Chairman’s Report 2021
A difficult year for the economy, but a much better year for our association as all clubs besides the Pretoria Military Clay Target Club are fully functional and shooting is back to normal.
Attendance at shoots has been good, ammunition availability remains a problem. The cost of ammunition did increase substantially although some brands were more lenient with their pricing.
Availability of 24g however remains a major concern as importers seem to concentrate more on heavier hunting loads. Lack of 24gr will have a negative impact on our Olympic Disciplines.
One of my biggest concerns- and this has been for a while now – is the average age of our members and the lack of young participants in our sports.
There are not enough youngsters shooting clays . We still do not have an active school/university/open day program and a plan on how to possibly attract new shooters to the sport in particular the younger generation.
I do not attribute the lack of new members to the cost of shooting but rather to a lack of marketing from our side.
More than 70% of the imported ammunition is sold to hunters. Taking into consideration travelling, farmers fees, an outing for the whole day, the cost of hunting is perhaps more than shooting clays. This confirms that shooters still want to shoot despite financial constraint.
We just need to convince and encourage a percentage of youth or new incoming shooters to shoot clays.
It is up to us, the EXCO, to take charge of the situation and ensure that as ambassadors for the sport we promptly act on this problem and find a suitable solution as a matter of urgency.
Finance
Although the CTSASA financial situation is stable and solid, I am still asking and looking for sponsorship and we should all do. We should set ourselves a target and work towards it.
A solid bank account is needed to face unforeseen situation. We are facing (as all other shooting associations are) a possible legal battle with the Government wanting to clamp down on gun licencing for hunting, self defence and sport. If this battle is to continue, it will be a costly one.
This current year, CTSASA has sponsored some national events. We also sponsored Pretoria Military club as they were not able to reopen and are still closed.
Over the past years the CTSASA has sponsored and supported various provincials and nationals. We are now looking into sponsoring flags, gazebos, media walls and open days. All this to improve the presence and the image of our association hence the importance of maintaining a healthy bank balance.
Our Sporting
I believe we have made great improvements with our sporting disciplines. We had very positive meetings with our sporting commission and resolved challenges as to why the disciplines are not well attended.
The main reasons for low attendance:
- Shooting took too long
- Some targets too difficult
Our new Sporting proposal was well accepted by all provinces.
I would like to thank Marco Tarantino, Ian Grimmbacher and Sarah Kalell for their input and for committing to the improvement of the discipline.
The Sporting project is far from over. As EXCO we have to take charge of our disciplines and show our presence at shoots and at prize giving.
With the advertising of THE REAL SPORTING CHALLENGE (Sarah’s slogan) we need to see Sporting back to a good level of attendance.
Coaching
The coaching program took longer than expected. We have now sent out and advertised our coaching program and we received good feedback. I strongly believe that the presence of coaching at all clubs will attract many new members.
I kindly ask EXCO to support the course by promoting it at club level. We definitely need to invest in this project.
We do not have the depth of coaches as some European countries but we have to work and do the best with what we have.
The possibility of importing an international coach for a short while is an expensive one but real. I had positive responses from the OT UT and TRAP. This shows that there is a need of coaching in our country. This project has to succeed.
Olympics/Commonwealth/SASSCo
There seems to be a resistance to shoot OT and OS. Some shooters still hang onto past experiences and project or advertise negativity towards both Olympic Trap and Skeet. Again , it is still EXCO”s responsibility to change any negative perception and promote all disciplines including the Olympic disciplines.
I am in contact and have a good relationship with SASSCo and I intend to keep it this way for the good and the benefit of our shooting fraternity. However, at times it’s not easy to extract important information from SASSCo.
As to the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, there are youngsters who have expressed the desire and aspire to shoot at both the Commonwealth and Olympic games.
Some of us have experienced either shooting at the African Shooting Championships, the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic games.
We cannot deny the same opportunity to our next generation. It is our duty to encourage and promote all disciplines including the Olympic disciplines.
SASSCo
In the recent SASSCo Chairman’s report it stated that the CTSASA was not able to tap into the lotto funding because our application was handed in after the closing date.
I just want to confirm that we sent in the proposal and costing for new ranges well within the required due date. We have sent a mail to SASSCo asking to rectify the statement as it can be a bad reflection on both me and the management of CTSASA
Social media
Our social media is improving. Our video is a success. Our presence is good but there is always room for improvement. There are many ways to further improve our image. We must continue in all ways and continually market clay target shooting.
Our Protea teams
With the end of most of our trials it is sad that some teams will not be able to travel. Those who can have to go the extra mile to overcome challenges such as a possible quarantine. I do feel for our members who cannot travel and who cannot achieve national colours. It is a very unfortunate situation and it is now the second year.
Decision taking
It is my opinion and suggestion that as EXCO, we need to be proactive in decision taking. We need to take decision and act upon new projects without re-visiting old ones . Focusing on projects as mentioned earlier such as the recruitment of young members, fund raising, coaching can only be beneficial to clay shooting.
It is our job and duty to build and pass on a prosperous CTSASA to the next generation.
We look forward to a good year and let’s hope that no further restrictions will be imposed on travelling, sport and gatherings.
I would like to thank Sarah for her contribution and commitment and a positive attitude. It is always a pleasure working with my EO.
Thanks to my EXCO for your support.
Let’s keep a positive attitude and lets work for our sport.
Orazio Cremona
CTSASA President
23rd June 2021
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