i have been keeping tabs on the posts here lately, and a few of them have stated what would you do....

here are my thoughts, if i have to look at 2700 angry shooters due to them not shooting, i would have called the shoot as well. that would mean every single person was safe, and able to look back at me.....there is a certain level of risk in everything we do. given the options available to ken, snowshoe and the board of directors, i would have called the shoot.

case in point.....one of my buddies was on R range, target 6 when he got the word to clear the range. it took 35 minutes just to get off of the range. the weather detection system in place at snowshoe as i understand it detects lightning at 30 miles. if that storm were to have hit the mountain, with all those shooters on the ranges i feel it could have been bad. given that i would have a choice to pull the shooters or ignore the threat, i lean on the side of safety. pull the shooters. if a storm is moving at 30 miles per hour, do the math. that is a slow moving storm.

i agree that the shooters who did not shoot on saturday, or who shot partial ranges should have been given the opportunity to shoot saturday afternoon or on sunday. i am quite sure ken has read the posts and is formulating a plan for next year...a four day shoot is not a viable option for most. i hope that the shoot remains a 3 day event....

had ken and the staff not reacted to the threat, and someone were to get hurt, what would be the new stance. ken is a headhunter? heartless? wreckless? good call ken........

for those that feel ken has somehow screwed you? dont take it personal, because of his position he is the man who takes all the blame. do you think he sits in a room with little ibo shooter dolls and sticks pins in them, or grins everytime he thinks you missed a target, or was jumping with joy that he had to be the one to let people know he had to stop the shoot? come on, he is in a tough spot....

this has been a real education for all. i would love to be a fly on the wall at the next board of directors meeting....i am sure there will be much discussion on the future and how to make it better.

one last point, i am the 2004 ibo national triple crown champion, and ibo world champion, as everyone is quitting the ibo, i should win about $7.92 at the triple crown and $23.76 at the world did i mention i will be the shooter of the year? i should win hands down shooting all by myself.....no backups, clean targets to shoot[8D] maybe even a caddy due to boredom at the checkin tents maybe someone just wants to go for a walk on the range[8D] i should be great....lol

keep your heads up, and give the ones who are trying to take care of you the benifit of doubt......i am sure ken is just as disappointed as we all are.....

2004 Champion,

Congrats!

I agree with you Keith, except for 1 thing. Once a few shooters have shot a partial course, and are then allowed to walk down through the course, in essence having the full ability to pace targets and look at them from both angles, shouldn' t be allowed to shoot the course. And if some can' t shoot the course, none can. I' d love to be the guy that shot 2 targets, and then walked out, through the course, being allowed to come back the next day and shoot the remaining 18. You really don' t even have to be really thinking hard about what you are doing. Just looking back from the animal to the stake is an advantage.

Once a few guys have done this, and can walk out to shoot it later, the course and competition is tainted.

Jeff

jeff i agree that you can see the targets on the way out, but, in nelsonville i was more concerned with getting off of the range than stepping off targets and looking at them. maybe some do, but i for one do not. i think the bulk of shooters may look at a target and say man that turkey sure looks tough, but as for spending time sizing up each shot on the way out, i dont think so. there will be other groups as well as you getting off the range, they may not take to kindly to a person hanging out sizing up shots......

i also think that would be less of a problem than pulling everyone again and not letting them shoot..........

Weather is weather-profound huh? Fact is we can' t control it. However there could have been contingency plans that everyone was aware of. I feel that after last year the officials dropped the ball on that. Now what is done is done. The question is where do we go from here? We obviously have a major problem with that big beautiful mountain. I have shot in rain and fog three years running. As beautiful (I sincerely love the terrain) as the mountain is I do not like constantly trying not to break a leg, pull a groin, sprain an ankle, or dangling from a rope with my bow up in the air trying to keep from rolling down a mountain. This is supposed to be a championship shoot not a SEAL training course. Everything in life is a give and take situation. I guess I am no longer willing to try to shoot under those conditions even on that magnificent mountain. The slick conditions and bad weather have ruined the weekend for a whole lot of people. Unfortunately money has to be a factor. People just will not fork out the kind of money it costs for what has happened. I' m not blaming anyone or any decisions that were made only addressing the facts. The conditions at Snowshoe have been a major factor for three straight years-getting worse with more impact each year. It has become hard for alot of people to justify the vacation and cash just for that reason. Now throw in controversial decisions, parking problems, resorts and locals gouging at every turn and you have alot of people saying it just isn' t worth it. At the very least major changes are called for and there are some serious decisions to be made.

lxrocker, i could not agree more that the mountain is great. but what is the real draw to the mountain? i like being able to park on thur and not have to get back into a vehicle until sun. the veiw is spectacular, and the shooting terrain is rugged at best.

i think we were spoiled by the first two years on snowshoe. that lets me know how good it could be, so i am not afraid or deterred from returning. as you say weather is weather. my thoughts on that is weather is always 50/50. its either raining or its not. sunny or cloudy. snow, no snow. while in the military the saying was always " boys it dont rain in the army, it rains on the army" i really dont mind a little rain, but the lightning threat is real.......i pass on the electric stuff.....

in reality, it will be very difficult for the ibo to find a place as nice as snowshoe, at least while the fog and rain are at bay....i have seen other posts where suggestions were made to move the shoot. i think the ibo will look at all suggestions, and locations.......if you dont want to shoot in the rain, move to the desert. plain and simple.....keeping the ibo shoot central to the northeast and southeast would be great...moving south, due to heat and humidity would hurt some, but be tolerable if the terrain were not to rough....i would rather stay at snowshoe than move someplace that is hot....

some of the other places the ibo has shot, flatwoods (doesnt have enough hotels or vender space) and clymer (to my knowledge no hotel/room space for everyone on site)

i would love to see the shoot move to kentucky (duh, short drive for me) but i cant think of a single place that we can fit everyone in without commuting from hotels to the shoot site......