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Choosing your category wisely


Branchwater Jack SASS #88854

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8 hours ago, Tyrel Cody said:

Seriously, we ought to have a Greenhorn category that everyone HAS to shoot in when they start out.

You're talking about a "kids table"? :( Imho, not very welcoming... 

Change the word HAS to CAN and I may agree. 

 

Respectfully, Equanimous Phil

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59 minutes ago, Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 said:

What would a greenhorn category consist of?

 

Check this thread out and let me know what you think. 

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At one of my regular clubs when someone new comes they are automatically put in a “Greenhorn” category.  They can shoot any style (GF, Duelist, etc.) but they only get scored against others in the Greenhorn category.  They are allowed to shoot in this category for their first 3 matches if they want.

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17 hours ago, Tyrel Cody said:

Seriously, we ought to have a Greenhorn category that everyone HAS to shoot in when they start out.

 

27 minutes ago, Tequila Shooter said:

At one of my regular clubs when someone new comes they are automatically put in a “Greenhorn” category.  They can shoot any style (GF, Duelist, etc.) but they only get scored against others in the Greenhorn category.  They are allowed to shoot in this category for their first 3 matches if they want.

 

Seriously, I hear this and this is what I see in my mind's eye...

 

grownUpTable.png.192e9e4072994a0201591340a255576c.png

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Good, Bad, or Ugly...Historically, SASS has chosen to to delineate shooters not by proficiency, but rather by age, shooting style, propellant, and costuming. The number of competitors in each of those classifications, generally speaking, also mirrors that order.

 

If we were change that and segregate shooters by competence or skill, there may be folks who have been shooting a lot more than just three matches that could be classified as greenhorn as well.

 

And yes, I realize our classification system has evolved over time and this is the one we have had since we killed off modern and traditional in 2010..

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20 hours ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

We've all joked about it, but sometimes, folks get confused when they look at our complex category structure. So, let's talk about choosing our category

 

Terrific work, and great subject matter in your videos.

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

And many find it ironic that the age-based system was what was supposed to help even out the playing field...

 

I guess I don't understand exactly what you mean.  Almost every sport has classes 125cc don't race against 450cc etc.  Age is about as good as another just mostly the inverse of motorcycles.  We seem to get more displacement as we age not faster.  

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3 hours ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

 

If we were change that and segregate shooters by competence or skill, there may be folks who have been shooting a lot more than just three matches that could be classified as greenhorn as well.

 

 

My thought had nothing to do with competence or skill. More to eliminate the decision and/or confusion for new shooters. 

 

Oddly enough I shot Classic Cowboy my first match, maybe 2 with .357 rifle, revolvers, and not enough of the clothing requirements. I was so slow no one bothered to penalize or correct me :rolleyes:

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1 hour ago, twelve mile REB said:

 

I guess I don't understand exactly what you mean.  Almost every sport has classes 125cc don't race against 450cc etc.  Age is about as good as another just mostly the inverse of motorcycles.  We seem to get more displacement as we age not faster.  

 

I totally agree that we needed something, and this was the best that we could come up with. And, like you infer, it is a actually a pretty good way of doing it. As a matter of fact, I personally think that it works just fine the way it is now. But for those who think the current system is broken...I have to wonder.... There are a lot of matches where there are several from 'older' categories that are more than holding their own against the younger ones, so maybe age is not the distinguishing characteristic we think it is. Or, at least it is not the only one.

 

Even that being said, just grouping people by age does not even out the playing field. Take, for instance, the Silver Senior category. You will have folks who are great, seasoned shooters - top 10 overall in 'major' matches. They are going head to head with another person in the Silver Senior category who just started shooting a month ago. How even does that end up being? While they are the same age, they are definitely not the same skill level. The same can be said in that we have many shooters who are in the same skill level, but who are not the same age. We are having folks say that we should segregate out shooters just because they are new. I ask, why as we do not segregate based on skill, but by age.

 

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1 minute ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

Just throwing this out there...

You don't HAVE to choose an 'aged base' catagory...

You may shoot Cowboy or Cowgirl...any age...and have fun.

 

As long as you don't shoot gunfighter!

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Don't change the rules, change the expectations.

 

By age I'm a Silver Senior, but I've only participated in 5 local matches and one State match.  I don't expect to win anything until I've gained some experience.

 

So far I've exceeded my expectations: I expected to suck, and I sucked really bad!

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56 minutes ago, Diamond Jake said:

Don't change the rules, change the expectations.

 

By age I'm a Silver Senior, but I've only participated in 5 local matches and one State match.  I don't expect to win anything until I've gained some experience.

 

So far I've exceeded my expectations: I expected to suck, and I sucked really bad!

My exoectations are that I get less misses, and gain more time.

I compete with me!!!

This is my fun time...

FB_IMG_1533235941954-1.jpg

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On 2/13/2021 at 3:15 PM, Tyrel Cody said:

Seriously, we ought to have a Greenhorn category that everyone HAS to shoot in when they start out.

Our club has a New Shooters Orientation that covers all the basics and gets about as much shooting in as a match.  As long as the person can handle the guns they are taught how to play the game and avoid some of the common pitfalls.  We did have a mother daughter duo one time that had never shot a gun before, they got some extra one on one with our lady helper and made it through the class just fine.  I was told later that the daughter had said "Best day ever!" after the class.

 

This class is for anyone who has never shot CAS, or anyone who thinks it would help them nock the rust off after a long hiatus.

 

We charge the same fee as for a match and do not charge if someone wants to repeat the class before they shoot a match for score.

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Thanks for the video! And I am looking forward to next ones outlining BP categories, Classic Cowboy and B-Western :)

 

But I'd like to say that I stumbled upon the folling highlighted wording which I consider not completely true and may mislead a newbie:

 

BWJ_categories_1b.PNG.9f1ffab261c9a1f37db53ebd41c3bbda.PNG

 

In my opinion, there is a lot of clothing that is not explicitly banned as 'outlawed item' but still doesn't comply with the rule you stated in your video about clothing:

 

BWJ_clothing_1.PNG.e617f439d3b7da07849ef4b80f39b2af.PNG

 

I mean, my snowboarding wear isn't outlawed, is long sleeved, fabric doesn't matter for clothing and it would be a darn good choice for the current outside temperature! But definitely not SASS legal :D

 

Equanimous Phil

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Th

2 hours ago, Equanimous Phil said:

Thanks for the video! And I am looking forward to next ones outlining BP categories, Classic Cowboy and B-Western :)

 

But I'd like to say that I stumbled upon the folling highlighted wording which I consider not completely true and may mislead a newbie:

 

BWJ_categories_1b.PNG.9f1ffab261c9a1f37db53ebd41c3bbda.PNG

 

In my opinion, there is a lot of clothing that is not explicitly banned as 'outlawed item' but still doesn't comply with the rule you stated in your video about clothing:

 

BWJ_clothing_1.PNG.e617f439d3b7da07849ef4b80f39b2af.PNG

 

I mean, my snowboarding wear isn't outlawed, is long sleeved, fabric doesn't matter for clothing and it would be a darn good choice for the current outside temperature! But definitely not SASS legal :D

 

Equanimous Phil

 

Great point, which is also why there are 2 links in the video to the ins and outs of costuming, one when we talk about the costuming requirements, and the other at the end of the video:

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Equanimous Phil said:

Thanks for the video! And I am looking forward to next ones outlining BP categories, Classic Cowboy and B-Western :)

 

But I'd like to say that I stumbled upon the folling highlighted wording which I consider not completely true and may mislead a newbie:

 

BWJ_categories_1b.PNG.9f1ffab261c9a1f37db53ebd41c3bbda.PNG

 

In my opinion, there is a lot of clothing that is not explicitly banned as 'outlawed item' but still doesn't comply with the rule you stated in your video about clothing:

 

BWJ_clothing_1.PNG.e617f439d3b7da07849ef4b80f39b2af.PNG

 

I mean, my snowboarding wear isn't outlawed, is long sleeved, fabric doesn't matter for clothing and it would be a darn good choice for the current outside temperature! But definitely not SASS legal :D

 

Equanimous Phil

Just remember that clubs have LOTS of spray paint handy...

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