First things first – Thank You.
- The new competitor orientation class evolved from a group lecture format to a multi-station approach this year. This was done to split the class into smaller groups due to Covid-19 concerns and to allow use of a more demonstration-based learning process. Many thanks to the people that contributed to the planning and execution of the class and the resulting successful outcome.
- We averaged about 18 people on our setup crews; which, once again, was a fantastic level of support. I can’t say enough about the quality of the work that goes into converting the stages from ideas to reality.
- The number of people that stayed to help with post-match teardown was impressive and appreciated throughout the year.
- Rich Alloway and Ron Rodgers provided much appreciated stage designs throughout the year.
- And of course my wife Deb went above and beyond to make things happen throughout the year.
Accomplishments this season included.
- Prior to the start of the season, all of the stage walls were inspected and then either repaired or replaced. Some additional walls were also built and all walls were painted. It never hurts to make things look a little better.
- We ran 8 monthly matches and the new competitor orientation class this year (back to normal after cancellations in 2020).
- We averaged 93 registrations per monthly match (down from 120).
- We had 100 or more registrations at 2 monthly matches this year (down from 5).
- 56 new people signed-in to shoot or signed waivers to watch in 2021 (up from 47).
Here’s the trivia round-up from this season.
- Total Registrations: 745 (up from 599)
- Total Round Count: 864 (up from 626)
- Total Rounds Fired: ~80,500 (up from ~75,000)
- Just looking at USPSA member numbers, approximately 12 new USPSA members shot at EH in 2020 (down from 19).
Observations.
- This year had many challenges, but the big one was the short supply and increased cost of ammunition. We reduced the round count per match from 125 to 108 to stretch resources a little, but the average monthly attendance dropped about 22%. Overall attendance increased from 2020 because we were able to run the entire 8 match season.
- I thought the round count reduction had an interesting effect of the matches. The typical one or two stages with round counts in the 30s became stages that only required about 25 rounds. This reduced the time for a squad to clear a stage and kept the match running a little smoother with fewer backups. It will be interesting to see if 32 round stages make a comeback when the ammunition supply returns to normal.
Some final comments.
- Greg Zombek is stepping down as the Western PA Section Coordinator and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done over the last 4 years. Greg has put a lot of effort into communication of Section schedules and related information through his weekly emails. He’s also maintained the Section web page and Facebook pages for the Section and the Section Championship. Greg also put in tremendous amounts of effort in the planning and execution of the Section Championship matches. Thank You Greg for your tireless effort.
- And I’d also like to welcome Doug Sestock back into the position of Western PA Section Coordinator. I know Doug has plans for our future and I’m looking forward to doing my part to help him.
That’s my season wrap-up. As always, please feel free to provide any constructive criticism of the job I’m doing or suggestions for improvement. I’ll see you in March.
Roger