The topic about the shooting pants has been beaten to death the last few weeks and I would like to put my 5 cents in. We are too focused on the pants that we don't the entire picture.
What is the quoted reason for removing the pants? To attract media - as the funny clothing and funny walking athletes makes it less attractive to the media.
But the problem with the lack of interest of the media is not the pants or the blinders, it is that many matches are not run in a way to make them interesting for media. I attended some of the US National Championships for juniors this year and I was suprised by the fashion they were organized. The organization was great, but it was focused more on making it easier to organize than making it interesting and fun for the spectators.
As a result I wrote a letter to USAS and NRA with some suggestions on how to improve matches to make them more interesting for both shooters and media. I have attached parts of the letter below.
I think if we make the matches interesting enough, it won't matter if we are wearing shooting jackets and pants or not. We need to look at the whole picture to be able to solve the lacking media interest for shooting.
-----------
The basic goal is to gain more public interest and to gain the interest of the media. The matches have to be available and easily accessible to them. The following areas should be considered when setting up a major air rifle match.
o Facility – The facility should allow for spectators to watch the match. It should have at least 50 ft behind the shooting line and preferably stadium seating. A large size gym with the bleachers left up on one side would be the ideal. For a major event with 300-400 shooters, it should be in a facility with two or more gyms adjacent to each other and ideally with a connecting entryway. This would allow a lot of people to watch the shooters as they compete. Allow media special entrance so they can get closer to the shooters to take pictures. Make sure that all shooters shoot in the same location and have a public announcer to give facts and some biographical information on the top shooters in each relay. The facility should be easily accessible and in a medium size city. It should be a large enough city that there would be enough media to cover the event, but it shouldn’t be so large that it just becomes one of many events going on at the same time.
o Public Scoring – Shooting is not a very exciting sport if you don’t know how the shooters are doing. There has been a lot of publicity on the electronic targets and their advantages. Even if it wouldn’t be economical or feasible for a championship, the same thing can be accomplished with a minimal investment. Make up a large poster board for each shooter that easily can be read from the bleachers. Put the name on top and then one line for each 10 shot string. Have a spotter with a good quality spotting scope sit behind every five or so shooters and check the scores. When a shooter has shot, the spotter can check it and put a big dot on the poster board in the 10-shot string row. A red dot indicates a 10, a blue dot is a 9 and so on. These are just preliminary scores and for entertainment purposes but it will make it a spectator sport. The people on the bleachers will be able to see who is doing well and what the current standing is.
o Scoring – Collect target as soon as it is possible and have the scoring team close by. Score the targets immediately and have a person post them to a public place as quickly as possible. It can be done as a spreadsheet that is displayed with an overhead projector; this will allow people to see the official scores as they become available. Each time a target is scored it is entered into the spreadsheet to make it as “instant” as possible. Once the official printed out scores are available, post them. Use large score boards to do this. It is not very spectator friendly when the scores are posted on normal letter paper with about 30 shooters per page. Make sure that it is readable from about 20 ft.
o Public announcer – Have a public announcer go through the scores as they are available. Have the score room adjacent, but with closed doors so the announcer can talk while the next relay is shooting. It will keep the excitement up for people that are not sitting behind watching.
o PR – Announce the match in local media and invite the different media to the event. Even if they don’t show up send them scores and updates every day. Invite the media during the practice day to come in and learn about the sport; offer them some top Athlete’s (Olympians, World Champions) to lead the presentation to catch their eye and to make it interested enough to show up. At the event have information tables about the sport and what the match is all about. Give enough information so a person can come off the street knowing nothing about the sport and after a few minutes would know enough to be able to watch the match and understand the basic idea behind it. By using large colorful displays, it will appear more professional and by pointing out the athletic aspects of the sport it will make the spectator more likely to approve the sport and to spread a good word after they leave.
o Fun – Make it a fun event with plenty of room for the shooters to socialize after they have shot. It is a junior event and it is important that they have fun so they want to come back and they will tell their friends how fun it was. The more shooters you get to the championships, the better off the sport will be in the future.
The first step to making shooting a spectator sport is to have the shooter believe in the sport being fun to watch. Once we have made the match interesting to shooters to watch, then we can take the next step which is to make the sport more interesting for media and outside people.
These are very simple suggestions and they can and should be expanded before implemented. They are more of a starting point for a discussion on how to improve future matches to make them more spectator friendly.
I am available for further discussion and I would welcome the opportunity to help with the planning of upcoming events.
Best Regards,
Joacim Trybom
.45766.0
Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media intere
Moderators: rexifelis, pilkguns
-
Former champ
Re: Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media in
Thanks, you couldn't have said it better. I agree with your comments and believe this is one that should be seen by the IOC as well as ISSF.
.45770.45766
.45770.45766
-
Bill Poole
Re: Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media in
Here in the US there is ONLY ONE shooting sport that routinely gets air time on mainstream media and then only about 20 seconds every 4 years....
and in that game the competitors are wearing SKI's!!!!
The specialty sports channels play the occasional shooting show, but only the action stuff like sport clays or cowboy.... not the precision stuff... too boring even for their audiences (but there are 4 hours of fishing show's every sunday morning, go figure...)
Shooting is as boring to watch as GOLF!
Pardon me for being cynical, but the US news/entertainment industry is afflicted by abject politically-motived HATRED of shooters and the shooting sports, a hatred as viscious as the KKK holds towards blacks.... and until that changes, unless there are HUGE profits to be made, there will never be even token representation of the shooting sports in the mainstream US media.
Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/
bill-at-poole.com.45771.45766
and in that game the competitors are wearing SKI's!!!!
The specialty sports channels play the occasional shooting show, but only the action stuff like sport clays or cowboy.... not the precision stuff... too boring even for their audiences (but there are 4 hours of fishing show's every sunday morning, go figure...)
Shooting is as boring to watch as GOLF!
Pardon me for being cynical, but the US news/entertainment industry is afflicted by abject politically-motived HATRED of shooters and the shooting sports, a hatred as viscious as the KKK holds towards blacks.... and until that changes, unless there are HUGE profits to be made, there will never be even token representation of the shooting sports in the mainstream US media.
Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/
bill-at-poole.com.45771.45766
-
Barry Markowitz
The Competitor's Story, is universal
Since there are virtually no ISSF knowledgeable journalists outside of Europe, the US media approach will probably not be on the competition, but more so on the unique challenges or background of the competitor. A newspaper editor or TV assignment editor would probably determine that there would be more universal appeal, because the human story is everyone's story, with only limited coverage of the actual competition (in TV the actual competition would be "B roll" with voice interviews over it switching back and forth to the actual interview, or to the competitor in their unique home/work environment.) For now, if we can get the competitor's story told in mainstream media, that is a great start, so that the face of shooting is not the Rambo stereotype some uninitiated journalists may mistakenly hold, but of young people and focused adults committed to a sport of great difficulty and integrity.
newsphotohi-at-hawaii.rr.com.45773.45766
newsphotohi-at-hawaii.rr.com.45773.45766
-
mako
Photos
The type of viewing "stadiums" that you recommend exists for the Olympics ... check the LINK below to see photos from Wolf Creek, shooting home for the Atlanta Olympics ... which "we" might be losing because of it's high overhead.
Your suggestions for showing the scores depends on a lot of staff/volunteers ... which don't exsist.
I've always felt that an electronic scoring display that shows the instantly updated running AVERAGE (running score divided by running amount of shots taken) for the shooters would be the most interesting ... obviously the shooters with the highest average would be leading. The only way you can show who's leading is by showing their average ... since everyone shoots at a different pace.
Your suggestion about showing shot placement would hardly work for rifle events where almost every shot is a ten anyway ...
makofoto-at-earthlink.net.45774.45766
Your suggestions for showing the scores depends on a lot of staff/volunteers ... which don't exsist.
I've always felt that an electronic scoring display that shows the instantly updated running AVERAGE (running score divided by running amount of shots taken) for the shooters would be the most interesting ... obviously the shooters with the highest average would be leading. The only way you can show who's leading is by showing their average ... since everyone shoots at a different pace.
Your suggestion about showing shot placement would hardly work for rifle events where almost every shot is a ten anyway ...
makofoto-at-earthlink.net.45774.45766
-
Oh no!
What?!?!? We are going to have to remove our pants before w
: The topic about the shooting pants has been beaten to death the last few weeks and I would like to put my 5 cents in. We are too focused on the pants that we don't the entire picture.
: What is the quoted reason for removing the pants? To attract media - as the funny clothing and funny walking athletes makes it less attractive to the media.
: But the problem with the lack of interest of the media is not the pants or the blinders, it is that many matches are not run in a way to make them interesting for media. I attended some of the US National Championships for juniors this year and I was suprised by the fashion they were organized. The organization was great, but it was focused more on making it easier to organize than making it interesting and fun for the spectators.
: As a result I wrote a letter to USAS and NRA with some suggestions on how to improve matches to make them more interesting for both shooters and media. I have attached parts of the letter below.
: I think if we make the matches interesting enough, it won't matter if we are wearing shooting jackets and pants or not. We need to look at the whole picture to be able to solve the lacking media interest for shooting.
:
: -----------
: The basic goal is to gain more public interest and to gain the interest of the media. The matches have to be available and easily accessible to them. The following areas should be considered when setting up a major air rifle match.
: o Facility – The facility should allow for spectators to watch the match. It should have at least 50 ft behind the shooting line and preferably stadium seating. A large size gym with the bleachers left up on one side would be the ideal. For a major event with 300-400 shooters, it should be in a facility with two or more gyms adjacent to each other and ideally with a connecting entryway. This would allow a lot of people to watch the shooters as they compete. Allow media special entrance so they can get closer to the shooters to take pictures. Make sure that all shooters shoot in the same location and have a public announcer to give facts and some biographical information on the top shooters in each relay. The facility should be easily accessible and in a medium size city. It should be a large enough city that there would be enough media to cover the event, but it shouldn’t be so large that it just becomes one of many events going on at the same time.
: o Public Scoring – Shooting is not a very exciting sport if you don’t know how the shooters are doing. There has been a lot of publicity on the electronic targets and their advantages. Even if it wouldn’t be economical or feasible for a championship, the same thing can be accomplished with a minimal investment. Make up a large poster board for each shooter that easily can be read from the bleachers. Put the name on top and then one line for each 10 shot string. Have a spotter with a good quality spotting scope sit behind every five or so shooters and check the scores. When a shooter has shot, the spotter can check it and put a big dot on the poster board in the 10-shot string row. A red dot indicates a 10, a blue dot is a 9 and so on. These are just preliminary scores and for entertainment purposes but it will make it a spectator sport. The people on the bleachers will be able to see who is doing well and what the current standing is.
: o Scoring – Collect target as soon as it is possible and have the scoring team close by. Score the targets immediately and have a person post them to a public place as quickly as possible. It can be done as a spreadsheet that is displayed with an overhead projector; this will allow people to see the official scores as they become available. Each time a target is scored it is entered into the spreadsheet to make it as “instant” as possible. Once the official printed out scores are available, post them. Use large score boards to do this. It is not very spectator friendly when the scores are posted on normal letter paper with about 30 shooters per page. Make sure that it is readable from about 20 ft.
: o Public announcer – Have a public announcer go through the scores as they are available. Have the score room adjacent, but with closed doors so the announcer can talk while the next relay is shooting. It will keep the excitement up for people that are not sitting behind watching.
: o PR – Announce the match in local media and invite the different media to the event. Even if they don’t show up send them scores and updates every day. Invite the media during the practice day to come in and learn about the sport; offer them some top Athlete’s (Olympians, World Champions) to lead the presentation to catch their eye and to make it interested enough to show up. At the event have information tables about the sport and what the match is all about. Give enough information so a person can come off the street knowing nothing about the sport and after a few minutes would know enough to be able to watch the match and understand the basic idea behind it. By using large colorful displays, it will appear more professional and by pointing out the athletic aspects of the sport it will make the spectator more likely to approve the sport and to spread a good word after they leave.
: o Fun – Make it a fun event with plenty of room for the shooters to socialize after they have shot. It is a junior event and it is important that they have fun so they want to come back and they will tell their friends how fun it was. The more shooters you get to the championships, the better off the sport will be in the future.
: The first step to making shooting a spectator sport is to have the shooter believe in the sport being fun to watch. Once we have made the match interesting to shooters to watch, then we can take the next step which is to make the sport more interesting for media and outside people.
: These are very simple suggestions and they can and should be expanded before implemented. They are more of a starting point for a discussion on how to improve future matches to make them more spectator friendly.
: I am available for further discussion and I would welcome the opportunity to help with the planning of upcoming events.
: Best Regards,
: Joacim Trybom
.45777.45766
: What is the quoted reason for removing the pants? To attract media - as the funny clothing and funny walking athletes makes it less attractive to the media.
: But the problem with the lack of interest of the media is not the pants or the blinders, it is that many matches are not run in a way to make them interesting for media. I attended some of the US National Championships for juniors this year and I was suprised by the fashion they were organized. The organization was great, but it was focused more on making it easier to organize than making it interesting and fun for the spectators.
: As a result I wrote a letter to USAS and NRA with some suggestions on how to improve matches to make them more interesting for both shooters and media. I have attached parts of the letter below.
: I think if we make the matches interesting enough, it won't matter if we are wearing shooting jackets and pants or not. We need to look at the whole picture to be able to solve the lacking media interest for shooting.
:
: -----------
: The basic goal is to gain more public interest and to gain the interest of the media. The matches have to be available and easily accessible to them. The following areas should be considered when setting up a major air rifle match.
: o Facility – The facility should allow for spectators to watch the match. It should have at least 50 ft behind the shooting line and preferably stadium seating. A large size gym with the bleachers left up on one side would be the ideal. For a major event with 300-400 shooters, it should be in a facility with two or more gyms adjacent to each other and ideally with a connecting entryway. This would allow a lot of people to watch the shooters as they compete. Allow media special entrance so they can get closer to the shooters to take pictures. Make sure that all shooters shoot in the same location and have a public announcer to give facts and some biographical information on the top shooters in each relay. The facility should be easily accessible and in a medium size city. It should be a large enough city that there would be enough media to cover the event, but it shouldn’t be so large that it just becomes one of many events going on at the same time.
: o Public Scoring – Shooting is not a very exciting sport if you don’t know how the shooters are doing. There has been a lot of publicity on the electronic targets and their advantages. Even if it wouldn’t be economical or feasible for a championship, the same thing can be accomplished with a minimal investment. Make up a large poster board for each shooter that easily can be read from the bleachers. Put the name on top and then one line for each 10 shot string. Have a spotter with a good quality spotting scope sit behind every five or so shooters and check the scores. When a shooter has shot, the spotter can check it and put a big dot on the poster board in the 10-shot string row. A red dot indicates a 10, a blue dot is a 9 and so on. These are just preliminary scores and for entertainment purposes but it will make it a spectator sport. The people on the bleachers will be able to see who is doing well and what the current standing is.
: o Scoring – Collect target as soon as it is possible and have the scoring team close by. Score the targets immediately and have a person post them to a public place as quickly as possible. It can be done as a spreadsheet that is displayed with an overhead projector; this will allow people to see the official scores as they become available. Each time a target is scored it is entered into the spreadsheet to make it as “instant” as possible. Once the official printed out scores are available, post them. Use large score boards to do this. It is not very spectator friendly when the scores are posted on normal letter paper with about 30 shooters per page. Make sure that it is readable from about 20 ft.
: o Public announcer – Have a public announcer go through the scores as they are available. Have the score room adjacent, but with closed doors so the announcer can talk while the next relay is shooting. It will keep the excitement up for people that are not sitting behind watching.
: o PR – Announce the match in local media and invite the different media to the event. Even if they don’t show up send them scores and updates every day. Invite the media during the practice day to come in and learn about the sport; offer them some top Athlete’s (Olympians, World Champions) to lead the presentation to catch their eye and to make it interested enough to show up. At the event have information tables about the sport and what the match is all about. Give enough information so a person can come off the street knowing nothing about the sport and after a few minutes would know enough to be able to watch the match and understand the basic idea behind it. By using large colorful displays, it will appear more professional and by pointing out the athletic aspects of the sport it will make the spectator more likely to approve the sport and to spread a good word after they leave.
: o Fun – Make it a fun event with plenty of room for the shooters to socialize after they have shot. It is a junior event and it is important that they have fun so they want to come back and they will tell their friends how fun it was. The more shooters you get to the championships, the better off the sport will be in the future.
: The first step to making shooting a spectator sport is to have the shooter believe in the sport being fun to watch. Once we have made the match interesting to shooters to watch, then we can take the next step which is to make the sport more interesting for media and outside people.
: These are very simple suggestions and they can and should be expanded before implemented. They are more of a starting point for a discussion on how to improve future matches to make them more spectator friendly.
: I am available for further discussion and I would welcome the opportunity to help with the planning of upcoming events.
: Best Regards,
: Joacim Trybom
.45777.45766
-
Tom Monto
Re: Photos
We are using a computer with a projector to show scores as they are entered into it. It turns out that it is working great. One advantage is I don't have a shooter standing over my shoulder asking for their scores. As soon as the targets are scored, they are displayed. Takes only one or two people, no more than is regularly used at the match.
TM
t8monto-at-aol.com.45779.45774
TM
t8monto-at-aol.com.45779.45774
-
Tom Monto
Re: Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media in
I think you need to send letters, etc. to people who are on the rules committee or similar. From what I gathered at the coaches conference, Gary Anderson, Director of the CMP is that person for the USA. (I know I copied him my response and urged him to read the postings on this site.)
As far as the media is concerned, I think we as shooters are somewhat paraniod when it comes to the media. I know our local media gives our shooters what I consider great coverage. They are truly interested in the sport and have often come to practices to do a story on the shooting sports. When we had a shooter who placed at the nationals, they were right out there getting a story from him and other team members. If we are hostile towards them, than can you expect them to be friendly to us? "What goes around comes around"
TM
t8monto-at-aol.com.45781.45766
As far as the media is concerned, I think we as shooters are somewhat paraniod when it comes to the media. I know our local media gives our shooters what I consider great coverage. They are truly interested in the sport and have often come to practices to do a story on the shooting sports. When we had a shooter who placed at the nationals, they were right out there getting a story from him and other team members. If we are hostile towards them, than can you expect them to be friendly to us? "What goes around comes around"
TM
t8monto-at-aol.com.45781.45766
-
Joacim
Re: Photos
I know they exist in Atlanta and most other ranges that had the Olympics. I am talking about National Matches that are not held at those major ranges.
I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
Joacim
.45783.45774
I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
Joacim
.45783.45774
-
Joacim
Re: The Competitor's Story, is universal
Why are there no knowledgable journalists? If we keep sending them drafts of articles and some pictures, they will eventually catch on.
I am from Sweden but have lived in the US for a while and I have seen the transformation done in Sweden. My old club used to invite journalists to try on the sport in the beginning of each season. the first time they tried it, I think 1 of 8 invited journalists showed up. He got the royal treatment using top athletes showing the equipment, how to shoot and in the end he shot 40 shots air rifle standing. After that he knew how hard it was and had an appreciaion for the sport. We did the same things year after year and in the end all 8 showed up as they saw the articles in the other papers and people starting to ask why some papers covered it but not the papers they subscribed to.
Most sports sections need fillers. If you can give them hints and leads on good non time sensitive articles, they will have those available the day they have 1/4 page to fill up. This will show the sport to the mainstream and they will understand what it is and the journalist will be happy as he avoided to have a blank spot in his section.
We all need to stop look at the limitations and start exploring the opportunities.
Joacim
: Since there are virtually no ISSF knowledgeable journalists outside of Europe, the US media approach will probably not be on the competition, but more so on the unique challenges or background of the competitor. A newspaper editor or TV assignment editor would probably determine that there would be more universal appeal, because the human story is everyone's story, with only limited coverage of the actual competition (in TV the actual competition would be "B roll" with voice interviews over it switching back and forth to the actual interview, or to the competitor in their unique home/work environment.) For now, if we can get the competitor's story told in mainstream media, that is a great start, so that the face of shooting is not the Rambo stereotype some uninitiated journalists may mistakenly hold, but of young people and focused adults committed to a sport of great difficulty and integrity.
.45784.45773
I am from Sweden but have lived in the US for a while and I have seen the transformation done in Sweden. My old club used to invite journalists to try on the sport in the beginning of each season. the first time they tried it, I think 1 of 8 invited journalists showed up. He got the royal treatment using top athletes showing the equipment, how to shoot and in the end he shot 40 shots air rifle standing. After that he knew how hard it was and had an appreciaion for the sport. We did the same things year after year and in the end all 8 showed up as they saw the articles in the other papers and people starting to ask why some papers covered it but not the papers they subscribed to.
Most sports sections need fillers. If you can give them hints and leads on good non time sensitive articles, they will have those available the day they have 1/4 page to fill up. This will show the sport to the mainstream and they will understand what it is and the journalist will be happy as he avoided to have a blank spot in his section.
We all need to stop look at the limitations and start exploring the opportunities.
Joacim
: Since there are virtually no ISSF knowledgeable journalists outside of Europe, the US media approach will probably not be on the competition, but more so on the unique challenges or background of the competitor. A newspaper editor or TV assignment editor would probably determine that there would be more universal appeal, because the human story is everyone's story, with only limited coverage of the actual competition (in TV the actual competition would be "B roll" with voice interviews over it switching back and forth to the actual interview, or to the competitor in their unique home/work environment.) For now, if we can get the competitor's story told in mainstream media, that is a great start, so that the face of shooting is not the Rambo stereotype some uninitiated journalists may mistakenly hold, but of young people and focused adults committed to a sport of great difficulty and integrity.
.45784.45773
-
Joacim
Re: Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media in
Bill,
Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch.
Why is it boring? What can we do to make it better?
Joacim
.45785.45771
Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch.
Why is it boring? What can we do to make it better?
Joacim
.45785.45771
-
mako
Re: Photos
: I know they exist in Atlanta and most other ranges that had the Olympics. I am talking about National Matches that are not held at those major ranges.
: I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
: Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
: If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
: We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
: Joacim
.45791.45783
: I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
: Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
: If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
: We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
: Joacim
.45791.45783
-
mako
Re: Photos
: I know they exist in Atlanta and most other ranges that had the Olympics. I am talking about National Matches that are not held at those major ranges.
: I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
: Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
: If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
: We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
: Joacim
.45792.45783
: I think that the only way to get the media interested in major competitions is to have them get used to it at a grassroot level. It seems like most of the posts in this topic belives that they can't do anything about the media, they don't have any volunteers and nother negative comments. Just step back and think about it - the more media coverage you have the more people you will volunteer.
: Your comment about the scores - which match would you think is the most interesting for media and other spectators, the one where you can't see the shooters and you will get the scores 2 hours after the relay is over or the match with the poster boards behind them. It will make it more interactive as you can actually can see their progress. It has nothing to do with avergaes or to see who is in the lead - it just allows you to see the scores as they are shot. If you can actually sit behind the shooters and see the progress, then you have an event that will be spectator friendly and that would show the media that we are serious about the sport.
: If we want the sport to survive, we will have to start looking at all the negatives and limitations and start to create a vision that everyone can be behind and then slowly work towards it. The words can't and don't will have no place in this vision.
: We have to change the mentaility of shooters and coaches towards the matches before we can convince the media that it's worth covering.
: Joacim
.45792.45783
-
Bill Poole
Re: Removing Pants/Blinders won't solve the lack of media in
: Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch.
I don't understand the question...
the media in the US will NOT permit the use of guns for peasceful purposes to be shown, they hate guns and they hate gun owners.... and it would undermine their long-standing message that guns and their owners are evil and must be destroyed. Its bigotry it does not need to make sense.
: Why is it boring? What can we do to make it better?
If spectators SHOOT or have friends who SHOOT or Know the shooting game it becomes MUCH less boring!!!! If they KNOW how difficult it is to accomplish some shot (and there are only a few hundred people in the US who do and they all read this forum) then it becomes very intense to watch. If they are trying to learn the techniques of a top athlete it becomes interesting to watch (the Munich WC finals on video at http://www.watchsport.com/index.php?cat ... ticleID=49 are MY favorite movies.... ) If the spectator is cheering for a specific home-town athlete, a friend, a relative or a national here, it becomes interesting...
And the ONLY way that can happen is if the sport is widespread AND widely pubilicized and televised! (and that won't change till the hatred and intolerance does)
kinduva chicken-and-egg problem....
it won't be publicized until its populare and won't be popular until is pubicized!
Poole
bill-at-poole.com.45796.45785
I don't understand the question...
the media in the US will NOT permit the use of guns for peasceful purposes to be shown, they hate guns and they hate gun owners.... and it would undermine their long-standing message that guns and their owners are evil and must be destroyed. Its bigotry it does not need to make sense.
: Why is it boring? What can we do to make it better?
If spectators SHOOT or have friends who SHOOT or Know the shooting game it becomes MUCH less boring!!!! If they KNOW how difficult it is to accomplish some shot (and there are only a few hundred people in the US who do and they all read this forum) then it becomes very intense to watch. If they are trying to learn the techniques of a top athlete it becomes interesting to watch (the Munich WC finals on video at http://www.watchsport.com/index.php?cat ... ticleID=49 are MY favorite movies.... ) If the spectator is cheering for a specific home-town athlete, a friend, a relative or a national here, it becomes interesting...
And the ONLY way that can happen is if the sport is widespread AND widely pubilicized and televised! (and that won't change till the hatred and intolerance does)
kinduva chicken-and-egg problem....
it won't be publicized until its populare and won't be popular until is pubicized!
Poole
bill-at-poole.com.45796.45785
-
Michèle
Joacim's point well taken
I do understand Joacim's question, "Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch?"
He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
I was crushed.
We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
Geez...
"Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
makpak3200-at-earthlink.net.45797.45796
He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
I was crushed.
We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
Geez...
"Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
makpak3200-at-earthlink.net.45797.45796
-
Eric
watching grass grow
: I do understand Joacim's question, "Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch?"
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
:
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45799.45797
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
:
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45799.45797
-
Eric
watching grass grow
:: I do understand Joacim's question, "Do you think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch?"
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
:
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45800.45797
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
:
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45800.45797
-
Eric
watching grass grow
The finer points of shooting appear pretty subtle. The true rewards of the sport are in overcoming obstacles that are invisiable to the casual observer. A competitive shooter must wage his efforts on many fronts both successively and simultaniously. The resulting calm and deftness of a competitor in action is cool to watch. What if spectators had a little screen in the top of their t.v. that showed mirage, cloud movements, wind patterns, and personal proclivities of different shooters. Give people a clue and show a competitor come unglued once in a while. Shoot through an alabi. Get kicked off the range for a safety violation. Get caught trying to cheat, whatever. Shooting X's is not easy. It can look easy, but if you are watching the grass grow you are not participating...even as a spectator.(?)
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45801.45797
hartcorvus-at-thebestisp.com.45801.45797
-
GRM
Re: Joacim's point well taken
I heard these same comments from the coach the number of years ago. I tried to believe him, but found my self always watching the sport, as I find it interesting.
HOWEVER, it's all in the presentation. You've got to sell refrigerators to eskimos.
This weekend, Kasparov vs Computer chess!!! on ESPN!!
How about watching a turkey hunter sit in a blind????
Pool Trick shots, or a 9 ball tournament??
If the TV network finds an interest in the event, they will air it. Perhaps we need to tell the networks what WE'RE interested in??
If you're interested, you'll watch. If the the viewer get's educated about the event, in such a way that will garner interest, you'll watch.
Make the presentation interesting, educational and even exciting, you'll watch.
Get the right comentator (salesman) it might be interesting.
Just MHO
GRM
: I do understand Joacim's question, "Do you
think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch?"
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
grm_daddyo-at-earthlink.net.45816.45797
HOWEVER, it's all in the presentation. You've got to sell refrigerators to eskimos.
This weekend, Kasparov vs Computer chess!!! on ESPN!!
How about watching a turkey hunter sit in a blind????
Pool Trick shots, or a 9 ball tournament??
If the TV network finds an interest in the event, they will air it. Perhaps we need to tell the networks what WE'RE interested in??
If you're interested, you'll watch. If the the viewer get's educated about the event, in such a way that will garner interest, you'll watch.
Make the presentation interesting, educational and even exciting, you'll watch.
Get the right comentator (salesman) it might be interesting.
Just MHO
GRM
: I do understand Joacim's question, "Do you
think the media would like to cover something an athlete doesn't believe in or doesn't think is interesting to watch?"
: He is pointing out that the change in attitude begins with us. If we, as competitive shooters and coaches, are not enthusiastically evangelizing the sport, then those who are unfamiliar with the sport are even less likely to embrace it.
: It kills me when I hear others, who claim to love the sport, describe it as boring.
: I remember sitting in the audience at the 1988 Coach Conference. We were to be treated to a report on the most recent Olympic Games. As part of this presentation, some of the shooting athletes from those Games were invited to speak. Wow! I was psyched! Certainly this was an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get even more excited about the sport and go home and work with my juniors with a renewed dedication.
: How disappointed I was when one of these Olympic 'heroes,' a medalist no less, described his sport as boring. "Watching shooting," he droned, "is about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry."
: I was crushed.
: We had just heard how the lack of media attention was the main catalyst in the institution of the Finals system. We had just heard how we needed to grow our sport and garner more media attention if we wanted to see its continued existence.
: Then, then one of our athletes who one would assume would be an ambassador of all that is best about our sport, bashes it to the 200 people in the country who would have been the most enthusiastic about it.
: Geez...
: "Yeah," I thought, "we really do need to improve our image if our own athletes describe their events as boring."
: The athlete? Well, now he is the National Pistol Coach.
grm_daddyo-at-earthlink.net.45816.45797
-
Larry Sawyer
Re: The Competitor's Story, is universal
Joacim, well said, and I think you are probably very accurate in what can be done. I have long felt, and have badgered club and association leaders here in Minnesota, that we are too insular and meek about showing our sport to the "public". Serious target shooters are so protective of what we have-- a place to shoot and a few people to compete against-- that we don't want to do anything to rock the boat or draw attention to ourselves.
That has to change now. We must invite the media and any outsiders who might possibly talk about what they saw in a positive way. And yes, there is the slight chance that we can let the enemy in the door by mistake. But they probably won't want to show up anyway. You gotta take risks if you want the reward.
Rifleman-at-tcinternet.net.45823.45784
That has to change now. We must invite the media and any outsiders who might possibly talk about what they saw in a positive way. And yes, there is the slight chance that we can let the enemy in the door by mistake. But they probably won't want to show up anyway. You gotta take risks if you want the reward.
Rifleman-at-tcinternet.net.45823.45784