Yeah, Dave. Gotta agree with you. The local club match, and most Sanctioned matches are a far cry from this forum. I shoot at four different clubs in FL and have traveled to three other states in the SE for sanctioned matches, as well as Berryville AR and Allentown PA for Nationals... not to mention the Worlds in Frostproof.  At the local level, new shooters are always welcomed, counsuled, helped, and have all their questions answered by the "Ambassadors Of The Sport"... which is what the Rule Book says us SOs are supposed to be.... and without sarcasm, veiled insults, or other such personal denegrations. 

It seems to work well on the local level... which might be why IDPA has grown so much. Growth in IDPA seems to come from the bottom up... not the top down.

I sometimes wonder if the "Old Guard" (as some have referred to them) realize that... or if they are living back in the days when IDPA had 5,000 members and was hoping to reach 5,550.

Chris Christian A23489   former SO 
Arguing with a fool is like rolling around in the mud with a pig. You both get filthy dirty, but the pig enjoys it.  
Last Edited By: GOF Aug 7 12 3:18 PM. Edited 1 times.