The Promotion of Silhouette and Curling

[atomicbrh]

A few years ago one of the major TV networks broadcast the Olympics. NBC I think. They made Curling the next big thing simply by the way they filmed it and the "excited" play by play commentary emphasizing the importance of curling. The reality is that Curling is sweeping ice to control how a weight slides on the ice. They made sweeping ice with a broom a phenomena. Sweeping is boring no matter how fast you sweep. Video Silhouette from exciting multiple angles, hire a sportscaster that drinks too much caffeine before he goes on the air, put your production on a major network every night for weeks on end and Silhouette will gain multitudes of new participants. My point is any sport can be portrayed to the public as exciting and special by the correct promotion techniques but those techniques take money, time and skill.

[atomicbrh]

Looked on wiki after posting this. Wiki estimates 1.5 million registered curling participants. Think of what it takes to put on a curling competition. Silhouette does not seem as difficult to host as curling. Curling has to have a controlled climate, a perfectly prepared ice surface, special brooms, special shoes, special clothes, and many of those specially made rocks that are very difficult to transport because they are very heavy. I cannot believe 1.5 million participants in curling compared to so few participants in Silhouette.

[BCloninger]

The rocks are reusable while .22 ammunition is seemingly irreplaceable.

[BrentD]

I am not sure rifle shooting, silhouette or otherwise can be prime time stuff. There was a shooting reality show thing for a while and I saw that twice while at a motel with cable. It was beyond horrible and I assume it is now gone.

But if you go to youtube you can see some very professionally produced shooting programs. They are all Norwegian, but that is irrelevant. Look at the crowd of fans, professional sports journalists and what not. It is a great game - even if you don't speak Norwegian it doesn't matter.

This one is essentially silhouette, though different than what we shoot over here. However we could learn a lot from these guys (like don't get in a fire fight with a norskie - but then we should all know that )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK8fSVuxVaU

This is a longer video, and my favorite from a really cool match, several matches actually, and it begins with lots of fans cheering their favorite teams and shooters and it gets pretty darn exciting by the time it reaches the end. This ain't nothing like any rifle match I've ever shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnAwRJc7Sw

[atomicbrh]

Curling Shoes = $299
Curling Broom = $169
Curling Pants = $99
New official curling stone = $450
Complete sets of used curling stones = $4,000
Those stones weigh 44 pounds.
I had rather carry that 8.5 lbs. rifle around.
Not picking on Curling just using it as an example of what happens when a major network or somebody with money to spend picks a niche sport to promote. Silhouette could be that next sport but as Bob said where do all the new shooters purchase ammo if they want to shoot smallbore instead of air or centerfire.

[atomicbrh]

Yes, Brent. The videos you linked to are what I am talking about. A nice venue. Knowledgeable , excited broadcasters. Attractive, intelligent interviewers. Background stories with the older shooters in their clubhouses with their trophies from their youth. Lots of cameras, closeups, different angles and perspectives. Organization: Competitors lined up (not running around helter skelter) to explain to the broadcaster what rifle they are shooting. This is much better than the reality TV American shooting programs. There must be accurate documentation and history for a sport to seem important. I would say quite a few of the rifles were given to the competitors by the Norwegian government for home defense.

[BrentD]

I'm not so sure the Norwegians gave away lots of service rifles or not, but they, like guys everywhere, do enjoy shooting and they do a lot of it. The women also shot - a lot.

The coverage of the skiing biathalon events at the last Olympics was done very well. It focused a lot on the shooting aspect more than the skiing and it was well produced. So, it does happen even here in the USofA, however, our silhouette matches are nowhere near as viewer friendly as what these guys were doing.

BTW, if you watch that second one through, you will see a bolt rifle shooter proudly waving the bolt from his rifle after shooting a super score. And without knowing word of Norsk, it is clear that he is bragging just a bit to his semi-auto shooting competitors - who later carry off of the firing line stage on their shoulder to much cheering in the crowd. Where does this happen in American shooting sports?

[atomicbrh]

American Culture has been warped by a certain political group. They worked until they controlled the media, the schools and the workplace. They worked until they occupied high political offices. Anyone who values or exhibits marksmanship skills is labelled "a gun nut" and scorned as the next mass murderer. This political group wants control. Part of that control is that they have guns for their own use but the average American does not have a gun. Norway has a different culture. Norway trusts its citizens. Marksmanship is revered there. Remember that all communist countries even Ukraine and the Czech Republic have marksmanship in their curriculum at every school. Just like math and science you get a grade. Your grade depends on what score you can shoot. That 90 pound female gymnast on TV competing in the Olympics can shoot well. A few years ago we had a family at our church sponsor a Czech gymnast to come to American. She wound up going to LSU in Baton Rouge. She liked Cajun food too much and gained about 50 pounds. When she went back home the Czechs put her on the Air Pistol team. It is mandatory for all the kids to participate in a sport. Everyone in that family could shoot because they all wanted to make good grades. Our minister took them out to shoot when the family visited. They refused to shoot the paper targets because it was too easy. They shot the stems off of wildflowers beside the target stand instead.

[BrentD]

atomic -
I disagree with you 100%.

[snaketail2]

No one has mentioned the obvious reason curling is fun to watch...have you seen the hot babes doing the curling? I recently saw the Canadian team get a lot of attention...lots of blonde hair. A couple of years ago the USA Olympic curling team did a nude poster - there was one hottie I was really interested in!

If Playboy ever does a "Girls of Silhouette" I'll buy the magazine.

Silhouette and Curling - two different audiences, with little cross-over.

We certainly could get media attention if we shot from horseback.

Horseback.jpg

[OldRanger]

Have you seen our finely produced video?

https://youtu.be/q15wq0PmlJc?t=40

[BrentD]

I've shot regionals there several times, but bpcr, not high power. That is probably my favorite range in the nation. Admittedly, I have a few more to visit, but I'm working on it.

[snaketail2]

http://www.therichest.com/sports/other- ... n-curling/

Just saying...I'd shoot silhouette, but watch curling.

M

[Another Dang 9]

One fact about curling you are all missing is that its in the rules there MUST be a BAR!
Even during the Olympics they had to have a bar at the stadium which is strictly forbidden anywhere else in the Olympics!

[BrentD]

Are you familiar with traditional Schuetzen?