Printed Shooters Handbooks

[Snakebite]

The Shooter's book is important at any annual match. It provides continuity to the match's event and helps to make the shooter part of the team. Never sacrifice quality for Quantity. 

 

Snakebite

[The Revenuer]

I don’t think I would attend a state or above match without a shooters book.  It is important for several reasons, posse marshal walk through, competitors studying and keeping their scores as well as space for the sponsors. 

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

Yes.  Printed event book is important.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

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

Yes.  Printed event book is important.

 

AGREE!

 

..........Widder

 

[Captain Bill Burt]

On 4/12/2024 at 4:05 PM, Max Payne said:

In my opinion, a first class shooter's book & classy awards (especially buckles) are VERY important for a good impression of the match. Certainly for annuals, state championships, & above. If either appears cheap or haphazard, it doesn't reflect well on the match. Molly's buckles are the way to go for state champions (& above). It's also a nice touch for annuals. Two good friends won the overall not long ago at a state match & received very unimpressive awards for the overall win. Not good.

 

If expense is an issue, raise the registration amount. It's a worthwhile investment for all involved. That's not the place to save money.

 

My two cents.

I agree.  I'll go a bit farther.  I understand the need to make a profit on a match and I understand that some of our local clubs are run by shooters who have invested in the club and expect to earn a return.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but.....

 

I find it hard to believe a club can host a state match with strong attendance and send the overall winner away with a $12 buckle or can host a regional match with strong attendance and send the regional category champions away with $12 buckles, but I've seen it.  

 

 

 

 

[Assassin]

12 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

I agree.  I'll go a bit farther.  I understand the need to make a profit on a match and I understand that some of our local clubs are run by shooters who have invested in the club and expect to earn a return.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but.....

 

I find it hard to believe a club can host a state match with strong attendance and send the overall winner away with a $12 buckle or can host a regional match with strong attendance and send the regional category champions away with $12 buckles, but I've seen it.  

 

 

 

 

Other than the SASS state buckles there are no other buckles in these parts for overall or any other winners, I'm no longer match director at our state match.  7 or 8 years back we got prices on awards/plaques and the proposal was $7000.  Divide that cost between 150 shooters and it's $46+ per shooter, due to the plethora of categories. Shoot books were $3.75 each.  I don't own a printer and I don't want to use my phone.  

[Sandhills Slim, SASS #22998]

We went to a State level match a couple years ago where competitors were advised that name tags would not be furnished and were requested to bring a name tag of their choosing to be worn during the event. We’re sure that most everyone who has been in the game for some period of time likely has a collection of old name tags some of which they like very much. If you have one from your home state, you might want to wear it to let other shooters know where you are from. We don’t know if name tags are a huge expense, but by doing this some savings would be realized by the group putting on the match.  Any savings could be used to fund awards or other needs such as printed shooters books.

 

Sandhills Slim & Ms. Jewel  

[Captain Bill Burt]

If by SASS state buckles you mean these, I think these are very nice buckles.

19 minutes ago, Assassin said:

Other than the SASS state buckles there are no other buckles in these parts for overall or any other winners, I'm no longer match director at our state match.  7 or 8 years back we got prices on awards/plaques and the proposal was $7000.  Divide that cost between 150 shooters and it's $46+ per shooter, due to the plethora of categories. Shoot books were $3.75 each.  I don't own a printer and I don't want to use my phone.  

If 

[Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118]

For those of you that were not lucky enough to attend 2024 End of Trail, here is a link to download the "Event Book"

 

https://endoftrail.org/eot-results/

 

Enjoy,

 

TB

 

 

[Chancy Shot, SASS #67163]

On 4/12/2024 at 10:08 AM, Woody Shootem, SASS # 24816 said:

I keep all of the shooters books from matches I attend and freely borrow stages from them to use at our monthly events.

I don't borrow them.  I steal them outright!

 

Chancy

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

There's only one annual match that I normally attend that doesn't have a printed shooter book, but it is a smaller match so I know they are trying to save money.  They send an email to everybody with the file, so people do know in advance. I've never printed it, but I do look it over.  Whether a printed one is provided or not, I do like the idea of a digital copy so that I can look at the stages ahead of time.  Often I just don't have time to look at a printed copy before the match starts.

 

I buy cheap all-in-one printers, because I don't print much and do need to occasionally scan something.  Regarding the ink drying, that happens a lot when you don't use it much, so I made a document that has only two words in it: PRINTER EXCERCISE.  Each letter of those two words is a different color.  Once a week (Tuesday, since that is also the day to water plants), I print that file with the two words.  I can use paper that already has other stuff on it, and turn it over and then upside down, and use the same paper for 4 weeks.  This uses very little ink but helps to keep it from drying out.

 

Some comedian once told a joke about how a lot of the world's problems are based on who has oil and who doesn't, and folks think that oil is the most expensive liquid commodity.  But it is not.  Ounce for ounce, the most expensive substance is printer ink!  

[Scarlett]

12 hours ago, Sandhills Slim, SASS #22998 said:

We went to a State level match a couple years ago where competitors were advised that name tags would not be furnished and were requested to bring a name tag of their choosing to be worn during the event. We’re sure that most everyone who has been in the game for some period of time likely has a collection of old name tags some of which they like very much. If you have one from your home state, you might want to wear it to let other shooters know where you are from. We don’t know if name tags are a huge expense, but by doing this some savings would be realized by the group putting on the match.  Any savings could be used to fund awards or other needs such as printed shooters books.

 

Sandhills Slim & Ms. Jewel  

That was SC! @Slippery Stew saves enough money on no banquet and no badges (people have been so clever) that he provides a BBQ lunch and drink EACH day of main match! NC has a Free Match contest - wear your NC badge from any year and get in a drawing for a free match! Badges would have to be at least $3 each with pin and probably $5 with a magnet. 
 

Slippery Stew also buys good prizes and shooter gifts with the funds and our club is super supportive of the cowboys, too. There are ways to be creative!
 

Hugs!

Scarlett

[Lucky Lead Pepper]

For all of those that say they don't mind printing their own, what if the digital copy of the shooters book is a PDF and it is laid out to print 50 single pages.  I know you select only the pages you want, but would you rather the shooters book come to you in a Word file so you can play around with the formatting and create a nice little book that fold together and can be stapled, or is 8.5 x 11 single sheets fine for you?

 

If you are a sponsor, how would you feel about no book being provided?  If shooters print their own, they are likely to leave out the sponsor pages when they print to save paper, how do you feel about that? Doesn't seem like a fair shake for the sponsors to me.

 

There are a lot of places to save money in a big match, skipping shooters books are not the place in my opinion.  Raise the match fee by $5 if you need to in order to provide shooters books.  I want the dang book in my shooters packet when I check in!

[Captain Bill Burt]

2 hours ago, Lucky Lead Pepper said:

For all of those that say they don't mind printing their own, what if the digital copy of the shooters book is a PDF and it is laid out to print 50 single pages.  I know you select only the pages you want, but would you rather the shooters book come to you in a Word file so you can play around with the formatting and create a nice little book that fold together and can be stapled, or is 8.5 x 11 single sheets fine for you?

 

If you are a sponsor, how would you feel about no book being provided?  If shooters print their own, they are likely to leave out the sponsor pages when they print to save paper, how do you feel about that? Doesn't seem like a fair shake for the sponsors to me.

 

There are a lot of places to save money in a big match, skipping shooters books are not the place in my opinion.  Raise the match fee by $5 if you need to in order to provide shooters books.  I want the dang book in my shooters packet when I check in!

I appreciate you bringing this up.  It's touchy providing this kind of feedback.  The folks we're talking about are often friends in addition to being the MDs, but if everyone is hesitant to discuss concerns, then things that need to be addressed aren't.  

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

The shooter's book can also be very useful at the shooter's banquet.

 

[Dream Chaser, SASS #79316]

I do not understand why some clubs are too cheap or too lazy to provide them.  Fortunately most annual matches I attend provide them.

Edited April 15 by Dream Chaser, SASS #79316

[Popcorn Kelly]

2023_Illinois_State_Championsip_ Event_ Program.pdf

Here is a pdf of Illowa Irregulars' 2023 Illinois State Championship Event Program.  As I recall, these thirty-two page, 8.5 x 11 inch, four color, saddle stitched booklets cost just under $4 each. 

Here are my thoughts on this subject.  Event Programs are one of the first touch points shooters experience upon arrival.  We want them to have a very positive tactile and visual experience when they pull it out of their registration packet.  It helps set the stage for what's to come.  We're doing something similar in 2024.  www.illowairregulars.com  

[Lucky Lead Pepper]

3 hours ago, Popcorn Kelly said:

Here is a pdf of Illowa Irregulars' 2023 Illinois State Championship Event Program.

Thanks for sharing this!  That is a really great shooters book, I can tell time and effort was put into it.  

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

The three posses' I shoot with, Ruff's Regulators. The posse with no name at Grenville and The Square Circle Wranglers all produce a match book for monthly matches, although one has downsized their booklet, ( 5 stages) to a single sheet, printed both sides and folded.  

[Ashley D Austin]

I would not like a digital copy. At three day matches I use the hard copy book to reread each staqe before I shoot it, record my times, and check out the sponsors (advertisers who pay to have their company name in print!). I would not print out a shooter's book on my home printer because of the cost of the ink, and would not be able to read it on my phone at a match because the text would be too small, and I do not take out my phone during a match because it is rude and interruptive.  We pay to go to these matches and if a range feels the cost of printing is too high the range has the option of passing the printing costs on to us shooters. Honestly, somethings are just better done the old fashion way and being handed a printed shooter's book at a match is one of them. We shoot old west and should be able to read the same way they did 100 years ago!