Friendship?

[Dogshirt]

Exactly right, Mike. I know I am preaching to the choir here, but that is why we have to reach out individually to people who might become interested.
I disagree about it not being the NMLRA's fault, tho. They do very little to reach out to anyone, especially out here in the west. You mention the two national shoots, fact is there are THREE national shoots, & even someone like yourself, as involved in the NMLRA as you are, overlooks the Western National Shoot almost every time. Truth is, 1/3 of the national matches are treated like a red headed step child by the NMLRA.

What Rev said!

[mongrel]

Exactly right, Mike. I know I am preaching to the choir here, but that is why we have to reach out individually to people who might become interested.
I disagree about it not being the NMLRA's fault, tho. They do very little to reach out to anyone, especially out here in the west. You mention the two national shoots, fact is there are THREE national shoots, & even someone like yourself, as involved in the NMLRA as you are, overlooks the Western National Shoot almost every time. Truth is, 1/3 of the national matches are treated like a red headed step child by the NMLRA.

I mention the Spring and Fall Shoots because they're what I have a firsthand relationship with. I have a knowledge of their structure, timing, and problems, and I dislike making assumptions about things I don't know about, so I refrain from much commentary on subjects I don't have the same personal knowledge of and stake in. For the purpose of this topic, I'm talking about what I and a small group of fellow vendors HERE are trying to do to improve the situation, on a local basis. This isn't intended and shouldn't be taken as a disregard or lack of awareness of the fact that a western half of the United States exists and that, as rumor has it, there are folks interested in muzzleloading out there.

I agree wholeheartedly with the shortcomings of the NMLRA and could probably add a few to the list, based on being face-to-face with the Powers-That-Be on a regular basis and not being overly impressed as a result of the contact. However, when I speak of what I'm trying to do here, or what I think about things I know about, which is things here, I am treating no one like a red-headed stepchild. In fact in discussion with the aforementioned Powers-That-Be I mention the Western quite frequently, and when they mumble excuses and rationalizations and in general their eastern-oriented spin on what's going on, out west, I get a little more direct than they like and tell them that if they consider the Western a drain on their attention, energy, and resources, they have an obligation to either improve the situation or cut loose of it, instead of promoting and publicizing it when it makes them look good and then doing their level best to ignore it the rest of the time.

The ideas I'm having are pretty much by definition going to be focused on things here in the east; it's where I live and what I know, as much as I know anything. I'm talking about them here not to make a point of excluding the west, but to get feedback and suggestions and possibly to spur other people's thinking along similar lines, in their parts of the country. If I don't specifically mention the Western Nationals and western events, in general, it shouldn't be taken as disregard for any of that.

[Dogshirt]

I for one, understand what you are saying. Friendship is in your backyard and has been a big part of your business for sometime.
And I don't mean to highjack this thread, so perhaps I'll stir the pot in a new thread in a day or two.