What kind of member are you?

[Jeff Hren-Renegade]

I am curious what kind of member you are? When you join a Club, organization or group Are you a ACTIVE member or are you a (I paid my money that's enough) type member or are you the I wish I could do more for my Group, (but I am working 50-60 hours a week plus remodeling the house + the Kids activeties) Type?
  I know everyone cannot be the type to jump in & Do all kinds of work & Take responcebility for All kinds of things in an organization,It just isn't who they are. Many just plane don't have the time! What I am asking is If all you have time to do is mention your group to someone do you Take that 1-5 minutes to promote your Organization?
  The organization gets Stronger every time one of us Promotes what we believe in!!! It doesn't matter if you are promoting Comptons, Michigan Traditional Bowhunters, P.B.S. or Any other State's traditional Archery Group. Let those around you know what is important to you! You may be amazed at who else believes the same things!      

[xia_emperor]

I am the don't have time, so I don't join kind of guy.

[Pat B]

I've been a member of The Carolina Traditional Archers for quite a few years now. The club headquarters are about 3 hours away so I don't get down there very often for the monthly shoots or work details. What I do is donate a bow(or 2)for them to raffle off at the NC State Championships near Hickory, NC each year, as a fund raiser. This year I have made 2 bows for CTA. One is a hickory backed ERC longbow with deer antler nocks. She pulls 40#@24. The other is an osage splinter bow with walnut tip and handle overlays, that pulls 35#@24". Most of the bows I donate are for either kids, women or beginners.    Pat

[Dave Worden]

I do everything you mentioned, but at my own pace.  I volunteer to help maintain my club, teach anyone wanting to learn (including scheduled classes at the Club, drum up membership in all the organizations I know of whether I'm a member or not.  Mainly I just try to push people toward trad archery every chance I get.

[AZStickman]

Life Member of the Arizona Bowhunters Association and State Ambassador for the Hunt of a Lifetime Program......The HOAL duties take up most of my available time outside of Family and Work...... Terry

[Kip]

In most clubs or organizations I have been in 10% do 90% of the work.I try to do my share and sometimes more if I enjoy or need it if not I may get out.Kip

[LBR]

I do what I can when I can.  None of the clubs I belong to have any shoots closer than 2.5 hours from where I live, so I'm not normally able to go help set a course the day (or weekend) before a tournament.  

I do try to help while I'm there, stay late to pull targets, help out with novelty shoots, running errands, etc. and generally getting the word out.  Many hands make light work.  

The more involved I get, the more I realize I need to do more.  Just a few folks trying to do everything makes life hard on them, and they are apt to get burnt out.  The way I see it, there's more to belonging to a club than paying dues/shoot fees and wearing the t-shirt. If everyone would pitch in, it would make things a lot easier.  Twin Oaks, who hosts the TN Classic, is the best example I've ever seen of a club where everyone works together--that shoot runs slicker than boiled okra.

Chad

[carphunter100]

I am a member of the (WVBA) West Virginia Bowhunters Association regular member. I help them whenever I can but they have events allover the state. I make them 1 doz. arrows every year for ther banquet, fundraiser. I helped start the Traditional Bowhunters of Southern WV (TBSWV) 9 years ago. I have been Pres. of TBSWV 6 out of 9 years. I have been VP 2 of those 9 years and the 1 year I held no office I resigned due to the death of my wife. I help get the first ATAR started and have work 7 out of 7 ATAR's and headed up 5 of them. All in all I help the WVBA what I can and have worked very hard for TBSWV. But I am going to hand it over to someone else after this year and be one of those members that just shows up at club shoots and shoots and goes home. BURNT OUT but I do not regreat any of it. But it is time to hand off to someone else.

[styckbow]

I am the Youth director for the Alberta Traditional Bowhunters, THe junior archery coach for another club but I belong to two more clubs but theres only so much of me to go around and I am raising 4 kids so I do what I can when I have time

[ozarkcherrybow1]

I am the "I'll pay my dues, and that will have to do for now" kinda guy. I have three teenagers and one pre-teen in the house right now. I'll put my money where my heart is, but I must keep my priorities straight. I figure I'll pay my dues with time and involvement when the kids are out on their own. I do, however, take the extra 5 minutes it takes to promote the clubs or membership when ever the opportunity arrives, including : church, my local archery club, Trad Gang, NRA, Adventure bound outdoors, Game and fish comm., and whatever conservation affiliated organization that might come to mind at the time.
 I will give of my time, Lord willing, when my children are safely on their own and the opportunity arrives.....Terry

[owlbait]

I have to agree, membership activity depends on your stage in life.  Family and full time employment invloves one kind of commitment. Retired, unemployed, or someone with a financial stake in the archery industry may have different priorities or motivations. Personally, I always wonder about any organization that would have me as a member!

[AllenR]

I'm there at every work party.  The only one I missed was when I had a fever over 100 degrees.   I also take one or two of my teenage son's with me.  

I belong to a great club with many active members.  It's not the typical 10% / 90%.  It's more like 40 /60.

One thing I don't participate in are the youth classes that we have every winter.  This is probably our most important activity, but so many of the members turnout, that it actually gets too crowded.  

[Plumbob]

Currently I am a burned out member of my local club

[Jeff Hren-Renegade]

Me Too Owlbait!!! Not Sure But you are a smartas... er ahmm ... a smart person that is a asset to any organization!! LOL
  I am not condeming anyone, everybody doesn't have the Time, or the freedom to give lots of time.
 What I am asking is if someone is watching you shoot at the local range offer to let them shoot your bow. Talk to them about the feel of trying to take a game animal with a stick & a string.
  In all seriousment & I believe Owlbait will back me up on this, I have let Dozzens of people shoot my bows!! Just Offerd my bow to folks & tellem to just fling a couple arrows out of it! You would be amazed at the number of people that just love that OLD feeling back, or just love the simplicity of it!!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by Jeff Hren-Renegade:
Me Too Owlbait!!! Not Sure But you are a smartas... er ahmm ... a smart person that is a asset to any organization!! LOL
  I am not condeming anyone, everybody doesn't have the Time, or the freedom to give lots of time.
 What I am asking is if someone is watching you shoot at the local range offer to let them shoot your bow. Talk to them about the feel of trying to take a game animal with a stick & a string.
  In all seriousment & I believe Owlbait will back me up on this, I have let Dozzens of people shoot my bows!! Just Offerd my bow to folks & tellem to just fling a couple arrows out of it! You would be amazed at the number of people that just love that OLD feeling back, or just love the simplicity of it!!!

That's what got me going on Traditional archery!...i was getting burn out on the high tech stuff and a total stranger had a home made long bow he just handed me at a 3D shoot.....I mean....you just don't shoot someone elses bow...i sputtered...." Sure ya do! and handed me some arrows too...." i sold my compound two weeks later......What kind of member am i? Well i'm a new/old member....new to trad, & not too old to learn......I love this site! And going traditional was the best thing i've ever done!.........At my first 3D shoot with MY first home made long bow....i did the same thing....i handed it to another compound shooter i'd never met before, and warned him....."this kind bow puts the arch back into archery, my friend".....He had a ball shooting it too...What a hoot!!!!!!

[beaglesandbucks]

I pay my dues...collect my "bennies" and am perfectly happy with that.

There appear to be plenty for full time professional hunters around that take care of the rest.

In fact...they rely on guys like me to pay the bills.  

[LoneWolf]

I do as much as I can, sometimes work gets in the way, or baseball or just life in general.  I do as much as I can when i can.

[varmint]

I try.......

I'm the Game Zone 6 Representative for the South Carolina Bowhunters Association,not to mention the Merchandizing Official too.Going to have to give them up tho........I'm heading over to Iraq and Afghanistan for work off and on for at least the next 3 years and won't be able to fulfill my obligations.Gonna end up missing alot of the coming deer and turkey seasons too,which is just gonna kill me.

I'm also a Lifetime member of the Palmetto Archery Federation,a fairly new organization,which promotes archery of all types.

I try to introduce other people to archery,especially hunting friends that I've known for awhile and used to hunt way back in the rifle days.Converted 2 last season,1 took his first bow deer last season,the other is ate up with it and had opportunities but the adrenalin rush caused him to blow a few chances...........hopefully this season it'll happen for him.

I'm a member of my local archery club,Lake Marion Archery Club,and try to get out for most of the shoots and bring friends to et them interested in shooting 3D,not just hunting.

I've sat the booth for the SCBA at the annual Sportsmans Classic to help out,spent a couple days at the SCDNR's youth day and had dozens and dozens of kids shoot bows for the first time ever.

I guess it really depends on the time you have,which is going to be very little for me very soon.................

[MikeC]

I'm a member of a hunting club and if possible get to the meetings and I do post the property each Fall.  Other than that one club I try to stay away from clubs, prefer not to join one if at all possible.

[Woodduck]

North Carolina Bowhunters Association member.
District 3 Rep.
 www.ncbowhunter.com

"Wanna shoot a bow?"