Have you heard about this match? What are your thoughts on this becoming a regularly occurring style of event? What do you think it will do for the PRS/NRL competition scene?
AG Cup Facebook page
AG Cup Facebook page
Is there a non facebook link?
This part made me chuckle. I hope they don't think that strategy has never been tried before in other shooting sports.No human-shaped targets will be used, and competitors will not be referred to as 'shooter' - this is being done to present a better image to the public at large and potential sponsors from outside of the shooting world.
I actually started a thread on this in the competition announcement forum a while back. I think Tom's got the right idea. The match isn't about PRS or NRL, but trying to grow the sport and bring more (positive) attention to precision rifle competition.
Maybe that's the idea, not sure how this accomplishes it. Why not take the top 20 from PRS and NRL (40 total) and pit them against each other like a Superbowl? Maybe half the cash goes to new targets, tablets for practiscore, water and lunches, for the winning teams organization next year?
Not sure how giving the same people large ridiculous checks 'grows the sport'
For all the ribbing I give the GAP guys their PRO/am match does way more for growing the sport than probably any other match.
Invite only is certainly his option but then it's not really merit based attendance, is it?
You definitely need a crack camera team because frankly, our sport doesn't look watching it even close to as dynamic and exciting as shooting it.
I agree with earlier comments, this is 'the boys' taking care of the boys. Unlikely to change anything or gather interest beyond those attending. ??
Guess we'll see, televising doesn't automatically mean awareness.
A lot of gun stuff only winds up on outdoor life or a similar channel lots of folks don't get or watch.
I think you almost need first person camera spliced in with other angles to show the excitement.
NRL has great media promotion, but honestly, their YouTube video of guys shooting stages is boring AF.
I'll do my best to watch it and keep an open mind but meh, not seeing how it's going to change anything but the winners bank balance.
I do think the coverage by Shooting USA will help promote precision long range competitions. We're probably never going to see tactical style shooting sports on ESPN or any major television station for that matter, but every little bit helps. The idea is to hopefully bring in some larger sponsors that could support the matches in general. It could be great for the sport if a huge company stepped up to support the series in general. Think Ford Motors, Lucas Oil, Monster Energy, etc.
Time will tell, where's it going to 'air'?
Hi,
Sorry to sidetrack the topic of the actual competition but can the organizer, sponsors, and participants please line out just exactly what and how this event is setup to drive the sport into handling the "Bold" part of above quote?
Is it a "Because it is on TV" thought process?
What are the rating numbers for the highest rated show episode on Shooting USA and what percentage of that is being estimated as viewers for this competition event?
Sincerely,
Theis
Sir,
Is your question about how the event is setup to attract large sponsors? Or is more about how would "the sport" handle the sponsorship from a large company if it were to happen?
Wasn't there already a series on Outdoor Channel or the Sportsman's Channel? I stopped watching because it boring.
Ah ok. I was unaware.@Cjwise5 I'm pretty sure there was an actual show on Outdoor Channel that documented the RTC.
it's basically the clique taking care of the clique and keeping it all "in house" so to speak.
This part made me chuckle. I hope they don't think that strategy has never been tried before in other shooting sports.
My understanding is that the Cup's televised portion will involve shooter interviews (including after a stage), background info, etc. to bring that 'human story' element into it.
Really??? Do yourself a favor, take some time and educate yourself on the details of the event before making any more comments. You might save some face that way.
I've shared this idea before and I'll share it again: in order for PRS/NRL shooting to be remotely exciting to watch, each shooter (erm..."competitor") will need a scope cam that transmits wirelessly to cameras and on-site TVs. No amount of target cams or static footage of watching someone cycle the bolt 10 times will ever be engaging to watch. Once viewers can see the exact view of what each shooter is seeing, that will change things.
Derek Duncan has a few videos on his YouTube channel called "Through the Scope with the Pro's" that is really cool. The scope-cam footage of Dave Preston shooting the PRS skills barricade in 43 seconds is exactly the footage that is needed. LINK
Give each one of the 20 AG Cup "competitors" a scope-cam, and say it's non-negotiable to shoot with it for the entirety of the match.
That and bullet flight tracking similar to MLB pitching or PGA golf ball flight. Not sure if that's possible because of how small and how fast the bullets are traveling, but maybe it's possible somehow with mil-spec doppler technology.
The issue with through-the-scope views is the systems to do it are bulky, and some cause a loss in clarity through the optic itself. It's a great idea, but not ready for primetime in a match, in my opinion. For training, though, they're *awesome* tools.
Showing the bullet flight can be mocked up pretty easily, and it's something Tom talked about was in the plans for the Cup when he did the video podcast with Ryan Castle. It doesn't have to be perfect for the average joe watching to understand what is happening.
In my opinion, the technology won't be pushed forward if the current versions aren't implemented and iterated on now. I agree that they're bulky and obstruct clarity, which is why no one (aside from Derek Duncan?) uses them in matches. But watching as an "average Joe" that the AG Cup is marketing to, that video footage is AWESOME. If everyone has to use them - hell, maybe for only 5 or 10 of the 20 stages - then everyone will learn to adapt to them. Clearly in that video above Dave Preston has no issues crushing that stage approximately 40 seconds faster than I've ever done it without a scope cam.
Maybe the AG Cup can still implement a scope cam this year. Have each shooter shoot ONE stage of their choosing with it on. Or select a few willing to try it out on a couple stages to give a head-to-head comparison between competitors. Or give any shooter willing to use the scope-cam a bonus 15 second buffer on each stage they use it. I dunno, there are lots of options better than not trying.
So many sports now have such dynamic camera angles, especially the POV cams in auto racing. Why can't the shooting sports adopt something better than what we're currently doing?
And as mentioned by someone above, as good as the NRL marketing is, the match videos aren't exciting. I do really like the "loadout" graphics they use that show the person's name, rifle build, caliber, bags, and impact/miss counter. But I end up fast forwarding through the majority of it because it's just footage of someone pulling the trigger over and over.
With me being the grumpy purist that I am I am curious what non-match shooters reaction will be if guys are carrying a campsite to the line and then tripod grabbing with a zero recoil 6mm. As other have said it is pretty boring to watch someone loaf up to a barricade and plop a GC around while barely fingering a 5oz trigger. No one would watch professional baseball if the players set the ball on a tee and used an aluminum bat to jack home runs every time.
I think they should, and very well may, up the stakes and put in some more athletic requirements along with tight time constraints to force some drama and action. I haven’t shot a ton of matches but the ones I have shot would be pretty boring to watch. Fun to shoot, boring to watch.
Make them move fast, make them go over and under obstacles between targets, and force some action/drama. It’s interesting to watch someone be athletic and drive the hell out of a rifle. It’s not interesting to watch someone balance a small caliber with a 5oz trigger. More power to those that do and win matches. The game is what it is and they are winning. But it’s still not fun to watch and won’t drive up interest from people watching.
I use a side-shot and could easily shoot with it on. it really does not hinder much at all if it’s set up correctly. I will probably shoot the next match I have time for with it on purely for the feedback and coolness that the video would provide. As long as none of the obstacles required the rifle to be put deep into a port hole or something where the actual mount would get in the way I don’t think it would affect me at all.It's also something that could be done via editing - get the shooters to allow use of the scope cam for a few shots on a stage or two after the match to simulate their run then edit it goether. It would give the audience the view you're talking about without hindering the competitors during the match.
I don’t know him other than from watching him in videos but my perception of him is that he’s going to make it interesting!I have no idea what Tom has planned for stages, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see some things like what you describe.
Fun to shoot, boring to watch.
I don’t know him other than from watching him in videos but my perception of him is that he’s going to make it interesting!
They need to do it like a golf match. There are alot of similarities between the 2.