Mad Dog McGee Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Shot our monthly match yesterday in Okeechobee Fl. Fantastic weather ,great stages. But I got to noticing the mix of shooters we had. Mostly it was older ,senior shooters of which I am at 60. I got to thinking , where are the young people ,say 30 and under? ? We had some ,but very few. Where is CAS headed? Yes I know that the world champions are very young and I think that's great. So is this just a Florida thing or is it everywhere? I hope that we have a lot of young people coming up in this sport. Just like to know so it'll ease my mind. With all the gun control talk and less and less westerns on tv , I fear that the future doesn't look good. Lets face it ; when I grew up I watched Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Have gun will Travel, Rawhide and many more. My brothers and friends played cowboys and indians all the time. I try to promote shooting and 2 amendment rights as best I can . So how many young shooters are in your club or shoot with you ? Thanks in advance , MDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Malloy Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I am not sure how many are in mine but I have seen at least three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 We have a few under 60 but none I think are under 45. There is a grandpa at a neighboring club that brings a granddaughter to shoot. I think it costs him about $1,000/ match. Last match I shot with them she had two brand new pistols and a $400 pair of cowboy boots. I think she's about 13. He has maybe another year before she knows everything and won't want to hang out with fugitives from the old-folk's home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Two clubs that I shoot with maybe 8 or ten under 30 one club two under 30 two clubs none under 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coalman Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 If you want to attract more new shooters things are going to have to change. A lot of the old timers have to lighten up It is suppose to be fun not a whole bunch of nit picking opinions which aren't rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackrabbit Joe #414 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Probably 20% are 30 and under. JRJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 There was one kid at our match yesterday. His dad was probably the youngest adult there. I'm one of the youngsters at 56. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Hill, sass # 49256 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I don't shoot CAS anymore but one advantage I saw to CAS is that it is not as physically demanding as some of the other shooting sports. I am 58 and was considering modern 3 gun until I watched some of the match vides on You Tube. They would approach a shooting station at dead run, drop to the prone position, shoot, then jump back up and run to the next station. I don't do that so good anymore. For that reason alone CAS may tend to draw some less the young shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefro, SASS#69420 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 SASS -1 CFDA - 2 Jefro Relax-Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Bubba Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 At our annual shoot last October, we had 5 shooters under 30...4 of them 18 and under... there was a total of 114 shooters.. I have noticed a bit of an increased in shooters in the 30-40 year old range over the last couple of years. Nothing drastic but it's a nice trend.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Coached my children in CAS and bullseye, then other kids but have not replaced my last youngster and his friends. I was not in good shape last year and am getting a little older. The kids that I coached were the last ones shooting at my clubs that were teenagers. Now, we have no shooters under 30. The problem is it takes a lot of effort to coach, equip, transport and support kids. It is hard enough to do it as a parent or grandparent. It is doubly difficult as a non relative. I sure hope someone replaces me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Deck 100366 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 at our bi-monthly yesterday I counted 6 out of 51 shooters. There might have been more but I didn't see 'em. they ranged from 11 to 26 or so. Not too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major BS Walker Regulator Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I shoot at 5 different clubs and I can count the 30 & under shooters on one hand. That's not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StirrupTrouble Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 At the two clubs I shoot at regularly, of the regulars, I am probably the youngest, and I am quickly closing in on 49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keystone, SASS # 47578 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Howdy, Based on experience from the last 14 years, SASS/CAS is not going to be sustained by children & young adults. While we enjoy watching youth grow & progress, there is a lot of competition for there time with education & sports. Young adults will soon begin their careers through education, vocational training or OTJ experience, followed by starting & raising a family. It's more reasonable to expect the sustainability of SASS/CAS to be dependent on adults who have raised their families & are looking for a hobby or adults from other venues burned out from trying to compete with younger more agile participants. We just need to continue spreading the word about SASS/CAS. Very few people have ever heard of SASS/CAS and are surprised when you tell them about our great shooting venue. Three of the four clubs I shoot with have form 1 to 4 shooters in the sub-30 age group. Hasta Luego, Keystone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Excluding the three occasional very young grandchild,,, zero others under 30yr. counting all three clubs. Approaching 50-50 split between retirees and people still working. Lets see,, possible two under 45 from three different clubs. Just talked to a young 30yo clerk at Cabella's gun department, I specifically asked what turned him off with SASS (he knew about SASS) ,,,, Cost was his answer. He could participate in IDPA with his box stock Sig 220. IDPA was more realistic and useful for everyday crime scenerios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy the Avenger Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 We have 2 The wife and I She is 28 and I'm 29 Billy the Avenger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Probably 20% are 30 and under. JRJ where may you speak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home Range Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 There was one kid at our match yesterday. His dad was probably the youngest adult there. I'm one of the youngsters at 56. Hey, I represent that remark. I will bring more kids as they get older. I have one turning 9 this summer and the 11 year old who comes now. (and 7 others too) Our club yesterday had 2 buckaroos and Im guessing at 43 I was next youngest. Sometimes we have a couple other regulars who are in their thirties. Not many though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Hey, I represent that remark. I will bring more kids as they get older. I have one turning 9 this summer and the 11 year old who comes now. (and 7 others too) Our club yesterday had 2 buckaroos and Im guessing at 43 I was next youngest. Sometimes we have a couple other regulars who are in their thirties. Not many though. You are correct, I forgot about Grey Pup and he shot on my posse. He's very quiet. All the ladies are 29. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 CAS "peaked" several years ago. It is now in slow decline. Coffinmaker PS: Can't play it with an electronic remote game controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_of_Hearts Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Bring back B-Westerns and your youth membership will increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Spurs Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Bring back B-Westerns and your youth membership will increase. OR STEAMPUNK! Sorry- couldn't resist that one. A carry over from another thread.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coyote Kincaid Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I think we have 4 but I haven't seen 3 of them in a while now. Maybe this cold weather is keeping them indoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Bring back B-Westerns and your youth membership will increase. If you could get it to sell in the theater, then it would be back. Zombie's seem to be more popular than Cowboy or Steampunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Just curious....when did SASS ever draw large number of youngsters? Maybe we are destined to draw primarily from the 40-plus crowd, period. Doesn't mean SASS is dying, or not sustainable,,,just that the demographics are different. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 There has never been a large number of kids shooting in SASS, nor an abundance of under 30's. Some of the kids that stayed with it did quite well, others just faded away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 SASS never did attract large amounts of under 30 yo or even 40 yo. Probably started with 50ish yo and the trend of that core group continues to age. Average age went from 50'ish (49er category) to today's 65ish (SilverSenior) and rapidly approaching average of 70ish. That indicated that fewer youth is coming in to balance the age. Along with frequent announcements of Pards that have move on or can no longer participate. The membership and attendance are just other indicators as we all know. Don't bash my numbers, just my guestimate of ages. I think Loophole has a good point about SASS will draw from the 40 and probably more so, the 50yo age group. But then, todays 40-50yo wasn't around when the B western TV & Movies were in their prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackrabbit Joe #414 Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 BlastMaster:I'm saying 20% of our two clubs which I belong and those are Arizona Cowboy Shooters Assn. and Cow Town Cowboy Shooters. But at various times we have others that belong to neighboring clubs that attend our matches. I'll back up a little on that and probably have to say 10-12% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolina Gunslinger Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 The challenges faced that I see for younger people are a higher start up cost than modern 3 gun, pretty much mandatory to be a reloader, the lack of tacticool appeal in gear and stage design, the lack/prohibition of movement while shooting, and perception that CAS is an older person's game. Adding movement while shooting to the gunfighter categories and cowboy category(where lug soles are legal) would sure be an infusion of spectacular into the discipline which might draw some crossover shooters and new shooters. We have a western... 3:10 to Yuma... They move and shoot in the movie!!! We had a beautiful 25 year old blonde shoot a couple of matches a couple of weeks ago. I took her home with me and she hasn't been back since!😱 It's been cold and we don't shoot in the Arctic weather here in Virginia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brimstone Bill Willson Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 My brother and I are the only 30 somethings and there is one 40 something, everyone else is 60+. I could go for some more movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I wouldn't worry. I have raced sailboats and iceboats for decades. The population of sailors has remained in the 40s and 50s forever. Similar to SASS, family responsibilities and finances generally preclude the involvement of younger shooters. Grandparents and Great grandparents are in the best position to bring kids to matches. Although I no longer coach kids, I do bring .22s and .410s to matches along with puny little smokeless .38s, 12s and leather gear to local matches for spectators and newbies to try. If we want to worry, how about the dark, almost impenetratable cloud that covers our overall organization? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I wouldn't worry. I have raced sailboats and iceboats for decades. The population of sailors has remained in the 40s and 50s forever. Similar to SASS, family responsibilities and finances generally preclude the involvement of younger shooters. Grandparents and Great grandparents are in the best position to bring kids to matches. Although I no longer coach kids, I do bring .22s and .410s to matches along with puny little smokeless .38s, 12s and leather gear to local matches for spectators and newbies to try. If we want to worry, how about the dark, almost impenetratable cloud that covers our overall organization? The new 50's come from a different time era than the old 50's. The new 50's were not raised with B Western TV/movies. Makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sam, SASS #34718L Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Funny that you brought this up..... Just yesterday I was asking some friends at a shoot why I had not seen their granddaughter recently. She is in her early teens and has been shooting for a couple of years and really enjoys it...... So where is she, I asked??? Turns out she was at an Annual match at a club in West Texas and it was hot, the shoot was over & done. She had been given a nice T-Shirt from the Home Club advertising the Club & CAS.... So She Puts it on. No Big Deal, RITE??????? WRONG...... One of our own founders of SASS who everyone here knows was at the shoot also, he see's her in the "dreaded T-shirt" and chastises her in front of several other shooter for being out of costume......... She was so embarrassed by it that she wont come and shoot any longer. Sometimes I wonder just where the #@%&!! peoples heads are when they open their mouths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Deck 100366 Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Funny that you brought this up..... Just yesterday I was asking some friends at a shoot why I had not seen their granddaughter recently. She is in her early teens and has been shooting for a couple of years and really enjoys it...... So where is she, I asked??? Turns out she was at an Annual match at a club in West Texas and it was hot, the shoot was over & done. She had been given a nice T-Shirt from the Home Club advertising the Club & CAS.... So She Puts it on. No Big Deal, RITE??????? WRONG...... One of our own founders of SASS who everyone here knows was at the shoot also, he see's her in the "dreaded T-shirt" and chastises her in front of several other shooter for being out of costume......... She was so embarrassed by it that she wont come and shoot any longer. Sometimes I wonder just where the #@%&!! peoples heads are when they open their mouths. Sounds like a quick search of the speakers posterior would have yielded results in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.