fastfletch, you know you are right, thank you for showing me the error of my ways......i knew high gas prices werent keeping folks away from the shoots......numbers seem to be about normal from what i understand.....keeping people happy across the board is an impossible task. every shooter is different, and each shooter has an idea of why they come to the ibo national level shoots. any shooter with a rational mind knows there is no money to be won shooting a bow as an amature. without national tv exposure, big sponsors, and a sport exciting enough to keep the armchair deer hunter glued to the tv, or willing to fork over hundreds of dollars to come out and watch us shoot our bows from the gallery, our sport will not grow into a rich mans sport. that is something that is top driven. people quit shooting bows for lots of reasons. most dont care about the money, the ones that do, compete well for it. shooters like me go there for a break from the mainstream, chance to learn from other shooters, be with pals and friends i have met over the years. money, if my math serves me correctly, i spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 2800 dollars attending ibo national events this year. if i were going to pursue a venue to get rich it would not be shooting a bow. even if i won a couple of shoots, i would still be in the hole at the end of the year.i am part of the 80% loosers. adding classes doesnt really change anything. i am sorry you feel my jest of the question is not in good taste, and it probably isnt, but i see this same question arise on several different forums, not just this one.

locally we have diversified ourselves to death, trying to keep shooters happy. back in the day, if you were an adult male, you shot the orange stake with whatever equipment you showed up with. we now have 35 and 45 yard max classes, money hunter class, trophy hunter class, all the dirivitives of hunter class, i think diversity has happened. the ibo has changed, and i think for the good. a new shooter should progress thru the classes that are available.

all things considered, if i started playing golf in the morning, and played every day, for a year...practiced and dedicated myself to my newfound sport, i cant imagine every beating tiger woods. everyone reaches their potential. those with more shoot pro and semipro....those that dont are part of the 80%. retaining those people would be nice, but the bottom line is they either stay, and shoot, or they quit. doesnt matter if it is archery or bowling......

back to my original good idea, a national triple crown trophy class.......either way you are competing.....