Taps wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 11:14 pm Hey Al, you need to convince some of your "eastern" buddies that it is now safe in the "wild-west", it has been tamed, there are now bridges over the mighty Mississippi, ( no need to swim ), and that they should come on down to Raton and SUPPORT THEIR SPORT.

cedestech wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:08 am

DonM wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:42 am Greg Connor said that rotating the nationals from one spot to another would only result in a regional match with the national title.

FWIW I agree with that. I have belonged to some other national organizations and they all have a traditional finals at a traditional location. It is what it is, some people it's easy to get to, some, not so much. For the sanctioning body it makes it much easier because they can make multi-year deals on the facility/accommodations and such.

Financially it makes sense.

Jerry G wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:01 amLets move the nationals around the country so different people can compete without traveling clear across the country.

BrentD wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:07 pm

Jerry G wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:01 amLets move the nationals around the country so different people can compete without traveling clear across the country.

That has been strongly suggested and even experimented with for BPCR (there was one "eastern Nationals"). It doesn't fly. Say what you want, but many of us go to Raton because we like Raton, we like the people we know there, the whole package. Send it to Ohio, Pennsylvania, wherever, and I and many others, will go fishing. That just won't fly.

The Nationals are not simply a match any more than the Quigley (which I do not shoot) is a 40 shots for score rifle match. They are much bigger events, both social and competitive. If you do not recognize that, then you will not understand why the people who do come, keep coming.

Snake wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:05 am I have a few comments on recent posts:
1.) Citing the wisdom of Greg Conner that moving the national somehow converts it to a regional ignores Greg's self interest of not wanting to travel. That theory was hollow and unfounded.
His reasoning was sound, if you have it in Pennsylvania one year, and the shooters from the other coast know it will be back closer to them the following year, the close by shooters will attend and the ones that have longer distance won't travel, and in his own words " it won't be a true national championship
2.) Asserting that if one wants to go to a national they'll travel no matter where its at is akin to saying 'let them eat cake'. I'm not trying to disturb habits and entrenched beliefs , I'm offering suggestions to develop our sport not to cater to anyone's comfort

3) If economics explain the attendance decline since 2009 then how does the recession on the early 90's fit in? I suggest the decline is more fundamental though I'm sure economics have some impact.
Ecomics definitely played a part in the decline from 2009 and beyond, many folks lost their 401k and other retirement funds, which means they lost the available money to travel. Not to mention 4$ a gallon fuel prices forcing travel cost to skyrocket
4.) The typical deer rifle in this part of the country is the 308, 243, ,'06, 270 and the ubiquitous 30-30' . I hunt with 7-08....I take my 270 out west. The comment 'typical' is speculative.
Born and raised here in the west , your list of cartridges is identical to what most folks that live here use as well, and they not only hunt deer, but antelope, elk and the occasional lucky one that gets a moose or bighorn sheep tag
5.) Note the variation in the numbers between HP and SB. One idea of keeping those two natioals together was to cater to those that shoot both. Apparently that was also just an 'idea'