2007 TexasCHLforum Day scheduled

[Charles L. Cotton]

This is hardly news, but this year's TexasCHLForum Day at PSC is scheduled for Sept. 29th. With the growth of the event from the first year (2005), we expect it to be very well attended. For this reason, and in view of the lessons we learned from last year, we are making some changes for 2007.

Seminars & Clinics
I have an Excel Spreadsheet with the proposed schedule of seminars and shooting clinics. Although I saved it as a "web page," it doesn't show up when I put it on the website, so I'll have to redo it in a table. I'll try to get that up ASAP, as we want your input on the clinics and seminars offered. Last year, we required RSVP's only for seminars, but having all shooting clinics structured as "walk-ins" was a problem. This year we will require pre-registration for both seminars and shooting clinics. This will help us decide which building to use for the seminars and we may change some bay assignments for the clinics, based upon the number of people registered.

New registration procedure
We're going to change the registration this year as well. Everyone will need to register to attend the event, even as a spectator. It will be very helpful to pre-register, but we won't turn anyone away if your schedule won't let you pre-register. We'll take care of it at the door. But since all seminars and clinics will require pre-registration, if you wait to register at the door, then you won't be signed up for the clinics. You would be free to shoot in the non-clinics events like the plate rack and Texas Stars. If there is room in a seminar, then you will be welcome to attend, but we need a good count for the clinics because of the inability to change bay assignments close to or on the day of the event.

Shooting clinics now longer
Another change is the length of the shooting clinics. One hour was far too short! This year, the bays will be scheduled for clinics on 2 hour blocks, but we are asking the instructors to limit the clinics to 1 1/2 hrs., with the option to extend them by another 15 minutes. This means each participant will have at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes to go to the restroom, get a drink and still make it to their next event on time.

Lunch
We will have the Bun Stuffers barbeque cook-off team providing lunch again this year. Last year they lost money on the event, because we had a lot of people who got to the range late and didn't have lunch with us. The estimated attendance was anywhere from 65 (the number of people who picked up their badges) to a little over a hundred that pre-registered. The Bun Stuffers had to buy meat for 100, but sold only 65 lunches. We can’t let that happen to them again this year, or we’ll lose them in the future.

Registration fee
This fact combined with a $6 fee we have to pay to PSC for each non-PSC member shooting in the event makes it necessary for us to charge a minimal fee this year. The fee will be $15 for people shooting, and it will cover your lunch ($6) as well as the PSC non-member fee ($6). The remainder will help cover the costs of consumables such as targets, tape, ice, golf cart rental, badges, event book, etc. (PSC waived the non-member fee last year, since we used the event as a fund-raiser for a PSC member's daughter, in place of a combined IDPA/IPSC match.) For people who are spectators, including people who attend only seminars, the fee will be $6, to cover lunch. We tried not to charge a fee, but this event is being sponsored by the IDPA match at PSC and we had no choice. With expected attendance anywhere from 150 to 200 people, the drain on the IDPA match fund would be on the order of $2,250 to $3,000 – money we don’t have.

Youth & Guns Clinic???
Last year we had no young shooters sign up for the “Youth & Guns� clinic, so we do not plan to offer it again this year. However, we also know that increased attendance this year could result in some of our young people not having a clinic designed for their needs and interests. So we would like to hear from any of you folks who plan to bring your sons and daughters and who would like to see the clinic offered. Since we need a realistic headcount, we need to hear from people who will actually be bringing the kids.

Open shooting
As in past years, we'll have open shooting bays, the Texas Stars will be set up and of course the plate rack will be available in it's own dedicated bay.

Friday evening social?
We’d also like to know how many folks would be interested in some social gathering on Friday night, Sept. 28th. When we were running the Texas State IDPA Championships, we always had the “official� sign-in on Friday evening before the match. If there is enough interest, we could do the something like that on Friday, Sept. 28th and combine it with a non-alcoholic beverage “happy hour.� (Yeah, I’m Baptist, but PSC has an absolute ban on any alcohol on the range.) This would be very convenient for folks coming in from out of town, but it would be open to everyone. Even people living in the Houston area, but far from PSC, may want to consider getting a hotel room close to PSC, if we decide to do something on the 28th. One option I’m considering is doing my Deadly Force & Legislative Update on Friday evening, so we can make the Blue Building available for another seminar on Saturday. (I’ll discuss this more in another post.)

I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but I wanted to get this announcement posted. There will be updates in the coming weeks and I hope to have a registration form available on-line in the next few days. I will also post some information about hotels and I’ll see if we can get some special rates for people attending the event.

Chas.

[HighVelocity]

I've got it inked on the calender and am really looking forward to being able to attend this year.

I can't wait!

[seamusTX]

If you do plan to get a hotel room, book early. There is a shortage of hotels in that area.

- Jim

[longtooth]

I've got it inked on the calender and am really looking forward to being able to attend this year.

I can't wait!

me too, Me Too, MEEEE TOOOO.

[razoraggie]

When will the registration be posted? I'm game for the day and would enjoy the oppourtunity to meet some of you in person. Looking forward to it already!!!

[Charles L. Cotton]

When will the registration be posted? I'm game for the day and would enjoy the oppourtunity to meet some of you in person. Looking forward to it already!!!

I'm going to try to have it on the website this weekend.

Chas.

[age_ranger]

Where's PSC??

Sounds lke a great time to be had. Don't want to miss out on it!

[Charles L. Cotton]

Where's PSC??

Sounds lke a great time to be had. Don't want to miss out on it!

Friendswood, on FM528.

Chas.

[carlson1]

Does anyone know if there is a camp sight or place close to PSC that you could park a 5th wheel trailer for a few nights?

[RPBrown]

Looking forward to comming again. For all of those that were that didn't make it last year, a great time was had by all.

[TraCoun]

Where's PSC??

Sounds lke a great time to be had. Don't want to miss out on it!

Go to the PSC website http://www.psc-range.com and you can find one or two maps showing more detail on where the club is.

Charles may also have it on cottonfamily.com.

Thanx,
TraCoun

[TX Rancher]

Does anyone know if there is a camp sight or place close to PSC that you could park a 5th wheel trailer for a few nights?

Me too! I don't actually have a travel trailer, but I do have a horse trailer with living compartment, so it's the size of a big 5th wheel.

[seamusTX]

I don't know if there's a campground near PSC; I don't know the area well.

Get the location from the PSC site, then plug it into Mapquest or Google maps and search for campgrounds. There should be something within 10 miles or so.

- Jim

[Venus Pax]

Wow, you've really been moving on this thing, Charles!

Looks great!

[LedJedi]

Seminars & Clinics
I have an Excel Spreadsheet with the proposed schedule of seminars and shooting clinics. Although I saved it as a "web page," it doesn't show up when I put it on the website, so I'll have to redo it in a table. I'll try to get that up ASAP, as we want your input on the clinics and seminars offered. Last year, we required RSVP's only for seminars, but having all shooting clinics structured as "walk-ins" was a problem. This year we will require pre-registration for both seminars and shooting clinics. This will help us decide which building to use for the seminars and we may change some bay assignments for the clinics, based upon the number of people registered.

hey man, I'd like to help.

Send me that excel sheet in email and I'll get it online for you in a format you can still edit live on the website, but everyone else can just see publicly.

that is unless you have a better plan of attack.