TargetTalk

Here's one I'd like to get an opinion on:

How old is too old to start if you plan on training up to a "world champion" level?
D

60 is OK IF you have what it takes and the eyes is OK.
Wery few is talented enough but when a shooter starts after his 50th birth day he MAY be very devoted.

Kent

Whew!

And to think I thought I might have missed the boat at 20 yo...

:D

D

you're never too old

I converted to Olympic style shooting over a year ago at 43.... (after years of service rifle) its an uphill struggle, mostly against aging eyesight and other physical things... but I think it is a realistic enough goal that I'll give it a few more years and see where I go...

When I had better eyesight and weighed less.... my salary couldn't afford high-end guns or good smallbore ammo....


Poole
http://bill.poole.com
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/

If I'm not mistaken, the oldest athlete to win a medal at the Olympics was 72 years old, and that was in Free Pistol. I believe it was a team medal of some sort.
It kind of gives you inspiration doesn't it.

R.M.

http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/hero ... I_ID=56496

http://www.issfnews.com/default.asp?fil ... trid=18051

Skanåker still competes

> When I had better eyesight and weighed less....
> my salary couldn't afford high-end guns or
> good smallbore ammo....

When you have the teeth, you have no bread. When you have the bread, you have no teeth. ;-)

IIRC, the oldest Olympic medalist was a 74-year-old 50m rifle shooter.

FWIW, the U.S. International Muzzle-Loading Team has several shooters in their late 60s and early 70s who are still winning medals. So it's not a fluke.

Life begins at 40. This way, you are past the peer pressure of girl friends, job security, owning a house, etc., and you have enough money in the bank (hopefully) and time, to invest in your ambition. You do not see too many youngsters driving a Ferrari or a Harley, do you?

You are more matured, composed, and know how to handle stress to focus on a sport. The only negative side would be your health. I am diabetic, and have astigmatism and recently busted both my knees (total ACL rupture) in martial arts. Still, shooting and the aspiration to become a shooter is something I would never give up.

You only get old when you stop trying.

Interesting conundrum.

1. Junior shooters are at a (great?) disadvantage due to mental factors.

2. Senior shooters are at a (great?) disadvantage due to physical factors.

Your Goal: Develop a large, highly competitive pool of World Class, Near World Class, and Aspiring to World Class shooters.

Your Constraints: No money, the sport is politically incorrect, your country hasn't medalled for eons, etc. etc.

Where do you focus your efforts?

Note: many- if not most- of your promising, talented Junior shooters burn out and give up if they don't receive the continual support they get as Juniors (at a minimum) or increasing levels of support as they go off to college.

Your Call- what does your national program look like, If You Were King?

Steve Swartz

Gotta be working from juniors upwards. They have a shooting lifespan of up to 40+ years (assuming they don't quit). It is also more politically correct to bring on youngsters. If you focussed on the oldies, where does your new crop come from ?

Rob.

Why does the focus have to be on a particular age group? Why not focus on the population at large? What I mean is that instead of creating programs that are age specific, create one that is performance specific. Have a basic level, intermediate level, advanced level, etc. Have instruction, clinics, and classes of competition for each level. Don't Bullseye shooters compete based on their ranking, i.e. level of ability? The best way, in my opinion, to keep finding the next crop of Olympians is to have as many competitions as possible going on all around the country and pick the best competitors, regardless of age. You can get 20 years of competition out of a 40 year old just as well as you can out of an 18 year old. How long does the average junior stick with it, anyway? (I'm asking- I really don't know, although I'd be surprised if the vast majority of juniors are still on the national team 20 years later.)

I think the only advantage to a youth-centered program was, in the past, the prevelance of school shooting programs. These programs gave the national organizations (i.e. USAS) already established programs that they could further aid with their support, without having to create a whole program themself. But since very few of these shooting programs exist any more, there's less of a reason to be focused on a specific age group. Sure, you still have 4-H groups out there teaching competitive shooting, but why not create a specific club/organization to get people of all ages involved in Olympic shooting.

Imagine if you had state and local chapters of USAS, functioning like an organized club- holding introductions, clinics, matches, etc., and building an amazing grassroots network to get people interested and involved, and identify the next national team members. I think the success of high-power, cowboy action shooting, practical pistol, and IPSC shows that there are thousands of shooters out there interested in competitions. They only need to be shown the rules and how to play the game, and given an opportunity within 100 miles of their home to do so.

Just my two cents.

-Ted

You push across the board.

You have a junior/young adult program that aims at recruiting shooters and providing good basic instruction.

Then there is an adult program that helps older shooters progress, keeping an eye out for the potentially great.

Finally you have the top-flight shooters, who receive match support and coaching.

Part of the problem is that mainstream sports tend to be youth-centric, while shooting is more for older competitors.

I got interested in shooting AP because I was walking across my armory drill floor and there was a targets set up with pistols to shoot. I was given the rules and a parctice 40 then I fired for record. 40 shots at the same target. I handed the target to the Msgt. in charge of the range, he submitted all of the targets to whomever was running the postal match. Turns out I was 10th in the State of Oregon. I thought HMMM, maybe I can do better. The self discipline to practice and a pistol was all I really needed. Plus some research into how to shoot. Last year I shot a 539 at sectionals. This year My PR is 546. Now I think that is pretty good improvement. By the way I am 41 and just getting started. What I would like to do is try a bunch of differnt pistols to see what I like. I shoot a IZH 46 now. Maybe shooting clubs and ranges need to step up and start advertising matches and getting folks involved. I see myself shooting AP for a long time.

Looks like my territory. I have started shooting right from the basics one and a half year back at the age of 38. Life has just begun for me. Have managed to reach to the level of 570 in air rifle and sincerely believe that i can do much better than that in near future.
One of the main reasons I took to this sports was because my age didn't matter.When I was looking at various options of sports to spend my free evening time ,I realized that this sport didn't require a stamina of a 20 yr old. Plus it required mental maturity of an elderly. When I attended the basic course all others with me were either school kids or college kids.As of today 1.5 yr later most of them have dropped out and I am still going strong. Hope when I develop presbiopia (reading glasses)after 40 it won't affect me too badly. It's very heartening to see lot of people of my agegroup here.
Doctor, a studious rifle shooter

I have only just begun shooting at the age of 41. I have been interested in shooting since I was a kid nad whiled away many an afternoon shooting a friends break-barrel Diana air rifle. I have taken up shooting now because, like others, I have the time and money to participate. I doubt I would have been able to apply myself to the discipline of air pistol at the age of twenty or so. With maturity comes patience. I doubt I will ever be on the Olympic team but that isn't my goal. I simply want to become competent and continue to enjoy the sport. As far as I can tell we only have one member of my club under 25. It would be great to see more young people getting involved but compared to football or tennis, pistol shooting is very non-politically correct. The way the laws are here in Australia now sends this message out loud and clear.

The gun club I belong to basically gives a group "huh" whenever airguns are mentioned. Sort of like your third head is showing.

Too bad, airpistol is about all I have a desire to shoot anymore. I enjoy the cleanliness and the never ending challenge. But, I have to be content with postal matches for competition.

Age here is 60 - you're never too old to enjoy shooting.

www.airguninfo.com

[quote="Bill177"] But, I have to be content with postal matches for competition.

Bill, why only postal matches? Where are you located? There are quite a few (relatively speaking, of course) air pistol shooters in the Albany and Binghamton areas. There is a Wednesday night league in Troy on the RPI campus, and monthly PTO's as well. If you're interested, I can get you some more information.