How Few Members Are There in The NMLRA Today?

[dbutch]

"I agree that the way the shoot program is communicated needs to change to make it easier to get oriented."

Bingo!! You are dead on!

Thats how I felt ....Thank you for putting it into words.

Was not looking for appreciation..Did not feel welcomed at that time.

Hope things have changed since then.

The disappointment came when the lady at the primitive range said "you must be in traditional dress to shoot...Found out much later that was not the case.
At the time was really looking forward to a range walk shoot.
This was before the running boar target was built.
I just picked the wrong place at the wrong time for my first shoot.
Would I go back....NO!

 

[tecum-tha]

All right. My idea is to dedicate one webpage for each match, where everything is explained in detail.
Like how many shots, what ammunition, sights allowed, sighters if any, distance, the target to be shot etc. These pages should also be ordered into weapon categories like flintlock, percussion and modern. Then into rifle,shotgun,smoothbore,pistol and primitive archery. On each webpage there is the range (with map) and the times the match can be shot (primitive and special matches are only shot at limited times). Like that it will be easy to make up your personal match schedule depending on your interest and available weapon. You can print out the pages and have then your match schedule.
I will ask a BOD member for the electronic version of the last shoot program. Then I will have to check how they program the pages. I am personally a limited fan of the current page, being server generated and not html based. I like html for simplicity and you can direct link pages, which messes up a lot of time with server generated pages. With CSS you can create fast and quite attractive pages imho.

 

[dbutch]

Best of luck! Carry on!

 

[Keb]

I've nothing good to say but I will add a comment about Friendship (and the NMLRA) "experience".
We went to F-ship last fall with another couple from south Illinois. They have been members for many many years and were completely shocked when the wife had to pay $5.00 to get past the gate because she was not a member. I'm not a member but my better half is and I had to pay also. Anyway, these longtime members will not be renewing their membership because of this. It's stupid little things like this that keep their numbers in decline.

 

[FishDFly]

Look on the NMLRA website under Education and look for Rules and Regulations. Rules and Regulations will answer all your questions, maybe not the format you want, but the answers are there.

 

[trent/OH]

All right. My idea is to dedicate one webpage for each match, where everything is explained in detail.
Like how many shots, what ammunition, sights allowed, sighters if any, distance, the target to be shot etc. These pages should also be ordered into weapon categories like flintlock, percussion and modern. Then into rifle,shotgun,smoothbore,pistol and primitive archery. On each webpage there is the range (with map) and the times the match can be shot (primitive and special matches are only shot at limited times). Like that it will be easy to make up your personal match schedule depending on your interest and available weapon.

I like your thinking, and we're not alone. And something like that IS in the works.

A member of the NMLRA (not the Association itself) is putting together a Users Guide To Friendship. Each discipline will have a couple pages in the Guide to explain exactly the information you are asking for, like times, locations, where to buy targets, how the matches work, and all that without the jargon which has developed within various disciplines.

Alan Kleinstiver came to my little piece of Heaven (I operate the Running Boar range) during the September shoot and I found him to be a genuinely interested person who will do something beneficial because it needs to be done, and I applaud him for his efforts.

 

[tecum-tha]

Well, it is communicated that you either have an associate membership for your spouse or you hold a family membership where your spouse is a member,too or your spouse has to pay the $5 which includes parking to get in and which is much cheaper than the associate membership. Associate membership/family membership is for spouses/family who want to shoot matches.
At a lot of other events nowadays you're happy not to pay $10 just for parking and then admittance fees. When we value the parking at $3 and the admittance with $2 or so, then $2 does make a difference???
There is another word for frugal for that imho.

 

[tecum-tha]

I know where the current material is, but it is unusable or at least not economical to use. But I will get what I need from the BOD, I am pretty positive about that.
Then there is the question how to integrate it or put it on my own webspace and link it.

 

[tecum-tha]

This is good to know and will be great as a paper version.
I have found, that it is extremely difficult and time consuming to get through the current match schedule and get your personal schedule together.
A lot of matches are not well explained and we can try to enhance that with a short video explaining the match. I think to participate successfully at Friendship, you need to be able to train or prepare for matches if you want.
I also think it is important for new participants what a match is like. Since there usually is a serious competition going on on some firing lines, there are places where "newcomers" are less well received. Another important aspect is food, drinks and accommodations. Camping is not for everyone in the Eastern Indiana weather conditions.

 

[Keb]

Well, it is communicated that you either have an associate membership for your spouse or you hold a family membership where your spouse is a member,too or your spouse has to pay the $5 which includes parking to get in and which is much cheaper than the associate membership. Associate membership/family membership is for spouses/family who want to shoot matches.
At a lot of other events nowadays you're happy not to pay $10 just for parking and then admittance fees. When we value the parking at $3 and the admittance with $2 or so, then $2 does make a difference???
There is another word for frugal for that imho.

bla bla bla. Justify it any way you like. It is still a new way the F-ship crew has figured out how to skin it's members for the sake of F-ship. Like I said, they won't be back after many years of membership no matter how cheap you think they are. Oh and FYI, it was not included in the parking fee.

 

[akapennypincher]

Well, it is communicated that you either have an associate membership for your spouse or you hold a family membership where your spouse is a member,too or your spouse has to pay the $5 which includes parking to get in and which is much cheaper than the associate membership. Associate membership/family membership is for spouses/family who want to shoot matches.
At a lot of other events nowadays you're happy not to pay $10 just for parking and then admittance fees. When we value the parking at $3 and the admittance with $2 or so, then $2 does make a difference???
There is another word for frugal for that imho.

bla bla bla. Justify it any way you like. It is still a new way the F-ship crew has figured out how to skin it's members for the sake of F-ship. Like I said, they won't be back after many years of membership no matter how cheap you think they are. Oh and FYI, it was not included in the parking fee.

The Gate FEE goes back over 10 years to the days of the Big Flea Market that use to at the same time as the National Shoots. The down side was after the Gate Fee was put in place foot traffic to Trader Row fell. Yes some of those people who got in for free, got interested in shooting front stuffer, and buy stuff from the traders, and blanket trader in the Primitive Area.

So in the big picture after you think about the statement above, who lost.

NMLRA lost prospective Member?

Trader lost prospective sale.

Blanket trader lost prospective sales.

Food merchants lost prospective sale, or food & drink.

 

[Keb]

aka penny: It's not about the gate fee or how long they have been charging non-members a gate entry fee. It's about a change in policy that now charges spouses of members when it never has in the past. It's also not about that fee being bundled in the parking fee of which you pay whether you go across the street or to the primitive area. It's about the long time members feeling like they are being taken advantage of.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I've nothing good to say but I will add a comment about Friendship (and the NMLRA) "experience".
We went to F-ship last fall with another couple from south Illinois. They have been members for many many years and were completely shocked when the wife had to pay $5.00 to get past the gate because she was not a member. I'm not a member but my better half is and I had to pay also. Anyway, these longtime members will not be renewing their membership because of this. It's stupid little things like this that keep their numbers in decline.

"they" were not members. "He" was a member. And, if he was a member for a long time he should have known memberships are individual, not family.
When we lived near there I paid for four memberships. Myself, wife and two sons.
It was their stupidity that caused the problem. Yes, stupidity is a problem. I'm sad for their problem but NMLRA was not to blame, the association did not make them stupid.

 

[Keb]

It was their stupidity that caused the problem. Yes, stupidity is a problem. I'm sad for their problem but NMLRA was not to blame, the association did not make them stupid.

I have to assume you are calling the couple who was charged the $5.00 stupid.
You know what? They had been going to friendship many years and were never charged the $5.00 until this year. How does that make them stupid?

I'm just saying, stupid or not, they won't be back. That's one long time member lost for $5.00. I just hope they got a survey to fill out.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I'm just saying, stupid or not, they won't be back. That's one long time member lost for $5.00.

Is that $5.00 fee something they just instituted last fall?

 

[tecum-tha]

Are you a member? If yes, then engage yourself and initiate change. If you're not able or willing to do that, then you're just one of the constant complainers who want to have everything to their liking but are never seen when it comes to work or paying up.
It is unfortunate that we lost a member over $5, but it is pretty clear that it was not the Associations fault. Maybe they looked the other way the years before or the policy changed. No matter what it was, the $5 was still less than a membership for the spouse and everyone else being not a member had to pay the gate fee as well.
Been there on a regular basis since 2002 and never felt treated bad or overcharged.
When you take a look into other countries, range and match fees are still a bargain for the excellent shooting facilities provided around here.
Do we have prices like in say 1975? No, all prices will rise naturally over time. What was the membership fee in 1975?

 

[akapennypincher]

aka penny: It's not about the gate fee or how long they have been charging non-members a gate entry fee. It's about a change in policy that now charges spouses of members when it never has in the past. It's also not about that fee being bundled in the parking fee of which you pay whether you go across the street or to the primitive area. It's about the long time members feeling like they are being taken advantage of.

Well bottom line is the NMLRA lost two long term members. But like I said the Gate Fee also cost the NMLRA & Trader money in their pockets.

 

[user 2647]

Not a new thing. I've been going down for around 15 years and when I took the Wife always had to pay a gate fee as she was never a member. For a while when you parked in an association lot you got 1 free gate pass with your parking fee but that's been a few years ago.

 

[fleener]

Seems silly to battle and get upset over $5. However, each of us have a certain threshold and when it is crossed it becomes a matter of principle.

Currently I refuse to pay $15 to Steve Brooks to send me back the bullet mold I sent to him that he cut wrong. He told me he would not make me a new mold, I said OK, just send me back the one he cut wrong. Well, he wants $15 for shipping. I already spent $180 for the mold, I will damned if I will spend another 15 bucks to have it shipped back to me. I asked for either the mold or my money back. I have not received either. I might lose $180, but I bet he will lose more.

Fleener

 

[Alden]

I didn't mean this to be a critique of the NMLRA, I just wanted a factoid. But that firewall was breached...

Funny thing is money -- people take even a little bit of it seriously when it is theirs. And they hold organizations responsible for something(s) to get their support including perceived overall value and results.