Whats the deal with the new Silvertip membership fees??

[Hoytster]

OK....this might stir some emotions here but its an honest question...a few buddies that just got into archery asked me where to sign up for a club...Im not too familiar with Silvertip Archery in PG as I shoot in vanderhoof...anyways...i sent them to Silvertip, since its closer, and they called me back all pissed off cause the new membership fees are too high....so...can any Silver Tippers add some thoughts about this issue??? Why the high price?? What does one get out of the new price?

Thanks

[Gateholio]

How much is it?

[Hoytster]

BCAA CLUB


ADULT #2___________________________________ ____ ____ ADULT 45 + 145 = $190
JUNIOR #1___________________________________ ____ ____ FAMILY 95 + 230 = $325
JUNIOR #2___________________________________ ____ ____ JUNIOR 40 + 95 = $135




I just got the total amounts from their website......I wonder if theres federal incentives like they give towards sports for youth write offs or something...

[jessbennett]

yowsers!!!!!!:eek:

[Flingin' Sticks]

And this is the reason that I won't join silvertips...I'm all for supporting local bowhunting/shooting, but this is kind of crazy. My old club back home (Bighorn Bowhunters) was only charging I think 40 bucks a couple of years back. It really is a bit of a deterrent, especially for a Uni Student.

[Steeleco]

Wow that is steep, our club is only $125 for a family membership. It has all kinds of sub groups, not just Archery.

[Hoytster]

I think I even paid something like 80.00 at the vanderhoof club...
Still....I would like to get my family shooting....my wife shoots and my kids are just reaching the age...one is for sure....I dont know how this price helps to promote archery in PG...I dont blame my buddies for backin down.......CAN ANY SILVERTIPPERS ADD SOME THOUGHT TO THIS PLEASE?????

[Bowzone_Mikey]

And this is the reason that I won't join silvertips...I'm all for supporting local bowhunting/shooting, but this is kind of crazy. My old club back home (Bighorn Bowhunters) was only charging I think 40 bucks a couple of years back. It really is a bit of a deterrent, especially for a Uni Student.

BigHorn ... Out of Airdrie???

I havent renewed my membership as of yet ...

but costs associated ... boil down to building rental for indoor range, Outdoor range lease etc 3 1/4 sections if I recall correctly ....

Most clubs I know of dont have permanant homes therefore dont have the larger costs of overhead

[The Hermit]

Victoria F&G has 167 acres, log clubhouse, free camping for members, fishing pond, shotgun range with trap/skeet/high-tower, covered rifle pistol range, multi-purpose range, airsoft, and archery range.

We also support most of the shooting discplines, IPSIC, Frontier, etc. Check out the calendar of events at: http://vfgpa.org/

We are hosting the TBBC Championships this year on the long weekend in May!

Benefits of Membership:

1. Access to our clubhouse and property, including:

Club activities and socials
Shooting ranges and trails
Camping and fishing in Frog Hollow
Meeting rooms
2. BCWF Membership including $2 million liability insurance to protect you from a third party claim while participating in any outdoor activities.

3. Club newsletter highlighting current issues and activities.

4. Automatic membership in the B.C. Wildlife Federation, with all the benefits of the largest and oldest province-wide conservation organization in B.C. This is an organization that will voice your concerns regarding your fish, wildlife, environmental, shooting, and other outdoor activities and interests.

Memberships are annual and expire at midnight on the 31st December each year, So now is the time to buy as it is still early in the year!! Fees are:

Adult (19 - 64 years): $90
Family( including dependants 18 and under): $120
Senior (65 years and up): $65
Junior (individuals under 18): $30
** all prices include GST

[Bowzone_Mikey]

clubs I have belonged to over the years
Lethbridge Bowbenders 75 bucks a year (no home clubhouse etc ...indoor range was at archery unlimited that was owned by the president of the club outdoor ranges were at a farmers feild south of coalhurst indoor shoots were rented at the ex. pavilion )
Calgary Archers 225 year , no indoor range .. shoots were held at CAC or rented the Shriners riding arena, outdoor was held on range out on hwy 8 west of town towards Bragg creek 1/2 section of land along the river

Bighorn Bowbenders in Airdrie .. nice small outdoor range maybe 100 acres total land ... I dont know the cost as it was paid for me for services rendereed

Cochrane F&G assoc 300 bucks/year full section of land , 100x300' indoor lighted and heated quonset bunch of rifle and various shooting ranges , outdoor archery ranges ... etc...

just for a little comparison shopping
as Silvertip for the infrastructure they have arent that unreasonable ... its whether or not you want to make use of the facilities they have

[bustednock]

The club is now renting the gym in an old school. (Not cheap)
membership fee includes membership with the FCA and it's associated insurance.

It also includes free lessons for the kids in BC's JOP program.

Range is open from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm

The club has activities every week night.

Spring, summer and fall has the outdoor range and 3-D course open for all members.

It is non profit and run by volunteers.

even with the price of a yearly membership being what it is, i believe it is still the largest (and oldest) club in BC.

[PGK]

They had their chances. I and others, now virtually forced out of the club by political correctness BS tried for YEARS to get them to buy a place of their own. For the price of the rent they have paid in the last few years, they could have bought a real nice place by now. I haven't paid membership fees since they went over $80 for a junior. $135 is ridiculous. I hate to see it so, but they had their damn chances. They were too involved with handing out free coaching and judging courses to save some dollars and buy a place.

Their reasoning has always been "well it's still cheaper than hockey"

Too bad so sad. Some real poor decisions made in the last few years.

When I first joined, I paid $30 a year and a dollar a night for 2 rounds. Gone are the good ol days :(

[Dirty]

One thing that I consider as a university student is the annual dues for a student. Some ranges have generous arrangements, whereas others have nothing. I have 3 Ranges within a similar distance from my house, and I chose my range because of the reduced membership rates for students.

If the facilities provided by this club are far and above the rest, I don't see why the price is unreasonable. I would gladly pay to play at a fully covered and heated range, especially if it was for both rifles and archery.

[Hoytster]

Im wondering if Silvertip execs have looked at other venues in PG to rent....it appears that the main thrust of the hike in price has to do with the rental of the new indoor range....I have to be honest with you guys....I have shot at that location and donnot find it that good....that being said...I believe that this may be my opinion based on shooting at the indoor range in vanderhoof and comparing the 2.....I know that there are at least 2 guys that didnt join because of the price..could there be more?......HEY!...heres a thought....are there any provisions for gov grants with these 2010 games commin to BC??.....

[cainer]

Don't the scantily clad women retrieving your arrows make it all worth it? Or have they stopped doing that and raised the fees?

[willyqbc]

I am on the executive for the Quesnel River Archers and am good friends with most of Silvertips executive. From what i see and what I know of Silvertip I think the price is where it is for a few reasons. Firstly as I understand it when you join silvertip your BCAA membership is mandatory....that accounts for $45 on an adult membership....silvertip does not see a dime of that money, it goes directly to the BCAA. The remainder of the cost is the actual Silvertip membership and is the money they have to work with. Secondly....venues that will accomodate a large junior program such as the one Silvertip runs are hard to find and are generally very expensive. As i understand it at the old rates silvertip was running at a slight deficit....a healthy non profit organization needs to run at a break even point or it will slowly bleed to death. With declining participation in revenue generating events (indoor FITA, 3D shoots) throughout the province, the club needs to make up the shortfall somewhere. If you have suggestions on ways to generate the needed revenue I'm sure they would love to hear it, but short of new ideas to balance the books the only other source of income is the membership dues and sometimes they need to be adjusted to help balance the books.


They were too involved with handing out free coaching and judging courses to save some dollars and buy a place.



For a club to survive and thrive and be able to host events, club judges are required.

For a club to survive and thrive you must recruit new shooters and young shooters....best way to do this is with a great junior program with qualified coaches.

........is it reasonable to tell these volunteers "we really need judges and coaches and would appreciate your time but we want you to pay for the courses to get certified." These good folks are donating a lot of time for the good of the club and of archery in general and I believe it is perfectly reasonable for the club to pick up the cost of putting them through the courses and clinics.


Their reasoning has always been "well it's still cheaper than hockey"


Where else in minor sports can you get a fully coached 5+ month program with venue access throughout the week for practice for that price? Add to that the basically unlimited access to the outdoor venue for the other 7 months of the year to shoot in several other disciplines and you have access to a year round sporting activity for your kids including events, use of club equipment and coaching for $135......does not seem entirely unreasonable to me.


heres a thought....are there any provisions for gov grants with these 2010 games commin to BC??.....

A quick note about gov't funding in general for archery. The gov't money we do get is allocated to the BCAA to dole out....and there is very little of it to go around. The gov't does have "directed funding" available but it is generally event specific and does not apply to anything below National or international competition. For example the archery tam that attended the Paralympic games in Beijing....they could apply for funding for that specific team for that specific event. This money is generally applied to youth shooters, disabled shooters, and those who shoot Olympic style.
Where the 2010 sports funding can come into play is if your club is going to host a large enough event there may be support money available. The Quesnel River Archers are considering hosting Nationals around that time and we have been told there are funding possibilities attached to the 2010 sports funding.

So as you can see, general gov't funding to a local club is basically non-existant.


Sorry for the long post!:p

Chris

[PGK]

Where else in minor sports can you get a fully coached 5+ month program with venue access throughout the week for practice for that price? Add to that the basically unlimited access to the outdoor venue for the other 7 months of the year to shoot in several other disciplines and you have access to a year round sporting activity for your kids including events, use of club equipment and coaching for $135......does not seem entirely unreasonable to me.


Sorry for the long post!:p

Chris

I will only counter by saying that I used to get all that (18m indoor, 25m FITA, field, outdoor FITA, 3D and all expenses paid to provincials and winter games), plus actual experienced, top notch coaching, for $50 a year (12months). A lot of their best coaches are gone, and a lot of the national and international opportunites are gone with them. Before your club even existed, Silvertip had the best shooters in BC, arguably in Canada. She ain't what she used to be.

[willyqbc]

I will only counter by saying that I used to get all that (18m indoor, 25m FITA, field, outdoor FITA, 3D and all expenses paid to provincials and winter games), plus actual experienced, top notch coaching, for $50 a year (12months). A lot of their best coaches are gone, and a lot of the national and international opportunites are gone with them. Before your club even existed, Silvertip had the best shooters in BC, arguably in Canada. She ain't what she used to be.

While all clubs would love to be able to offer what you describe in the way of funding and supporting their athletes, it is not financially possible for most clubs these days. So the question I ask of you is how was all of this possible financially for silvertip a decade or more ago? What were the venues at the time and what did they cost? How did they generate enough revenue to cover all this? Did they fund raise? was attendance at shoots dramatically higher?, private donations?? Its simple math you need more coming in than going out, so I would love to hear how they were able to provide this level of support and not operate at a deficit?
And my challenge to you....if you can remember what was working back then to make all this possible, then contact the executive with a well reasoned list of suggestions....in fact publish them here. I for one am always open to ideas that may help increase our ability to provide archery opportunities.

Chris

[PGK]

I can't really say Chris, I was a lot more focused on the competition than the budget to be honest. When we were still in the Yellowhead, rent was virtually NIL, that much I know. At Budget, it was higher, and I think that was when they started touching the red.

But as I have said, they knew these days were coming, and could have put money away to either build or buy a place of their own, but they were far too worried about losing their non profit deisgnation. With the number of members and the available resources, it should have been doable. Maybe that's why price hikes now are being implemented, but it's a heck of a lot harder to save when rent is $xxxx instead of $xx

[Hoytster]

While all clubs would love to be able to offer what you describe in the way of funding and supporting their athletes, it is not financially possible for most clubs these days. So the question I ask of you is how was all of this possible financially for silvertip a decade or more ago? What were the venues at the time and what did they cost? How did they generate enough revenue to cover all this? Did they fund raise? was attendance at shoots dramatically higher?, private donations?? Its simple math you need more coming in than going out, so I would love to hear how they were able to provide this level of support and not operate at a deficit?
And my challenge to you....if you can remember what was working back then to make all this possible, then contact the executive with a well reasoned list of suggestions....in fact publish them here. I for one am always open to ideas that may help increase our ability to provide archery opportunities.

Chris
Its a tough go here...I have heard that many top notch archers came from Silvertip....I believe that the future of archery belongs to our kids and I have had many chats with fellow archers that state the benifits of archery programs for the youth...especially when it is combined with school. I can see that archery as recreation and also as discipline would be benificial for youth in school....heck, I know how much I concentrate when I go practice!....I would like to see schools get a program going....hmmmm...I guess its a matter of being a part of the solution so I will be thinking of some ideas......