Stuart said.........
I cannot see why you have to keep making a big deal about shooting blind compared to shooting spotted JR and Tony. Don't know whether you just can't help taking a swipe or what it is but we're all getting tired of it.
Well i didn't think i was as transparent as that. I should word my posts a little more cryptically so that only the blind shooters know what i'm on about.
Well Stuart, there has been enough time now for the spotted method to establish itself as a viable option for 1K and as you know i gave it the benefit of the doubt for quite some time before i became vocal about it on public forums like this. Privately, well all that know me have long known my view on this topic. I note that you shot blind at this match, and for the first time in a long time, you have returned both scores and groups worth keeping toward a six match on an obviously difficult range. Just may be something in that or is it to far down the track?
The fact that blind shooters are completely dominating the sports two facets, group and score, is evidence enough that we have moved sideways with this folly, and not moved forward in my view. The numbers have not grown to a point that one would think that it would be worthwhile sitting it out for a while longer and keeping our objections private.
I am certainly the first to say that i am still suprised that the score side of the match has not been grabbed hold of by some-one somewhere and given the six match aggs a shake. Four years in November and still no-one has eclipsed the marks set prior to this in either class. If this is about social experiments then there are far better and cheaper options than 1K BR and to think that some of us are driven by the win at all costs mentallity is wrong and insulting. I can think of nothing worse than running my HG to compete against a bunch of FClassers and TR/MR shooters just to prove a point that "my way" is right. I would rather stay back here and play golf.
The real beef i think that most of us have with this whole fiasco, is that at no time was there a situation of consultation on the incoming rules. Forsure, Canberra can do what it wants as can Brisbane and now Townsville has collectively voted to dump the spotted method completely from all our matches as soon as the Iron Man is over.
The National rules proposal that was drafted was just that, a rules proposal. There was never a consultation of if indeed we even thought the marked system was viable. Had this been done democratically and with consultation with all the shooters throughout Australia, it would most likely have never gotten off the ground. But i guess you knew that already. If the majority had ruled and spotted was a go, then we would never have said a word to this day. Never shot it, but definetly not said a word.
Foolishly we agreed to accept the rules proposal at face value, for the sake of unity more than anything else, but we always had it in mind to dump it if it could not prove itself to be of benefit. Jeff and i tried to get the ball rolling on two attempts and offered cash prizes to a 1K match that would have the rules heavily favouring the FClass and TR/MR type of shooters, spotted and all, even to the point of exclusion of both our HGs to not ward off any potential shooters. In 8 years we have had absolutely zero interest from anyone from that ilk, and that may say more about us than them, but nonetheless the time has come to make the stance that benefits the shooters we have. My original stance was to not even consider the spotted method in any form for our club and to this day i have not read past the preamble on either of the rules drafts sent to us. That was more than enough and i still have little idea of what is in that rules proposal and nor have i ever cared. What i know of the rules is what i recieved verbally from others that had bothered to read them. The rules were never the issue, it has always been the method.
I was only one voice and the majority went with it then. We see absolutely no benefit now and of the two recent additions to our ranks, Jeff Harrison and Greg Holroyd, one was of the view that it should be shot like the yanks have since the beginning, and the other was swayed by the overwhelming stats. We made them aware early on of the two options, and they still favoured the blind method. That more or less made it easy for the meeting to be called a few weeks back.
If the rest of the clubs wish to foster the spotted method and the numbers and interest grow, it is unlikely that we will reconsider this stance again. We are not going to incourage it here in any form and will do so to the point of directing interested parties to the FClass ranks, where this form of shooting really belongs. Maybe this is dumb, but it is what we have decided. When you come to Townsville to shoot after the 15th of July 2008, you have no option but to shoot blind, you will have a take home target at every match and you will definetly have a good time with a friendly bunch of people.
Finally i can say that i will desist from taking swipes at the spotted method of IK and just let the growing number of stats and the slow exodus say it best.
Tony Z.
is this bloke coming to Townsville for the ironman weekend.
