Sounds like TN needs to start getting some shooters. Hard to believe there is only 3 worthy F/TR shooters in TN
I'm trying, and I don't know the mid range game, there are some mid range shooters over in Memphis; however, the guy that I regularly shoot 1000 with, and have split about 3 or 4 matches in the last yr by X-count, won the TN midrange championship last yr. (the scores say it was pretty tuff conditions)
The good news is that I pretty regularly get to shoot with some really good shooters from surrounding states but like last yr at Camp Perry I didn't get on a team for long distance. Last yr at Raton Laura wasn't shooting on the US-FTR team on Thursday so she got put together a team with one other guy from 'Bama and 2 of us from TN. We've got a fair number of F-Open shooters locally but in F-TR interest lacks.
What is really frustrating to me is that right here in Oak Ridge we have one of the nicest shooting facilities in the US, one of the few competition 1000 yard ranges in the US that is privately owned, we have ~2000 club members and on any given club match weekend I shoot with a dozen sling shooters, one TR guy who comes over from near Nashville (who is very good) and maybe half a dozen F-Open shooters. In June we got a good turnout and had a full dozen F-Class with a 50/50 split. Lately after the Sunday Palma match the sling shooters have been doing team practice for Camp Perry. No F class participation. There is just nobody here.
We have ~950 acres, and half a dozen ranges. We have lots of CMP/Service rifle/XTC types, shotgun shooters (2 skeet and 2 trap I think), action pistol shooters and some other disciplines but most of the membership shoots on either the "Plinking" range or the 200 yard "Benchrest" range just to target practice at 200 yds or less.
Part of the problem here is that unlike some other ranges there is nobody with a financial interest in getting people to shoot. No gunsmiths or stock makers locally cater to the long range shooting crowd so promotion is pretty non-existent. I shoot with a great group of HM and MA sling shooters. I can go to the range and practice any day that there isn't something else scheduled, which pretty much means about 20 days a month; but when it comes to F-TR there just aren't many people playing.
So if I understand your post, if I plan on shooting alone there is no reason to show up? Since I will be giving up the potential for the team aggregate?
You're not going to win the National w/o a team score for the agg. But you could still shoot and have a good time. The other option is to try to pick up a team at Camp Perry. The program says that they are accepting team registrations until the 6th I think. The issue with that is you get what you get for a wind coach, and someone with a good coach may make up some points on you from the individual. Having a good coach who is watching the whole time is pretty handy.