I agree with Round Gun Shooter's comments (post #167, page 17 of JOHN KELLY) that John would not want anyone to fuss over him... I think the thing is that at times like this while many families honor the wishes of the departed, in many cases the services, wakes, etc. are more for the people who survived the departed as a way for them to deal with the loss, especially when it is unexpected like this. I think it's safe to say that John was universally loved in the shooting community and his sudden death was a tremendous shock to all of us.
I think it is a great idea for the shooting community to do something to remember him...this is what I propose. Why don't we (the shooting community) get together on one of the 5th Sundays on the calendar when there is generally not that much going on (i.e., Aug 29 or Oct 31 in 2010) and put together a match that will involve stages from all the practical shooting disciplines that Mr. Kelly loved, participated in and supported. Imagine a match with an IDPA stage; a USPSA stage; a bowling pin stage; a Walls of Steel Stage; etc. where shooters from all of these disciplines who might not ordinarily participate in something else get together and experience something new. In the spirit of Mr. Kelly, these stages can be staffed by ROs/SOs that will welcome and mentor new shooters to their discipline. We can keep a total match score and award a trophy/trophies to the shooters and take all of the match proceeds and donate to GOAL for some type of scholarship to support the training of new shooters.
I propose that we try to select a centrally located venue, like Harvard, that already has large IDPA and USPSA groups in place so that there will already be a lot of props and equipment on site. For disciplines other than IDPA and USPSA, it may be a pain in the butt to load up a bunch of steel or other necessary gear to travel but it is only for one day and I'm sure there would be plenty of volunteers with pickup trucks willing to help with the logistics.
What do you guys think?
I think it is a great idea for the shooting community to do something to remember him...this is what I propose. Why don't we (the shooting community) get together on one of the 5th Sundays on the calendar when there is generally not that much going on (i.e., Aug 29 or Oct 31 in 2010) and put together a match that will involve stages from all the practical shooting disciplines that Mr. Kelly loved, participated in and supported. Imagine a match with an IDPA stage; a USPSA stage; a bowling pin stage; a Walls of Steel Stage; etc. where shooters from all of these disciplines who might not ordinarily participate in something else get together and experience something new. In the spirit of Mr. Kelly, these stages can be staffed by ROs/SOs that will welcome and mentor new shooters to their discipline. We can keep a total match score and award a trophy/trophies to the shooters and take all of the match proceeds and donate to GOAL for some type of scholarship to support the training of new shooters.
I propose that we try to select a centrally located venue, like Harvard, that already has large IDPA and USPSA groups in place so that there will already be a lot of props and equipment on site. For disciplines other than IDPA and USPSA, it may be a pain in the butt to load up a bunch of steel or other necessary gear to travel but it is only for one day and I'm sure there would be plenty of volunteers with pickup trucks willing to help with the logistics.
What do you guys think?