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Forced Kneeling

That’s a great offer, Jeff. It will completely solve the disability issue in a most equitable manner, while simultaneously exposing those who were actually looking to modify the format for their own benefit.

Best of all, it requires no rule changes. Great proposal!

Mike

Considering every FT shooter that can't kneel already shoots all forced position shots offhand, I not only vote YES, but consider that a huge victory.(y)(y)

Thank you, Gentlemen.
 
The decision between kneeling and offhand for Forced Position shots is up to the Match Director.
Here is the GP rule for Forced Position shots:
At least 10 but no more than 20 shots for the overall match must be Forced Position shots, with a
minimum hit-zone of 3/4" and a maximum distance of 45 yards.


If enough of the commenters on this thread come to attend the ROT GP at ASC in November 17-19, I will make ALL of the forced position shots standing. Who will accept this offer?

I vote yea.
 
BTW, @trlrman and @AirNGasman aren't enough to make this MD change the COF. I need more of those armchair FT shooters to show up.
As a registered Old Fart, I feel a good mix of standing AND kneeling is just what the doctor ordered. Keep everybody flexible. Let's do this and quit the belly-aching. :cool:
 
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I just want to post in here to take a moment to celebrate all the peeps at work that hit reply all to company wide emails.
Couple years ago an employee tried to schedule a massage via email to the spa dept (pre budget-cuts) of the hospital where I work. Instead of just going to the scheduler at the spa, it went to all 1400 employees. We learned all kinds of fun stuff about that employee, she was an over-sharer apparently. The best was when she asked if the massage would be covered by workers comp. This conversation/appeal for exceptions to be made to make field target easier reminds me alot of that massage email, like I'm part of a conversation that shouldn't even be happening this way.

#shooting the kneelers offhand is a choice, #metoomovement, #don't participation-ribbon field target, #shooting an ft match while wearing Depends should be worth an automatic +5 (no really, we need to get that one written in the rule book.....If I complain enough about how everybody needs to pee during a match but there aren't any restrooms and I need special concession for the diapers that I choose to wear, do you think I can make it happen?)
 
Now for all of you folks asking for more accommodations in Field Target, here is an article from 1992 in Airgun Digest that shows what it was like back then when men were men and shot a more challenging form of our sport. I don't see any complaining or asking to avoid kneeling lanes and almost all shooters were sitting on the ground or a bum bag. An Overview of Field Target Shooting
 
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Now for all of you folks asking for more accommodations in Field Target, here is an article from 1992 in Airgun Digest that shows what it was like back then when men were men and shot a more challenging form of our sport. I don't see any complaining or asking to avoid kneeling lanes and almost all shooters were sitting on the ground or a bum bag. An Overview of Field Target Shooting
"Field Target has swept the airgun world like the proverbial wildfire, scooping up into its swelling ranks literally hordes of airgunners" Not sure if I can believe anything else in this article. And to your point, what we think of as bum bags were not allowed, there was a 3" seat height rule.

And based on the rules, are you advocating a 50 yard maximum, no sticks, no bum bags or buckets, no scope restrictions? And hunter class would be Standard Piston Gun Class, with no sticks and 12X scope max.

I wonder where the "hordes" of airgunners from the 90's went? I suspect they all got older and advocated for things like buckets and sticks.
 
Now for all of you folks asking for more accommodations in Field Target, here is an article from 1992 in Airgun Digest that shows what it was like back then when men were men and shot a more challenging form of our sport. I don't see any complaining or asking to avoid kneeling lanes and almost all shooters were sitting on the ground or a bum bag. An Overview of Field Target Shooting

Thank you for posting that, Jeff. I read that article when it first came out, and it is largely responsible for my decades-long love affair with Field Target. In fact that article started me wishing so badly I could shoot field target that I brought FT to Texas by co-founding the first FT club in Texas, and subsequently founded Pistol Field Target and Extreme Pistol Field Target competitions on planet Earth.

I was especially interested in this part of the article-

FT animals.png


Especially given the fact the Board of Governors decided to rip the HEART out of American Field target after my email to them pleading they NOT! I found it very odd that a similar article that HAD appeared on the AFFTA website until my email appeal was removed after my failed appeal. Thankfully I have excerpts from the article that disappeared from AAFTA's website after my failed appeal to the BoG to preserve not only the original purpose and origins of Field Target, but its very HEART. Those excerpts included in my email to the BoG, as they appeared before the article disappeared from the website after my appeal-

“Field Target shooting is a hunting simulation game… and the targets are life-sized silhouettes of typical airguns quarry - rabbits, squirrels, birds, and other small game.

Modern field targets are constructed… to represent a life-sized silhouette of typical small game that can be hunted with an airgun. These animals have a hole cut out in the appropriate “kill-zone”… a direct hit will cause the paddle to rotate backwards and the entire animal will fall over “dead”.

Today's courses set the target animals in environments representative of their natural habitat. Many courses are laid out so that some of the birds may be up in trees, rabbits hiding in bushes, and squirrels "feeding" in the clearing across a stream bed.

Field target shooting was imported into the US from England… As more shooters joined the legions of devoted weekend "hunters", there appeared a need for a national organization to oversee the growth of the sport.

One only needs to follow the general guidelines to have an enjoyable day ‘hunting’ with an airgun, without even having to pack a lunch!“

I also find it odd that, on one hand the BoG insists on preserving Forced Kneeling that is aversely affecting a large and growing percentage of the core of Field Target shooters under guise of preserving FT tradition, while SIMULTANEOUSLY ripping the heart out of FT origins and traditions by replacing its hunting heritage with such NON field targets as military tanks aiming at the shooter; the kill zones being down the cannon barrel aiming at me! The points made in this paragraph suggest no small level(s) of BoG hypocrisy.

So although I don’t normally attempt to summon friends to help fight MY battles, I will say this- none other than the original (British) founders of Field Target, and one of, if not THE pioneer of American Field Target Rodney Boyce agree with me that field targets are of game animals. By the way, so did the AAFTA website until I appealed to the BoG to make that a rule; whereupon evidence of that agreement immediately got ‘disappeared’.

Where else do we too often see such debate tactics employed in 2023? Hint- the “Mainstream” Media, Social “Media”, and U.S. alphabet agencies.

Thanks again for posting that article, Jeff. It was instrumental in the creation of this Field Target TRADITIONalist unhesitant to call out those replacing Field Target’s origins and traditions in favor of turning Field Target into some semblance of video war-games.

There's an adage that bears quoting now. Goes like this- "Hunt WITH your kids and you'll never have to hunt FOR your kids".

Is there and adage I'm unaware of about playing video war-games with your kids?

Happy HUNTING, Y’all!
 
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Thank you for posting that, Jeff. I read that article when it first came out, and it is largely responsible for my decades-long love affair with Field Target. In fact that article started me wishing so badly I could shoot field target that I brought FT to Texas by co-founding the first FT club in Texas, and subsequently founded Pistol Field Target and Extreme Pistol Field Target competitions on planet Earth.

I was especially interested in this part of the article-

View attachment 392802

Especially given the fact the Board of Governors decided to rip the HEART out of American Field target after my email to them pleading they NOT! I found it very odd that a similar article that HAD appeared on the AFFTA website until my email appeal was removed after my failed appeal. Thankfully I have excerpts from the article that disappeared from AAFTA's website after my failed appeal to the BoG to preserve not only the original purpose and origins of Field Target, but its very HEART. Those excerpts included in my email to the BoG, as they appeared before the article disappeared from the website after my appeal-

“Field Target shooting is a hunting simulation game… and the targets are life-sized silhouettes of typical airguns quarry - rabbits, squirrels, birds, and other small game.

Modern field targets are constructed… to represent a life-sized silhouette of typical small game that can be hunted with an airgun. These animals have a hole cut out in the appropriate “kill-zone”… a direct hit will cause the paddle to rotate backwards and the entire animal will fall over “dead”.

Today's courses set the target animals in environments representative of their natural habitat. Many courses are laid out so that some of the birds may be up in trees, rabbits hiding in bushes, and squirrels "feeding" in the clearing across a stream bed.

Field target shooting was imported into the US from England… As more shooters joined the legions of devoted weekend "hunters", there appeared a need for a national organization to oversee the growth of the sport.


One only needs to follow the general guidelines to have an enjoyable day ‘hunting’ with an airgun, without even having to pack a lunch!“

I also find it odd that, on one hand the BoG insists on preserving Forced Kneeling that is aversely affecting a large and growing percentage of the core of Field Target shooters under guise of preserving FT tradition, while SIMULTANEOUSLY ripping the heart out of FT origins and traditions by replacing its hunting heritage with such NON field targets as military tanks aiming at the shooter; the kill zones being down the cannon barrel aiming at me! The points made in this paragraph suggest no small level(s) of BoG hypocrisy.

So although I don’t normally attempt to summon friends to help fight MY battles, I will say this- none other than the original (British) founders of Field Target, and one of, if not THE pioneer of American Field Target Rodney Boyce agree with me that field targets are of game animals. By the way, so did the AAFTA website until I appealed to the BoG to make that a rule; whereupon evidence of that agreement immediately got ‘disappeared’.

Where else do we too often see such debate tactics employed in 2023? Hint- the “Mainstream” Media, Social “Media”, and U.S. alphabet agencies.

Thanks again for posting that article, Jeff. It was instrumental in the creation of this Field Target TRADITIONalist unhesitant to call out those replacing Field Target’s origins and traditions in favor of turning Field Target into some semblance of video war-games.

There's an adage that bears quoting now. Goes like this- "Hunt WITH your kids and you'll never have to hunt FOR your kids".

Is there and adage I'm unaware of about playing video war-games with your kids?

Happy HUNTING, Y’all!
You know I'm your huckleberry, but you lost me on this one. It's a target sport (says it right in the name) not a hunting simulation, so I don't have any problem shooting targets that look like tanks, zombies, koala bears, clowns or the state of Oklahoma. I don't see the sporting clays shooters asking to have feathers glued onto the dayglo orange clay targets they shoot at.
Not trying to tell you how to feel, just letting you know that I don't have your back in this particular fight. Still love ya.
 
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You know I'm your huckleberry, but you lost me on this one. It's a target sport (says it right in the name) not a hunting simulation, so I don't have any problem shooting targets that look like tanks, zombies, koala bears, clowns or the state of Oklahoma. I don't see the sporting clays shooters asking to have feathers glued onto the dayglo orange clay targets they shoot at.
Not trying to tell you how to feel, just letting you know that I don't have your back in this particular fight. Still love ya.

Although I don't expect to win over anyone on this, from the get-go of my first exposures to Field Target it was billed as a hunting-simulation game. Not that it matters, but that's what I've always considered it, still do, have always used equipment I can hunt with, still do, used FT to improve my hunting-related shooting skills, still do, and Field Target has improved my shooting skills to such degree(s) that I now employ the most humane shot almost exclusively. Brain-shot quarry never suffers for a single second.

Feelings mutual Bud; still do. (y)
 
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