CPSA

[David BASC]

I think this £3 is for insurance so a non CPSA member can shoot a registered round - (nice earner for the CPSA I suggest ) is this what in the old days was 'birds only' - does this mean that if I am a ground owner and put on a registered shoot only CPSA members can shoot it, or non CPSA members who wish to pay an extra £3?

 

I am not having a go, but if I were a ground owner I would say who are you to tell me who can and cannot shoot at my ground!

 

 

David

[Cranfield]

Surely, if someone is thinking about joining any organisation, they should do some research before making their decision and make sure they are happy with the Rules, benefits, conditions, etc..

 

If someone is already a member of an organisation and is unhappy, then they have the option of using the democratic system to try to change things, or look elsewhere.

 

I have never belonged to any organisation, club, group, etc., that was perfect (IMO).

All of them required me to compromise somewhat and those that I remain a member of are those where the good far outweighed the bad.

[Catamong]

I think this £3 is for insurance so a non CPSA member can shoot a registered round - (nice earner for the CPSA I suggest ) is this what in the old days was 'birds only' - does this mean that if I am a ground owner and put on a registered shoot only CPSA members can shoot it, or non CPSA members who wish to pay an extra £3?

 

I am not having a go, but if I were a ground owner I would say who are you to tell me who can and cannot shoot at my ground!

 

 

David

 

The day pass scheme enables non-members to shoot at Registered events for a fee of £3.00.

 

Registered events have to be run to the CPSA rules, and they require more input, (and expenditure) from the ground owner, than say a 40 bird straw bale shoot which is open to allcomers.

 

CPSA members scores from these shoots are submitted to the CPSA and count towards yearly averages and also towards County, Area and National team places.

 

England Team places for both Sporting and FITASC are decided over a series of Area Championships, for Sporting you have to submit your best 4 scores from 7 shoots, so in theory it is possible for one of our young Northern hotshots to gain an England team place by shooting only 400 clays.

 

I've known a lot of youngsters who are very good shots at their home ground, when they are amongst friends and shooting familiar targets. The wheels tend to drop off their game when they travel to new venues and shoot totally new targets under pressure.

 

Cat.

[David BASC]

So the ground keeps the £3 not the CPSA?

 

I used to shoot birds only at Catton Hall - a CPSA registed ground, but at a significant discount to the CPSA registered shooters- as a non CPSA member I would now have to pay this extra £3 on top of the cost of shooting..

 

Not all grounds that are not CPSA registered are 'straw bail shoots', some very nice grounds are not registered with the CPSA of course - but I fully accept that if the gorund had to put more in then it should charge accordingly - it makes sense.

 

I think that if you want to shoot competitively and have the opportunity to shoot for your county or country, then you really must be a member of the CPSA so your averages can be calculated.

 

BUT there needs to be plenty of CPSA affiliated or registered grounds where people can shoot registered shoots, otherwise good shooters will be missed. If the number of registered / affiliated grounds drops then there is a problem in my opinion.

 

David

[Cranfield]

David, I thought we agreed that people who were not members of organisations, were hardly qualified to criticise them.

[David BASC]

A very fair point - I am no longer a member of the CPSA - BUT I do support what they do or at least try to do for GB competition shooting. I was commenting on my experiences as a past CPSA member and I have tried, all be it not successfully evidently, to say I am not knocking the CPSA.

 

D

[Catamong]

So the ground keeps the £3 not the CPSA?

 

 

David

 

No, the £3 goes to the CPSA.

 

You make a valid point about some grounds not wanting to be involved with CPSA Registered competitions, obviously that's a commercial decision for them to make, and I wouldn't criticise them for it.

 

Grimsthorpe in Lincolnshire is one such ground, a truly excellent layout, but they now prefer to run non-Registered shoots. It's fair to say that some ground owners have extremely large ego's and may resent any form of what they perceive to be "interference" from on high.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the attraction of Registered shoots is that you only get one go at it, re-entries are not allowed, whereas at non-Registered shoots you can have as many goes as you like, and very often it's not the best shot that wins, but the guy with the deepest pockets.

 

Cat.

[Salopian]

It is a fact that everyone is entitled to their opinion.

My opinion is that the CPSA do nothing to promote clayshooting and actually alienate more shooters than they enrol.I would think that nearly every ground owner has had issues with CPSA HQ management.Especially when it comes to organising a National event.They show an admirable level of incompetence.

The point I was making about day membership was in reply to the gentleman who said there were many people in the North who he thought may have the measure of Faulds & Digweed.

A true Open championship should truly be that, open to anyone to compete.I realise also that you can't compete in the Open golf championship without qualifying.This is where clayshooting is a real leveller, you can enter without qualifying, all you have to do at the moment is join the CPSA and then pay a grossly inflated entrance fee to a normal 100 birder to pay for HQ's staff accomodation and meals/ travel expenses. It certainly doesn't go into the prize fund. As for trying to get anything done at the AGM. You have to be joking. There are many moaners but no activists. So I will vote with my feet and lapse my membership.

[Catamong]

Salopian,

 

I can't disagree with a lot of what you say, the CPSA do appear incompetent to many people, particularly when organising major events, for instance what birdbrain thought up the idea of making the World Sporting at Lakenheath a 3 day event, that was the kiss of death to most people, they simply can't commit to the time or expenditure..??

 

With regards to entry fees, I didn't begrudge paying £50 to shoot the English Open at West Midlands SG, it was worth every penny, but shooters were turned over by paying £50 to shoot Southern Counties SG at the British Open, it was a very poor layout and very poor organisation.

 

I'm hoping that the new faces on the Board of the CPSA will address some of the concerns that members have about the organisation, time will tell..??

 

Cat.

[BlaserF3]

My CPSA membership number was 27572 till I did not renew my direct debit this month.

I have been a member since I received my first SGC and personally for me ,they have done nothing.

I have only ever shot registered twice since I first started shooting as I am not bothered about competing against other shooters a great deal.

But I do enjoy 100 bird sporting on a Sunday morning with a group of like minded friends.

 

When I found out that my household policy covered me regarding insurance I decided not to renew my membership.

Whats the point of giving money to someone else.

[Salopian]

Blaser,

Exactly, spot on. As I said earlier "Value for Money".

[Catamong]

Well, according to the CPSA website, these are the benefits of being a member:

 

£5 Million civil liability insurance cover for ALL shooting sports (except mounted hunting and subject to the policy document in force). *

£20,000 Personal Accident cover *

£5 Million Professional Indemnity Insurance for Coaches, Instructors, Safety Officers, Referees, affiliated county and regional committee members and volunteers (new)

PULL! your own exclusive members-only magazine 10 times a year (next available issue sent after joining).

Free membership card and badge.

A classification system tailored to meet the requirements of shooters at all levels.

Marksman Badges for 25, 50, 75 and 100 Straight in most disciplines.

Protection for your sport - the CPSA liaises closely with the BSSC, Police and the Home Office.

Free advice service to all members, shoot organisers and affiliated clubs of all sizes.

Gain a team place for your county, region or country - even the Olympic Games.

Assistance with planning, noise and shotgun certificate problems.

A variety of coaching schemes & courses exclusive to members.

The chance to compete in county, regional, national and international competitions.

Availability to enter major championships for all categories of shooters.

A free list of clubs and qualified coaches in your area on request.

Exclusive members seasonal special offers as listed here

 

As I've said before, if you're not a competitive clay shooter, who only wants a knock around with friends every so often, and probably does more Rough Shooting than clays, then you're probably better off joining BASC.

 

I do believe however, that everybody that shoots ought to be a member of a recognised shooting body, the cost is irrelevent, if you can afford to shoot, you can afford the membership fee.

 

Cat.

 

(Footnote to MC - The Skoda's back on the front page) .

[BlaserF3]

Cat

 

I do agree with your last paragraph,that you should belong to an organisation of some sort and as I have not shot at live birds I joined the CPSA.

 

Over the years that I was in the CPSA and I still am till the end of the month, I must have paid at least £1000 in subs and apart from a magazine have received nothing.

 

No I've had enough.

[Peter De La Mare]

Over the years that I was in the CPSA and I still am till the end of the month, I must have paid at least £1000 in subs and apart from a magazine have received nothing.

 

What exactly were you expecting to receive?

 

You didn't take part in any competitions.

 

Fortunately didn't shoot yourself or anyone else so didn't need the insurance or legal advice.

 

Were you expecting goods or services to the value of your subscriptions, despite not actually using their services?

 

Just curious as to what peoples expectations are of this type of organisation.

 

For me, the competition side is worth the subs. Also supporting the sport I take part in is also worth the subs, the work they do in supporting clay clubs threatened with noise abatement orders isn't much publicised.

[MC]

 

I have paid BASC, NRA, NSRA and CPSA a small fortune in the past and have only ever received from them what I have needed. If I did ever need them for advice or help in any way I know they are there.

 

Perhaps they should run a scheme where if you don't use them in the year you are a member they give you a refund. That would work really well

[BlaserF3]

Peter

 

I presume rightly or wrongly that you are a relatively newcomer to shooting?

 

Over the years I have seen people come and go who were running the CPSA when they left there was nearly always a payout which the membership had to pay.

 

The staff turnover in the last five years is ridiculous and that includes the move to Bisley.

 

I have never heard of them helping a ground with a noise problem, I believe that they were forced into the fray to help at the A1 shooting ground at Barnet.

 

I think there are about 5000 registered shooters the other members are subsidising these. How much do you think the subs would be if 15,000 members left.

 

Just what use do you think any organisation would be if the Government decided to ban all guns tomorrow.

 

No I have had enough of subsidising others.

 

There is no need for sarcasm regarding shooting anybody I have shot 50 years and have never been dangerous with a gun of any description and I was an RCO for 7 years.

 

How good is your safety record because I have no hesitation about pulling any shooter up about unsafe gun handling.

[Peter De La Mare]

Yes, I guess I'm a relative newcomer. My membership number is 87420, though I only returned from a 12 year abstinence at the beginning of this year.

 

I agree that the CPSA isn't as well run as it was when Emilio ran things, and that Boakes and Blaney have made a complete mess of it. But, I don't think running away is the answer. Any change is best coming from within.

 

If 15,000 members left, then I doubt if the association would survive, at least not in it's present form. If government decided to ban guns tomorrow? that's awfully hypothectical for this conversation, but I'd expect all the gun sport related NGOs to protect us, and I've no doubt they will.

 

What do you think can be done about it? Would the answer be for everyone to leave causing the collapse of the CPSA, and then hope someone can form a new organisation? And what if you didn't like the way the new one is run?

 

The safety bit wasn't intended as sarcasm at all, it was just factual. My safety record and procedures, like yours, is exemplary.

[BlaserF3]

I do not regard not rejoining the CPSA as running away,I just want no part of it.

 

I live in Cumbria which has no registered sporting ground at all if you like trap then you are quite well catered for.

 

On a Sunday we travel to Lancashire normally to go to a decent sporting shoot ie 100 birders because at some of the local shoots it takes 2 hours to shoot 30 clays.

 

There is an excellent ground 10 miles away but it's only open on a Saturday and I work shifts.

 

I hope that the CPSA AGM goes well for once and don't forget to put your points of view in writing in good time. Could a region organise an EGM? I would think not there is too much apathy in shooters. Me included now.

 

I think that we should have business minded officials in charge of the CPSA not enthusiastic amateurs who seem to fritter money away on various new projects which are not needed.

 

I do not wish this website to end up like Dennis' one

[Peter De La Mare]

I had to check that emoticon was raising its thumbs, and not its middle fingers!

 

Apathy is a killer for sure. No doubt I'd feel the same way after 50 years. Fortunately I can barely move for good sporting grounds down here

 

Regarding Dennis's site, I completely agree on that as well. From what I read there will be the necessary points raised, and about time as well.

[BlaserF3]

[Salopian]

The CPSA AGM would be the place once and for all to put the CPSA on a firm footing.

There is no doubt at all in my mind that as an organisation they have been very poorly managed recently.

The CEO has shown that he is not up to the job and I feel he does need to be replaced.

Interestingly enough I noticed recently that none of the coaching team are original and there does not seem to be any continuity there at all.What has happened to Sam Grice, Roger Silcock etc.,? Do the CPSA still do coaching?

Edited November 27, 2008 by Salopian

[Bagsy]

Let's hope the CPSA get stuck in and make the most of this.

[Mungler]

Good. It should be held at Dartford and a permanent resource for the future constructed and used.

[Peter De La Mare]

Yup, or the totally new permanent site they're talking about at Barking.

[Bagsy]

Problem is I can't see them leaving a legacy for shooting at Barking, not the legal type anyway

 

Would be handy to get to though