Posted by chappo (Greg Chapman) on
URL: http://oldforum.flyshooter.com.au/FOR-THE-ATTENTION-OF-ALL-FLY-SHOOTERS-tp5708867p5708880.html

Personal Politics aside this is a very important issue for all fly shooters. I will not comment on what is currently happening at Wagga until we have that issue solved.

I can state a few facts though.

1. The Blue Heeler was never intended to be a multi gun 500m event. From 2011 when the 500/300 commenced it was a two day overall winner. I know that cause I won it. Every year since it has been that way. 1st, 2nd and 3rd for score, regardless of class, for 500m and same for 300m. combined 500 and 300m score for the two day overall winner.

2. What occurred at Wagga in August is still under review at club level and I will refrain from making further comment in relation to that until 1)matter is resolved and 2)I am authorised to respond on behalf of Wagga SSAA.

3.  I can state as fact that Dave Billinghurst states categorically that the SSAA "owns" the fly. Further he was perplexed that a winner would be decided on one gun score not multi gun. He stated this to me personally via telephone last Tuesday. I explained that LV and HV in SR BR was vastly different to LG and HG at fly.

4. I have seen the email where a Victorian member states the fact that shooters will have to get used to the fact they cant win a match with one gun.

5. I have seen the email where one member from Victoria admits to colluding with a Wagga member as to what they see as their personal vision of the fly and how it will run.

Fly has been growing over the last 5 years and a large part of the reason for that is the friendly nature of fly and this is clearly written in rule 10. One of the things that drew me to fly and away from SR BR is that very friendly nature.

Lets look at this matter with some simple numbers. At the Wagga Fly in August 2016 there were 58 competitors who shot the 500m match on Saturday. So each one of those shooters had a chance to win the day. Under the proposed changes only 18 of those 58 shot two classes on the day.

So in effect those who can afford to shoot two guns have gone from competing against 58 competitors to competing only against 18. Nice way to vastly increase your chances of winning (if you can afford it).

How they run the national event is up to the national committee at this time (unless we move away from it). The problem rests with the desire to run state and local matches to the SAME rules as the national event.

There are only two possible outcomes if this change goes ahead.

1. People wont bother travelling big distances and taking time away from their families when they are ruled unable to win the event before even firing a shot. Fly numbers will fall and it will become another lagging discipline with dwindling competitor numbers OR

2. More shooters will try and run two guns. (Great I hear you say, but no not really). Imagine if our 58 entries ALL shot two classes. We would have had 88 entrants. Our club would not have been able to handle that many shooters/details in one day, so then the only choice is to make it a two day event. Then its a long day Sunday. Some shooters cant do that so again we lose competitors and the sport dies.

To prevent certain whingers I must add that these are my own facts and opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the wagga SSAA branch.

I have posted this to merely provoke some rational thinking about our sport, what is happening and what could be the long term outcomes if things progress unchanged.