Okay, here's a new thread.
As I've mentioned before, I've been out of the game a long time. Time marches on, things change. John H, Rob, myself and a few others here actually remember a time when prizes were awarded not only at big matches, but local ones too. Not just a free entry, cash. Prizes were given out by performance, no raffle. Normally match winner, and class winners. Bigger turnout would sometimes result in a little deeper payout. But, there were no divisions....run what you brung. Revolvers were almost unheard of, open guns....just starting out then. So, there's a difference here, awarding prizes was pretty easy. When I started my long break from IPSC shooting, the local match prizes were starting to go away. One club started the policy, however, they cut the entry in half when they did. Big matches still gave out stuff. The king of them all was the Miller Invitational, which became the Smith and Wesson Invitaional, put on by Pathfinder Practical Shooters. Man, that place was awesome. I do know that they didn't just contact manufacturers and ask for donations. They would actually buy stuff for prizes. The companies would give them deals, distributor pricing, by 2 get 3 etc. This concept was unlike any other match. However, it also became kind of a mini national. Big names shot there, lots of them. Names like Leatham, Barnhartt, Miculek (sorry I probably got it wrong, spelling wise) the Clarks. The super squad really did have the super shooters. A big draw for everyone. The match would fill in a couple days, over 300 shooters. This was pre-internet, shooters would express mail their entries to make sure they got in. Hotel reservations were made when checking out, since next years date was known. They had a heck of a track record, and that helped drastically when contacting people about the prize pool. Some of the stuff awarded would make you cry today. Could this work today, maybe, maybe not. That match was prepared over the course of the year, not just a few months. People got burned out organizing. And finally things got to be too much, and the match is no longer.
As Rob has said, prize policy is determined by the match director. Getting match directors for large matches is tough. We all seem to be too busy, or, just want someone else to do it. We see it at local matches, let alone something big. Not to mention, manufacturers run a tight bottom line, and probably can't be so generous. Don't forget, they get hit by lot's of clubs.
So, I'll most likely shoot local matches for the most part. Bigger ones will be chosen by the fun / interest factor for me personally. Prizes aren't a deciding factor, particularly as I get older. They are simply a bonus.
I'd like to thank all the people that take on the responsibility of running the matches, large and small. Without them, we might just be playing golf. Nahhh, not that!
As I've mentioned before, I've been out of the game a long time. Time marches on, things change. John H, Rob, myself and a few others here actually remember a time when prizes were awarded not only at big matches, but local ones too. Not just a free entry, cash. Prizes were given out by performance, no raffle. Normally match winner, and class winners. Bigger turnout would sometimes result in a little deeper payout. But, there were no divisions....run what you brung. Revolvers were almost unheard of, open guns....just starting out then. So, there's a difference here, awarding prizes was pretty easy. When I started my long break from IPSC shooting, the local match prizes were starting to go away. One club started the policy, however, they cut the entry in half when they did. Big matches still gave out stuff. The king of them all was the Miller Invitational, which became the Smith and Wesson Invitaional, put on by Pathfinder Practical Shooters. Man, that place was awesome. I do know that they didn't just contact manufacturers and ask for donations. They would actually buy stuff for prizes. The companies would give them deals, distributor pricing, by 2 get 3 etc. This concept was unlike any other match. However, it also became kind of a mini national. Big names shot there, lots of them. Names like Leatham, Barnhartt, Miculek (sorry I probably got it wrong, spelling wise) the Clarks. The super squad really did have the super shooters. A big draw for everyone. The match would fill in a couple days, over 300 shooters. This was pre-internet, shooters would express mail their entries to make sure they got in. Hotel reservations were made when checking out, since next years date was known. They had a heck of a track record, and that helped drastically when contacting people about the prize pool. Some of the stuff awarded would make you cry today. Could this work today, maybe, maybe not. That match was prepared over the course of the year, not just a few months. People got burned out organizing. And finally things got to be too much, and the match is no longer.
As Rob has said, prize policy is determined by the match director. Getting match directors for large matches is tough. We all seem to be too busy, or, just want someone else to do it. We see it at local matches, let alone something big. Not to mention, manufacturers run a tight bottom line, and probably can't be so generous. Don't forget, they get hit by lot's of clubs.
So, I'll most likely shoot local matches for the most part. Bigger ones will be chosen by the fun / interest factor for me personally. Prizes aren't a deciding factor, particularly as I get older. They are simply a bonus.
I'd like to thank all the people that take on the responsibility of running the matches, large and small. Without them, we might just be playing golf. Nahhh, not that!
![[sad]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/004.gif "Sad [sad]")
