Sorry I am late to this discussion, however I have found it to be one of the most interesting and useful discussions I have found here at AGN. I am relatively new to airgun shooting but have been fortunate enough to have found FT shooting with several other interested shooters with a varied amount of experience. I learned by listening to, and shooting with them in addition to the people that I was eventually squadded with in my first matches. Seeing a full range of budget through high end equipment was helpful and I learned the difference between springer and PCP shooting, both from a hands on perspective (trying other people’s equipment) and from a financial perspective. I learned that it does not take a whole lot of $$ to get started and that the top end cost for a kit can be quite expensive. It was up to me to choose how I wanted to enter into the sport. However, I also learned that the the most enjoyable part of my experience was sharing time and knowledge with the people in addition to focusing on the mechanics of shooting and in competing first with myself. Winning was not the ultimate objective. Rather, it was learning that the only pressure is in the gun!
So my point is that if we want to interest new people in the sport AND keep them with us, we need to focus on the quality of the experience of shooting and in improving, not is just getting the highest score. I’ve also discovered the importance of finding mentors that help new shooters get into the sport both by sharing their knowledge and experience in addition to their time in helping new shooters in developing good habits and educating them honestly about the advantages/disadvantages associated with the vast range of equipment that is available today. The service offered by these people is immeasurable!
And finally, I’ve found that having a number of shooting opportunities close by to be a game changer. Living here in the northeast, we have many people living in close proximity. This makes airguns vs. firearms a practical alternative due to space restrictions. This also provides an opportunity for clubs located 1 to 2 hours apart to attract their own “local” members and for them to easily travel from week to week to other nearby clubs to shoot matches. By making it easy to get into the sport, adopting an open and nurturing environment in which to learn and develop, and providing easy access for people to meet and shoot with others is the key to growing HFT and maintaining people’s interest in the sport. Keep it fun and they will come.
I would like to thank all of the people that I have had the chance to shoot with at a match. I have enjoyed my time with you and have learned something from each and every match I’ve shot. I am also grateful for the fellowship offered by my local club and to all the other members of the clubs that formed the New England Field Target League (nefieldtargetleague.org) this season. For this part of the country, I think we have stumbled upon a “recpie” that will continue to develop HFT in the coming years.
