RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

I would like to see the triple crown shoots do like the world shoot and offer a trophy class. I think that a lot of people would like to shoot this type of class. The trophy classes at world were full of people and this would meet all of the criteria discussed on here so far. It would offer a reduced entry fee and give more shooters a chance to compete. It wold also keep the same rules intact that we have now. A new shooter could use this as a starting point and then move up to the money classes later if they chose to. Win/win situation?

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

Keith,
You make it sound like every new shooter has to go through you to enter the game.
In our league which averages just about 100 shooters weekly for 36 weeks here in the PA Southern NY area we have a practics class which makes no awards and has a $6.00 entry fee. In this class people can shoot the course and have no special stakes or special equipment that they must follow. The hunter class is the biggest class and it is about 40% of the total shooters. The new people coming into our league are usually accompanied by a shooter from one of the clubs in the league. I know of no shooter coming to our league that was ever scared away by the scores or the equipment that other people shoot. If they see a person with all of the extra equipment on their bow, it will usually make them ask questions. New people are encouraged to come back and use the practice bags when available, to join our winter league or to just come back and watch the activities. You will never get all the people to join the 3D shooting at any level but you may get them to join your club or even the INTERNATIONAL BOWHUNTING ORGANIZATION to be represneted on bowhunting issues.
My question is still the same Why not promote archery at the club level and make sure that they understand all the benefits of belonging to the club and IBO? Offer a entry level for interested 3D archers. Reduce the price and let them try shooting and club activities to find out if they want to continue as a club member and a competitive shooter.
Archers coming into 3D at the IBO national level shoots are only discouraged if they are not aware of what to expect and they are a very small number if any.
Turnover in 3D shooting is caused more by pricing than other people and their equipment.
How long has the person that won the Hunter class this year at the world been competeing at any level.

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

not quite, but nice try. but you do have to know the secret hand shake, the secret chant, and be able to eat 12 live goldfish........

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

Alright, the way i see it is, the majority that says you need to keep quit and practice, states that is what it takes to get to the top and the new shooter should keep slinging arrows until he gets there. makes sense to me. why do we have MCBH, HUNTER CLASS, MBR, MBO, ect. heck throw everyone with a compound bow together. fast fletch shoots mcbh. thats great he may be able to teach me a thing or two. but if he can't compete with everyone. he needs to retreat to the range and practice. if this is the veiwpoint why do we have any classes. if you can't win in the mbo class because it is your first or second shoot you need to go practice, if your 70 yrs old and can't compete with mbo, you need to practice. i'm not trying to step on toes but i am new and that is the impression that i am getting from anyone that is against change. if that is the case put everyone in one class make'em all pay the same price and if you get stomped, like i keep hearing, GO practice. doesn't sound like a very good idea does it. all i see is go practice if you can't finnish on top. sounds like we shouldn't have classes for all levels of shooters when you say that. i'll never quit, i have a great time, i don't finnish on top. i don't care if changes are made or not i'll still come. but i do read this everyday and see some good points that the people that feel change is needed are making. please in the future don't blow them off with the awnser of go practice. lets have everyone shoot against jeff hopkins and burley hall and when all the people that won the worlds get stomped tell'em go practice. i will never have the ability as 80 % of the people that shoot it may not be in my genetics i may not have any talent, put me with a group of people i can shoot with and compete with and have fun, don't insult me by calling it a practice class, and try to trivialize the level in which i have the ability to compete. it is a game, it is competion at any level you compete.

thank you for letting me have my say, now i'll go practice. Chris Lee

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

sorry i ran out of time earlier, had to quit. i only had a couple more things. it sounds like i am one of the guys we'er discussing. i do not wish to pay any less then anyone else. i do wish to be a member of the ibo. the ibo does many great things not just hold shoots. there is alot of strength in large numbers to support our sport 3d and hunting. these are things that have been said that keep people from shooting, which i don't feel is true. however the one point i wish to make is. when i played ball i had a 40 inch vertical and god granted me with talent. my teamate could not jump near has high, was not fast could not shoot as well, but practiced everyday very hard. but heck if he can't keep up, coach should have put him and all the other guys not as gifted at this one sport on the team on the other side of the court. not let them play in the games, let them play each other in practice games, and pulled there names out of a hat afterwards for winners. boy they would have a great time. sounds like it would be alittle insulting doesn't it. the worlds are perfect. why should it matter to have a trophy class. i competed, it was not called a practice class as brought up before. they did not draw names out of a hat. i paid and would pay more if asked. i was proud to be there. all i ask is please watch how you try to group people. don't assume everyone is as gifted as you are. don't try to trivilize where they stand. don't assume a person hasn't worked very, very hard to try to get to where they are at. they may be practicing every day more then you. this should be fun for everyone. not just those who can jump higher.

thanks again, Now i'll go practice. Chris Lee

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

Chris,
I've been practiceing for 48 years and I still can't get it right. I don't think it is genes as I am the only one in my family that shoots a bow. If I am reading you right I guess that you think that we should put everyone in one class and then just shoot to have fun. It seems to me that the classes are a free choice thing based on equipment not on ability entirely. There will always be a top, a middle and a bottom of every class. Hunter class is the class that is in question based on its top scores. The thing that I am saying is that the class is already established and running and the people in it are entitled to shoot in the class regardless of the their score if they meet the requirements as set forth by the rules that have been published. The real draw card to this class is the shorter maximum yardage. If establishing a class for persons who just want to try 3D archery at a club level isn't the answer why should it be done at the National level. National level shoots are for people that feel that they want to compete and enjoy all the other expierences that come at a higher level of competition. This game like many other things in life is not one that can only be enjoyed when good enough means that I'm not willing to work any harder. If the scores that a person shoots put him in the middle of the pack and that satisfies him then eliminating the persons with a higher score is not the answer. The top archers that you mention are where they are because they want to be the best that they can be and practice is a key ingredient to their success. If one of the top archers starts falling from the top and can not maintain his position does he ask for rules to be changed so that he will have a chance at winning again. Practise is a must for most people to maintain their skill level and until they do this why should there be special allowances for anyone entering the game. A practice class would be an entry level class for persons to find out what the game is all about and where they want to shoot. A practice class would have no winners or loosers and should have no awards. Once a person makes up his mind where he wants to compete then the other classes are all available. Hunter class is the only class that has a 35yard maximum and that IMHO is what the big draw is. What other class has grown this fast and what is the reason for its growth. Scores in this class have been an issue from the beginning and a small number are the persons asking for change. If the majority of the class are happy (and no one can say that they represent the majority) than why make changes that may cost the organization members.
I am glad to hear that you will be he competing regardless of the changes and I hope that you continue to enjoy all the benefits of shooting a bow.

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

just somethings to think about! Keith great posts, UAL excellant, you are the one this class was made for. Not for the people who complain when they miss some 11 rings. Fast Fletch, what do we do for the local clubs when there targets are getting destoryed by the hunter class arrows hitting in a 3 diameter circle? Some changes need to be made, we are getting off track here lately! A few weeks ago, I made a post about thinking before we speak. Make some constructive suggestions, I have an idea= 260 speed limit, 100 or 125 grain screw in points, mount your quiver to your bow and have six mismatched arrows from Walmart in your quiver. Those are the guys that we need to get to come out and shoot at the local clubs and maybe us more experienced shooters can give them some help in there shooting! I also agree that there are a lot of guys and gals that enjoy shooting at those distances, but when 100 or more people are shooting par or above do they really belong in that class?

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

nys rep
I think that many suggestions have been made by myself and many others but it looks like you only comprehend a view that agrees with your point of view.
I live in NY also and we have a very succesfull league that is having no problem with replacing targets and approximately 40 shooters each week are shooting at the 11 ring. I guess we could have a problem where no one is shooting and the 11 ring last much longer. Doesn't everyone aim at the middle of the ten ring and are the hunter class people the only one that can hit it. Maybe your targets are to close or you have to many good archers. The hunter class is the largest class in most areas of the country and that is not because people think that they can win the class. If destroying a class is your suggestion to improve archery I think that you need to re-examine your values. If you take the top 100 scores (your figure) and put half in MBR and half in MBO then what happens to the bottom of that class where you are putting fifty people to satisfy your opinion. Do we now move those people to another class or tell them that they will just have to work harder to make room for people the we may be able to recuruit.
Let me ask you this, how many clubs in NY State belong to IBO and what have we done to try to recruit more clubs into the IBO. The proplem with The Hunter class is only a problem to a few people and it would seem that there is much more that could be done to help the IBO and Bowhunting in every state at a club level. There is nothing that says the clubs have to follow the IBO rules at a local shoot so if potential shooters are not coming to club shoots the problem may be that too many people are trying to blame a local problem on a national class system.
How many shooters walk into your local clubs and even know about the IBO much less the class system for shooters. On a previous thread I explained a class that we have for beginners in our league. It is a possible solution for problems (real or Imagined) that many clubs may find benificial.
Again, get a majority of people to say that the class needs reforming and I'm sure that the BOD will be glad to consider such action. The IBO forum is a very good communication tool but I don't think that the number of people that are making post on any subject are even close to being the majority.Only a few people can place in any class, what give us the right to take winners in one class and make them compete in a class that is not of their choosing where there will still be only one winner.
If there is anything that has not been discussed on this subject you can send me a private message and let me know what you may not understand.

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

fasstfletch, i'm not tring to make a fuss but, i don't think that you understood what u.a.l was trying to say. there was more to his post then what you made, and he said that putting everyone in one class would (not) be that much fun the direct opposite of how you took it. he states that he may be practicing every day more then the average, he may never compete with top shooters and that's ok. he just wants to compete with people and have a good time so what if there are 40 classes. the direct opposite of what you got out of his reply. i personally don't mind the classes but what drives shooters away is how they are treated by the ibo officials, the one sitting on his 4-wheeler. be nice to be smiled at and told have a good time for a change, instead of looking like he is being bothered. thanks, legend 88

RE: HUNTER CLASS IDEAS
 

Fastfeltch, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH, did you comprehand that, and that is my view!!!