# NFAA Outdoor Field Sectional Why is it in more that one locatation



## field14 (May 21, 2002)

Participation, my friend, participation.
With the price of fuel, lodging, and meals, etc, the distances one would have to travel to go to a single location are prohibitive. So, to help get the participation levels up, most of the Sections of the NFAA have decided upon the multiple sites; especially for indoor Sectionals.

This "shooting with your competition" can only be carried so far, and at the top of the "flights" or especially at the top of the Division you or anyone else shoots in, being toe to to doesn't matter much anyways; the cream always rises to the top, period. If you are paying attention to your competitor's scores during the round, you are shooting for HIM/HER and not yourself, haha. Way too much emphasis is placed upon this shooting toe to toe; especially outdoors. I've seen it so many times that someone two or three targets "down" the line from bale #1 has come on strong and won anyways...so being on Bale #1 doesn't guarantee squat.

Take the NW Section for example...we have ALASKA in that Section...do you know how far it is from Alaska to say, Casper, Wyoming?
I don't think we will see the NATIONAL level events go to multiple sites; at least for INDOOR Nationals...BUT...that isn't to say you couldn't see it eventually on the NFAA OUTDOOR Nationals. 

Not likely, for outdoors, but could be a bone of discussion. 
For example: Three sites, One East, one Central, one West; all on the same weekend...and you choose which to go to? HMMMMMM>>>>Velly, Velly interestink! Somebody should put some thought into this....because....we could perhaps DOUBLE or TRIPLE the numbers of shooters participating in the Outdoor Nationals if we did that 3 sites, or even two sites scenario!!!

As far as finding out results, I see little problem with it taking that long, since the results have to be sent in to a single place, entered, collated, sorted, tie breaks accomplished and then organized into a decent report format. It doesn't happen by itself, ha.


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## ccwilder3 (Sep 13, 2003)

The point is to increase participation in the sectionals. By having it in several locations it makes it more convenient for many people to participate. I know had there not been a part of it here in Florida, I would not have participated.


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## Archery Power (Feb 4, 2005)

I can see now that it will be total impossible to every see field archery back at the level it was in the 1970's with this way of thinking Tom ( Field 14 ) it can never be, I always like it in one place so that
I could see the old shooters that I shot with but in this day and time I guess it just don't matter.


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## Archery Power (Feb 4, 2005)

why don't we just shoot it in our back yard and mail our scores in that way we could have a lot of participatation, Why don't we take the shoot you guys have down in homestead Flordia and shoot it in 3 locatations and mail our scores in.


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## field14 (May 21, 2002)

Archery Power said:


> I can see now that it will be total impossible to every see field archery back at the level it was in the 1970's with this way of thinking Tom ( Field 14 ) it can never be, I always like it in one place so that
> I could see the old shooters that I shot with but in this day and time I guess it just don't matter.


I don't think it is impossible to get it back up there where it was in the 1970's...I sure do know for sure that it was a lot more FUN to shoot back then than it is now. People were more into it for enjoyment..the ONLY ones shooting for any money at all were paid up PROS, and there were oh, so many incentives to try to improve YOURSELF what with the incentive awards systems that have been allowed to fall by the wayside.

I liked it in one place, too...but even if they ended up (not likely) having the Outdoor Nationals in two or three sites on the same weekend across the country...nobody is stopping you from shooting on the West side; even if you are from the East or Central. Up to you if you want to travel or not, isn't it?

Today, people are way more cost conscious; people are having to work weekends when they didn't used to have to be forced to do this. I remember in the early 1970's that clubs chartered Greyhound or Continental Trailways busses, or even rented school busses to bring their club members to tournaments! Even if no bus; we'd get a caravan together and go to a field shoot or novelty shoot and have a heckuva good time.

We wrote notes on the target faces, especially is your "4-dotted" a target; everyone needed to know about it, hahaha. Of course "Kilroy was Here" was common graffiti on target faces too. 

We had mail matches back in the 70's too and lots of them; mail matches are nothing new either. What is new, however unfortunate is the griping and grumbling about 'pencil pushing' and immediate accusations of improprieties when somebody shoots really well. Most times those are false accusations...but as we all know, of late...some have become TRUE...and more common place which is even more unfortunate.

People are being taught that winning is everything and if you finish 2nd, you are a loser...Sad, very sad indeed.
I ain't comin' unless I can WIN something is another common malady that drives the participation down. I've seen people come into a shoot, look at the sign up list, see a couple of "hot dog names" and walk away to go somewhere else to shoot, cuz they figure they can't win, so why bother.
Sad, very, very sad when emphasis is in that direction and so misplaced. I've seen people down on themselves when they've shot a personal best score and didn't win! I've seen and heard people tell a person that just shot their personal best and are happy about it that "you didn't shoot that from the expert stakes, so that ain't such a big deal." Whatsa-matta you...good grief...is giving credit to someone so hard to do?

Yes...all of this sort of thing affects participation....and it has little to do with the distances, the time, the number of targets, or the number of arrows...it is more about ATTITUDE and PROMOTION of things that are available - - besides the almighty dollar or almighty WIN.


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## Field Shooter (Nov 2, 2005)

For me when the Southeastern set the field sectional in 3 different locatations it killed my interest in going to the southeastern shoot just was not the same anymore.
This was one shoot that I would all ways try to attend. We would see all of our old buddies that we had shot together for years. My last southeastern shoot was at clemson S. C.
when it was still in one locatation I think that was in 2008 0r 2009 not for sure. I would like to see it back in one locatation and for sure I would attend the Southeastern again.


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## FS560 (May 22, 2002)

There are so many more venues for archery tournaments now that no championship has any real degree of importance anymore. The result of this is that attendance is down in addition to that reduction caused by the economy, cost of gas, cost of hotels, etc.

Only a small percentage of the attendance is competitive to win something. The remainder just want to have shot in a championship or to see friends. This number is dwindling because of cost to attend.

So, to boost attendance, we have multiple sites and the importance of the championships becomes less and less in the minds of the archers. The ones attending are simply the old die-hards, the ones that can win, or the relatively new shooters that are still in awe.

BUT, why does field archery have to be only about tournaments? Everyone that asks about field archery here on AT, simply wants to know where is a field tournament. As if they are planning to just go to a field tournament and try it out.

Field archery always was more about being a member of a club and shooting with your friends weekday afternoons and Saturdays just for the fun. maybe you would go to a field tournament on Sunday but the time spent with friends on the club range was many more hours than attending tournaments.

Well, what happened was rubber deer and legions of shooters that would not join anything but would shoot four different rubber deer shoots on a weekend. These shooters simply practice at home shooting toward the fence separating them from their neighbor.

Clubs do not require membership in anything for shooters to register in their shoots, they just are so grateful that some shooters show up to shoot. And the circle goes round and round.

And we die-hard field shooters are out side of the spinning circle wondering how we lost it all. It seems like only yesterday that we had it all.

The loss started when we changed the GD target in 1977 and continues today because we are paralyzed and do not know what to do. Rubber deer is not the answer with all the cheating and casual registration with friends.

The only glimmer in the darkness might be if attendance of known distance 3D classes continues to accelerate and then archers want something a little different. Yeah, if any of us live that long.


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## Archery Power (Feb 4, 2005)

*NFAA Sectionals three locations*

This is one I don't understand it is not ok for the NFAA nationals to be at more than one locatation,

But it is ok for the NFAA Sectionals to be in more than one locatation.

Just look at the thread Three locatations for the NFAA nationals.


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## brtesite (May 24, 2002)

Archery Power said:


> This is one I don't understand it is not ok for the NFAA nationals to be at more than one locatation,
> 
> But it is ok for the NFAA Sectionals to be in more than one locatation.
> 
> Just look at the thread Three locatations for the NFAA nationals.


The general thought is the sectionals don't have the same importance as a national. Also, most people that can make a sectional will not be able to a national.


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## brtesite (May 24, 2002)

FS560 said:


> There are so many more venues for archery tournaments now that no championship has any real degree of importance anymore. The result of this is that attendance is down in addition to that reduction caused by the economy, cost of gas, cost of hotels, etc.
> 
> Only a small percentage of the attendance is competitive to win something. The remainder just want to have shot in a championship or to see friends. This number is dwindling because of cost to attend.
> 
> ...


 Truer words were never spoken about the target change. I did finally get the 5/3 scoring back one year, however it died for various reasons including states like CA. actually boycotting the target. I was told that the 5/4/3 made better shooters. I could care less if you ever became a better shooter. I was looking for attendance. Attendance is what brings money for survivorship to the clubs & the organization


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## nock tune (Jul 5, 2009)

brtesite said:


> The general thought is the sectionals don't have the same importance as a national. Also, most people that can make a sectional will not be able to a national.


How about making your own States shoot?


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