Louisiana and IHMSA

[braud357]

Some of you may have noticed that there are no Louisiana matches listed in the 2022 IHMSA match schedule. I need to explain why that is, and explain our current course of action. During the past year there has been a bit of upheaval in IHMSA with several shooters and clubs leaving IHMSA. Our plans going forward are caused by other factors. Some background -I joined IHMSA in May, 1980 and have participated every year since. I was 26 years old then, and I just had my 68th birthday. IHMSA has been one of the "constants" for the majority of my adult life. The friendships enjoyed and the memories shall be forever cherished and appreciated. In 1990 I approached our local sheriff and asked if we could use their new range to conduct a smallbore IHMSA match. He agreed and we owe them a huge debt and gratitude for allowing us to use their facility. My brother Charlie Braud had stopped shooting silhouette, and he was enticed to come on board and help. I could have never done this without his help. Through the years we have held many state championship matches and we also hosted the Region 2 Smallbore Championship match in 1999.Our participation started out fairly strong, but has decreased slightly every year since. After several years we were also required to purchase our own liability insurance. We do not have a club or membership to support us monetarily - Charlie and I are the club. We are only allowed usage of the range on match dates only, and we have to haul rails and targets in and take everything with us when we finish. This has been a chore, to say the least ! Fast-forward to the last couple of years; participation has dropped to a few die-hards. We have tried to bolster participation to no avail - the local interest is simply not there. Our cash intake has decreased, while insurance premiums have increased to the point that Charlie and I have had to sometimes cover expenses "out-of-pocket". Charlie has also taken on a couple of matches in northern Louisiana and his participation has been even worse. With advancing age, fewer opportunities to shoot, inability to travel, and monetary considerations have forced us to make some hard decisions. Working with such a small budget, the increase in sanction fees to $2 had a significant effect on our "bottom line". Add to this the sad fact that none of us are able to travel to any big matches, such as the Internationals have led us to the following decision. After consulting with our local participants we have decided this - we plan to keep all of our money here to support our local matches. We have not asked anyone to quit IHMSA, but Charlie and I will be putting the funds that we would have paid for annual membership dues and sanction fees towards the preservation of our local matches. So, going forward for now - none of the Louisiana matches will be sanctioned by IHMSA. We find no joy in doing this, but we have no recourse. I know that to some it may seem like a small bit of money to cover, but added up over the course of many years it has been significant. We do not know how many years we have left, but we have decided that this course of action is necessary if we are to continue. There is no malice towards IHMSA, its membership, or its leadership - our decision is strictly based on monetary factors. Louisiana IHMSA owes a HUGE debt to Charlie Braud for all of his efforts. Simply put - if not for Charlie IHMSA would have died in Louisiana years ago ! It has been my honor to have been a IHMSA member, a match director, deputy state director, Louisiana State Director, and Region 2 Director. As of now, we are still conducting matches (unsanctioned), and welcome anyone to join us if you ever find yourself in the area. My best to all of you - and thank you !! Philip Braud
PS: Doug Edney and the Board of Directors were notified of this by letter in November

[LOCKHART]

I just retired from participating in future IHMSA matches at my home range
in New Braunfels* I'm 77 years old, and it's really a chore for me to get up and
move to the next position* I also joined in late 1980, and shot my first match
in January of 1981* Our range in New Braunfels, Texas is one of two ranges
left in Texas that shoots IHMSA matches regularly* I know I'm gonna miss this
stuff, so, like they say, never say never! I hope that if I take off some time, I
will miss this stuff and get back in it again* It was really roaring back in "81, when
I shot my first silhouette match* I've met LOTS of great people in this sport, and
that's what I'm gonna miss the most*