other kids in our program, is a future voter.
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Albert
Making it a challange as well as fun at the same time
Here in The Netherlands we have the same problem. Juniors as well as adults joining the club just for the fun, not wanting to put in some effort. The number of people participating in local and regional matches have dropped to 1/10th in aprox. 8 years.
It has a lot to do with beads and mirrors. We humans want to get somethinmg in return for our efforts. Especially the beginning shooters want to be rewarded for their input. In the past all kinds of medals, from medals for shooting above a certain level in a match to small tokens given as a reminder of the match when participating were abolished. Since a year I coach and train 2 teams of beginning shooter and have them participating in a local competion between clubs. A whole lot of work goes into it, but by writing very humorous and exiting reports and giving prices for the best shooter of the match, the best shooter of the competition and giving certificates for all sort of things I have made them interested enough that about half of them want to buy their own rifle and start shooting big matches.
One form of raising interest was forming a cheerlleader team consisting of girlfriends and wives of the shooter It works great! Lots of fun as the shooters return from the range into the building and are cheered by 3 or 4 ladies dressed in clubcollors and waving banners and pompoms!
It makes them feel like Olympic Winners!!!
In short: Give them the feeling they are someone big, Work on their pride and hold that carrot in front of them. You will be amased how hard they will try.
Lots of succes.
Albert
(The Nethertlands)
It has a lot to do with beads and mirrors. We humans want to get somethinmg in return for our efforts. Especially the beginning shooters want to be rewarded for their input. In the past all kinds of medals, from medals for shooting above a certain level in a match to small tokens given as a reminder of the match when participating were abolished. Since a year I coach and train 2 teams of beginning shooter and have them participating in a local competion between clubs. A whole lot of work goes into it, but by writing very humorous and exiting reports and giving prices for the best shooter of the match, the best shooter of the competition and giving certificates for all sort of things I have made them interested enough that about half of them want to buy their own rifle and start shooting big matches.
One form of raising interest was forming a cheerlleader team consisting of girlfriends and wives of the shooter It works great! Lots of fun as the shooters return from the range into the building and are cheered by 3 or 4 ladies dressed in clubcollors and waving banners and pompoms!
It makes them feel like Olympic Winners!!!
In short: Give them the feeling they are someone big, Work on their pride and hold that carrot in front of them. You will be amased how hard they will try.
Lots of succes.
Albert
(The Nethertlands)
Re: BINGO!
Hi again Larry,Sawyer wrote:(snip) but we now find that we have kids who want to have fun, but they don't want to learn anything! Great kids, but it gets me to wondering if they're in the right club, sport, whatever.
(snip) There's just not enough "substance" to sporter, but Precision seems to have more intrigue and "draw power". (snip)
Larry
For those kids that just want to have fun, just concentrate on making sure they learn safe gun handling - that's really our first mission in this. I do share your view about their attitude, and also have to try to step back a little and just make sure they are safe when shooting.
The NRA's Marksmanship Qualification Program, with patches, pins, certificates, may also help get those students more interested in becoming better shooters.
I don't feel that precision has any more "draw power" than sporter. By natural selection, the shooters that go to precision are (hopefully) the more serious competitors. We take our precision shooters back into sporter at times. Some of the time they don't like it, but a good precision shooter should be a good sporter shooter in my opinion. Sporter is simple and to the point, and mastering the basics is immediately rewarded. For our group, you are a sporter shooter until "promoted" to precision by accomplishment and dedication.
Are you shooting a lot of competitions? I really feel that competing (at first on a state, then national level) gets everyone fired-up. It's a lot of work traveling around with 8 or 10 competitors, but really makes the training worthwhile for the students.
Jay V
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Guest
Re: BINGO!
Excellent Post Jay!
Gearing up for a competition (even a friendly one at a club vs club level) is often enough of an incentive to practice. Would any of us know how to spell if there wasn't a spelling test when we were in school? Some would but the rest uf uss mite knot hav spnt mch tyme on practiss if u get mi drifft ;~) Challenge a local club to a match with your club, you will be glad you did.
More competitions with a prize or two as simple as a paper certificate may help the put more efforts into doing a bit better.
In short there are benefits to teaching a basics class and for many this may sate their appetite. One of the main benefits is that those boys and girls will not be easily fooled into believing "guns are bad". Few who take Chemistry in High School become Chemists, but knowing something of Chemistry is a good thing.
Gearing up for a competition (even a friendly one at a club vs club level) is often enough of an incentive to practice. Would any of us know how to spell if there wasn't a spelling test when we were in school? Some would but the rest uf uss mite knot hav spnt mch tyme on practiss if u get mi drifft ;~) Challenge a local club to a match with your club, you will be glad you did.
More competitions with a prize or two as simple as a paper certificate may help the put more efforts into doing a bit better.
In short there are benefits to teaching a basics class and for many this may sate their appetite. One of the main benefits is that those boys and girls will not be easily fooled into believing "guns are bad". Few who take Chemistry in High School become Chemists, but knowing something of Chemistry is a good thing.
Jay V wrote:Hi again Larry,Sawyer wrote:(snip) but we now find that we have kids who want to have fun, but they don't want to learn anything! Great kids, but it gets me to wondering if they're in the right club, sport, whatever.
(snip) There's just not enough "substance" to sporter, but Precision seems to have more intrigue and "draw power". (snip)
Larry
For those kids that just want to have fun, just concentrate on making sure they learn safe gun handling - that's really our first mission in this. I do share your view about their attitude, and also have to try to step back a little and just make sure they are safe when shooting.
The NRA's Marksmanship Qualification Program, with patches, pins, certificates, may also help get those students more interested in becoming better shooters.
I don't feel that precision has any more "draw power" than sporter. By natural selection, the shooters that go to precision are (hopefully) the more serious competitors. We take our precision shooters back into sporter at times. Some of the time they don't like it, but a good precision shooter should be a good sporter shooter in my opinion. Sporter is simple and to the point, and mastering the basics is immediately rewarded. For our group, you are a sporter shooter until "promoted" to precision by accomplishment and dedication.
Are you shooting a lot of competitions? I really feel that competing (at first on a state, then national level) gets everyone fired-up. It's a lot of work traveling around with 8 or 10 competitors, but really makes the training worthwhile for the students.
Jay V
Re: BINGO!
Competitions are what made me stick to rifle shooting a few years ago, and it's why I was able to get better.Jay V wrote:Are you shooting a lot of competitions? I really feel that competing (at first on a state, then national level) gets everyone fired-up. It's a lot of work traveling around with 8 or 10 competitors, but really makes the training worthwhile for the students.
Jay V
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mikeschroeder
- Posts: 488
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:56 am
- Location: Kansas
Re: BINGO!
HiJay V wrote: ....The NRA's Marksmanship Qualification Program, with patches, pins, certificates, may also help get those students more interested in becoming better shooters.
I don't feel that precision has any more "draw power" than sporter. By natural selection, the shooters that go to precision are (hopefully) the more serious competitors.
Jay V
I'm a week from 44 and have been working my way through the Bullseye Pistol Marksmanship Qual. I haven't shot more than two or three scores in the Distinguished Expert range in that time (iron sights). I did work my way through Expert pretty easily.
I have two precision shooters, brothers. The older one is serious, but is semi-embarrassed by the Marksmanship Qual. because he knows about Master and High Master (97%). The younger one is still at the Pro-Marksman level because any targets under 98% get torn up.
The rest of my Air Rifle Team are shooting sporter, my most gifted shooter doesn't try very hard, but shoots 540 of 600 in sporter. He won't go Precision rhough. He really wants Distinguished Expert. The rest of the team are serious and do want the medals.
Mike
Wichita KS
Our sporter program has been working very well.
I can't tell you why, because I work mostly with the precision kids.
But the sporter program starts the kids out, if they just want to have fun and shoot they stay there, if they get serious, shoot some matches and know how to set up in positions they start shooting precision with my group. As they progress and do well in 3P precision they get to move on to the smallbore team.
But it is a numbers game, we have 2 nights of sporter practice with anywhere from 7-10 kids each night. The precision nights we have 5-7 shooters generally show up.
But we also have the equipment and rifles for the kids to start out in precision shooting, moving up to the nicer precision guns is like a badge of honor among the kids.
Keep it fun and keep them shooting, encourage them to shoot in club matches. Get them used to competition.
I can't tell you why, because I work mostly with the precision kids.
But the sporter program starts the kids out, if they just want to have fun and shoot they stay there, if they get serious, shoot some matches and know how to set up in positions they start shooting precision with my group. As they progress and do well in 3P precision they get to move on to the smallbore team.
But it is a numbers game, we have 2 nights of sporter practice with anywhere from 7-10 kids each night. The precision nights we have 5-7 shooters generally show up.
But we also have the equipment and rifles for the kids to start out in precision shooting, moving up to the nicer precision guns is like a badge of honor among the kids.
Keep it fun and keep them shooting, encourage them to shoot in club matches. Get them used to competition.
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Peter Dorn
Sporter shooters
OK...
When we as adults start and run a club, we tend to think that everyone wants to compete at the same level that we want them to.
The question comes up as to why we start or run a club. What is the end result that we are looking for? Are we doing this to promote the sport? Are we doing this because we want to win every comp we go to? Are we doing this for ourselves or for the kids? Is this club about what we want or about making better shooters and shooters that will stick around?
Our club has gone through a few changes. We shoot a lot of sporter and we shoot precision as well as pistol. Jay V and I have seen kids coming and going now for almost 4 years. We have a couple of kids that thrive on the competition, but we have had kids that just want to shoot, and we also have kids that just want to socialize. Then there are those that are good and have great potential, but have no self-esteem. We also have had the kids that join because they thought it would be something that it was not, and end up quitting.
Finding a kid that has the right combo is rare.
So.....
What do we do?
I am trying to make the kids stick around. I want the kids there. If I can work with these kids and keep them for a while, then who knows what they will do in the future. They could end up going to collage and joining a collegiate team and going on from there. We just don’t know whom we will get or whom they will turn into. The idea is to keep them as long as I can, teach them as much as I can, and hope for the best. Whether sporter or precision.
Fun does keep them coming back. Winning keeps them coming back. Pressure pushes them away.
In this day in age, it is difficult to cultivate winners. There are so many other things in kid’s lives. So many more opportunities. If we make it appealing and fun, as well as instructional, I think we all win. We are a small family, coaches and shooters alike. We should and need to find some way to encourage and inspire the kids we teach, not just tell them what they must do and make them do it.
If we can do this…… We all win in the end, and isn’t it better to have the kids shooting and in comps., under our coaching than to let them go it alone or not at all? Let’s all enjoy this kids while we have them.
When we as adults start and run a club, we tend to think that everyone wants to compete at the same level that we want them to.
The question comes up as to why we start or run a club. What is the end result that we are looking for? Are we doing this to promote the sport? Are we doing this because we want to win every comp we go to? Are we doing this for ourselves or for the kids? Is this club about what we want or about making better shooters and shooters that will stick around?
Our club has gone through a few changes. We shoot a lot of sporter and we shoot precision as well as pistol. Jay V and I have seen kids coming and going now for almost 4 years. We have a couple of kids that thrive on the competition, but we have had kids that just want to shoot, and we also have kids that just want to socialize. Then there are those that are good and have great potential, but have no self-esteem. We also have had the kids that join because they thought it would be something that it was not, and end up quitting.
Finding a kid that has the right combo is rare.
So.....
What do we do?
I am trying to make the kids stick around. I want the kids there. If I can work with these kids and keep them for a while, then who knows what they will do in the future. They could end up going to collage and joining a collegiate team and going on from there. We just don’t know whom we will get or whom they will turn into. The idea is to keep them as long as I can, teach them as much as I can, and hope for the best. Whether sporter or precision.
Fun does keep them coming back. Winning keeps them coming back. Pressure pushes them away.
In this day in age, it is difficult to cultivate winners. There are so many other things in kid’s lives. So many more opportunities. If we make it appealing and fun, as well as instructional, I think we all win. We are a small family, coaches and shooters alike. We should and need to find some way to encourage and inspire the kids we teach, not just tell them what they must do and make them do it.
If we can do this…… We all win in the end, and isn’t it better to have the kids shooting and in comps., under our coaching than to let them go it alone or not at all? Let’s all enjoy this kids while we have them.
I will say this from my experience, kids need short term goals to keep interested. If they keep plugging away at targets and are not rewarded with something...it makes it tough to stay focused.
As well maybe only a couple kids want to get serious...and maybe that is all you will ever have. Full on competition shooting is not for everyone.
Some things we do, the Internet being what it is, try finding a "sister or brother" club in another part of the world. Hav eth kids compete if they want to, send pictures get pen pals.
We do at least two factory tours a year, one to S&W, one to Savage Arms, one to a bigger club near by.
Also varry the shooting...sometimes "fun shoots" are as important as serious shoots in developing skils.
We have a money shoot every now and again...they shoot at a target and whoever get's the bull gets the $5. We varry who starts first as some kids can get the bull about 70% of the time....
We have a great time doing NRA light rifle...and some of the kids move out to precision, som e move onto archery, some move onto baseball...
it's just a numbers game...the more into the porgram the more shooters you create...where they go you will never know. It's planting the seed that's REALLY important.
As well maybe only a couple kids want to get serious...and maybe that is all you will ever have. Full on competition shooting is not for everyone.
Some things we do, the Internet being what it is, try finding a "sister or brother" club in another part of the world. Hav eth kids compete if they want to, send pictures get pen pals.
We do at least two factory tours a year, one to S&W, one to Savage Arms, one to a bigger club near by.
Also varry the shooting...sometimes "fun shoots" are as important as serious shoots in developing skils.
We have a money shoot every now and again...they shoot at a target and whoever get's the bull gets the $5. We varry who starts first as some kids can get the bull about 70% of the time....
We have a great time doing NRA light rifle...and some of the kids move out to precision, som e move onto archery, some move onto baseball...
it's just a numbers game...the more into the porgram the more shooters you create...where they go you will never know. It's planting the seed that's REALLY important.
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Kelly
Re: Sporter shooters
Thats the right attitude Peter ;~) Keep up the good work!
Peter Dorn wrote:OK...
When we as adults start and run a club, we tend to think that everyone wants to compete at the same level that we want them to.
The question comes up as to why we start or run a club. What is the end result that we are looking for? Are we doing this to promote the sport? Are we doing this because we want to win every comp we go to? Are we doing this for ourselves or for the kids? Is this club about what we want or about making better shooters and shooters that will stick around?
Our club has gone through a few changes. We shoot a lot of sporter and we shoot precision as well as pistol. Jay V and I have seen kids coming and going now for almost 4 years. We have a couple of kids that thrive on the competition, but we have had kids that just want to shoot, and we also have kids that just want to socialize. Then there are those that are good and have great potential, but have no self-esteem. We also have had the kids that join because they thought it would be something that it was not, and end up quitting.
Finding a kid that has the right combo is rare.
So.....
What do we do?
I am trying to make the kids stick around. I want the kids there. If I can work with these kids and keep them for a while, then who knows what they will do in the future. They could end up going to collage and joining a collegiate team and going on from there. We just don’t know whom we will get or whom they will turn into. The idea is to keep them as long as I can, teach them as much as I can, and hope for the best. Whether sporter or precision.
Fun does keep them coming back. Winning keeps them coming back. Pressure pushes them away.
In this day in age, it is difficult to cultivate winners. There are so many other things in kid’s lives. So many more opportunities. If we make it appealing and fun, as well as instructional, I think we all win. We are a small family, coaches and shooters alike. We should and need to find some way to encourage and inspire the kids we teach, not just tell them what they must do and make them do it.
If we can do this…… We all win in the end, and isn’t it better to have the kids shooting and in comps., under our coaching than to let them go it alone or not at all? Let’s all enjoy this kids while we have them.
Sporter shooters
I’m getting into this topic kind of late…
We too had noticed a retention rate that was not as high as we would have liked it. The solution that we found keep them involved with competitive shooting is to get them competing against each other. Give out little awards for a mini competition you had that day. Go to the local ice cream shop and get some gift coupons. Get some ribbons to hand out to the winners for the day. Everyone likes getting awarded for doing well. So why not award them? It might cost your youth program an extra $50-100 for the year but that really isn’t that much. Get the kids competing against each other and they will try to get better. Maybe the person who gets the highest three targets doesn’t have to do any range cleanup for the day? Just don’t leave out the person who might always have the lowest score. They need to get something too. Maybe break them into different categories. Another idea is the kids could earn points from targets that they could redeem for something later in the year. These are all just ideas that we’ve had for our program. Hope this helps.
We too had noticed a retention rate that was not as high as we would have liked it. The solution that we found keep them involved with competitive shooting is to get them competing against each other. Give out little awards for a mini competition you had that day. Go to the local ice cream shop and get some gift coupons. Get some ribbons to hand out to the winners for the day. Everyone likes getting awarded for doing well. So why not award them? It might cost your youth program an extra $50-100 for the year but that really isn’t that much. Get the kids competing against each other and they will try to get better. Maybe the person who gets the highest three targets doesn’t have to do any range cleanup for the day? Just don’t leave out the person who might always have the lowest score. They need to get something too. Maybe break them into different categories. Another idea is the kids could earn points from targets that they could redeem for something later in the year. These are all just ideas that we’ve had for our program. Hope this helps.