From the
Secretary/Treasurer’s Corner
By Ron Best
I will begin regularly contributing a brief article to
each newsletter about current club happenings, announcements and various odds
and ends about firearms. Recently, the
club directors reviewed the dues, initiation fee and work bond payment
schedule. The last dues increase
occurred in 2000. As an example of the effect on inflation on the club’s
operation, our insurance costs were $4,920.00 in 2001; this year our insurance
costs were $7,190.00. Another example are the costs for distributing the club newsletter. Inflation next year will raise our costs from
$2,950.00 this year to $3,142.00 in 2006.
Almost all of our other operating expenses have also increased. A dues increase next year has to happen, but
our dues and other club fees will remain the most reasonable in the
In anticipation of your dues payment for next year, I would like to review important dates to remember. Your dues are payable January 1. If not paid and received by the Secretary/Treasurer by April 1, a $20.00 penalty is assessed by the club. After June 1, the bylaws require that the Secretary/Treasurer can drop the delinquent member from CRC membership roles. The work bond requirement has to be met by November 1; after that date a $100.00 work bond payment Must be made in order for the member to remain in good standing.
It is the policy of the club to reimburse members for car
and truck expenses incurred while on club business. An example is towing the dump trailer to the
The past year has been very rewarding for me; the
operation of the club actually runs very smoothly. It is very important that members immediately
notify me of changes of address (postal and e-mail) and new phone numbers. If a member’s newsletter is returned as
undeliverable, we have little hope of finding that member. Some of you are still mailing dues and work
bond payments and other club info to Marty Everitt on
Announcements from the Board of Directors
The 2006
Colorado Rifle Club Annual Meeting will have a change of venue this coming
year. The CRC Dinner and Annual Meeting
was held for many years at Captain Bligh’s, in what was originally the Best
Western motel. The motel went through
many owners, but it’s most recent guests were a group of West Metro
firefighters - as the site was used for fire training and demonstration
exercises. The motel is gone, Captain Bligh’s is gone, and what remains of the
building after several controlled training burns is being razed – to make room
for yet another un-needed car dealership.
But no worries, arrangements have been made to host the 2006 dinner and
meeting at the Holiday Inn at Denver West Village – across from the Colorado
Mills. The same people who originally
served us so may years ago at Captain Bligh’s will provide the banquet service,
so we are assured of a quality meal and dining experience for a very reasonable
price. The date for the dinner and
meeting is set for Saturday, February 25th. The Holiday Inn is located at
Board of
Directors Meeting
The CRC Board of Directors held meetings in both September and November this year to discuss several significant actions which will have important consequences for the members of CRC. Among those actions are:
· Dues and initiation fee increases for 2006
· Change in tax status
· Creation of the CRC Foundation
· Authorizing the building of an equipment shed
· Authorizing a waiver of liability
Effective for 2006, the initiation fee for new members will be raised from $100 to $125. The dues for new and existing members will be raised by $5 across the board so that individual members will pay $55 instead of $50, and family memberships will increase to $80 from $75. Current members who pay their 2006 dues so that it is received by December 31 will be accepted at the previous rate. We have not had a dues increase since 2000, and in that time the cost of everything has gone up. Postage next year will rise from .37 to .40 cents per letter, and we use a lot of stamps. Our insurance has about doubled in that period, fuel has gone up and so on – as members well know. The Board did not want to raise dues and did reject a proposed increase by $10 instead of $5. We are still the least expensive club membership in the
Tax Status:
On the advise of club attorney Bob Lees, and based on a discussion begun at the 2005 annual meeting, the Board of Directors has submitted revised Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws to the appropriate authorities, seeking to change our tax status from a not-for-profit corporation, to an amateur sports organization under the new IRS Section 501(H). When the new status becomes official it should enable the Club to receive donations of surplus government property, permit the club to sponsor certain tax-deductible events and possibly lessen our property tax burden, among other things. The 501(H) classification is relatively new and many clubs in the area are applying to change their status as well. It did require some considerable update to our Articles of Incorporation (revised only once since 1925) and some new wording in our club bylaws. The bylaws will be posted on the website, and the articles will filed with the Colorado Secretary of State. If anyone wants a copy they may call Secretary/Treasurer Ron Best at the number on the newsletter heading.
CRC Foundation:
At the same time we are applying to create the “Colorado Rifle Club Foundation” which will be a charitable, tax exempt organization that can receive tax-deductible contributions in any amount of money, or in material items from our Club members or others supporting shooting sports. Estate bequests may also be received. The Foundation will use these funds to support Colorado Rifle Club’s educational and firearm training programs with emphasis on youth shooting sports. It will not support routine operations of the club, but can build new facilities such as a new range or improve existing facilities that have educational or training purposes. The Foundation can create and fund special youth shooting programs. The foundation will soon become a reality, and if we have any members with experience in fund raising, we may be able to make use of your services.
Equipment Shed:
For years we have needed a place to store and work on equipment, store lumber, etc., and have a secure place for power tools and so on. The old barn has been getting progressively worse and one of these days is likely collapse under the weight of snow or the force of our famous winds. We cannot get fire insurance on our tractors if they are not stored in a building. Regrettably, this is a major cost item, which will benefit members only indirectly, but is a needed facility. The Board has accepted a proposal from local builder Mike Marr for a 40 x 80 foot steel building at a cost of approximately $77,700. About half the cost will come from club reserves, and the remainder from a two or three year loan. The building will be located east of the present tool shed near the ranch house. Construction is supposed to begin in late December and weather permitting, it will be done by the end of February. At the same time Marr will build a picnic shelter on the sporting clays range similar to the shelters at the other ranges.
Liability Waiver:
For some time our attorney has been pressing the Board to require a liability waiver from all members and guests coming on our property. We have some liability insurance and some protection from a State law which recognizes skiing, shooting, and a number of other activities as inherently dangerous and undertaken at the risk of the participant, but in today’s world that is not enough. The Board has finally decided to do this, and before the start of the 2006 shooting season all members will be required to sign a waiver as a condition of membership. There will be exceptions for inactive members who will not be using the property. Likewise all match shooters will be required to sign a waiver as a part of their entry. The mechanics of all this are not all sorted out yet, but we plan to have it finalized and working by March. As part of this, there will be formal Range Protocol document that clearly defines range safety to augment our current range rules.
Other Notes:
Ron Best has found that we can get an emergency telephone directly wired to the Byers 911 number for a reasonable price and we plan to locate one or more of these lines on the range as soon as possible
So far in 2005 we have received almost $8000 from farming on the land bought last year. This is more than half of our mortgage payment!
HEADS UP!
Match Directors and others who are interested should be thinking about the January Match Directors workshop. It will be on January 21st, at the American Motel – the same place as last year. Details will follow.
Ron Best is getting the 2006 match calendar together. Please get your dates to him as soon as possible.
New Shooting Sport in 2006
A new shooting sport will be on the CRC calendar in 2006. Bob Nation has stepped forward to be Match Director for .22 Rimfire Benchrest matches. The American Rimfire Association (ARA) will sanction these matches. Rules for this discipline can be found at www.ara.benchrest.net Targets will be available in the target shed on the Smallbore range, and 17 sets of mounts for target frames have been set at 50 yards on the Schuetzen range. Four matches have been scheduled for 2006, one each in May, June, July and August, fired at 50 yards from benchrest. The competitions using .22 caliber rimfire rifles will be held at the Scheutzen range. The Frontier Gun Club of Colorado Springs also hosts the same type of competition sanctioned by the ARA. The CRC dates have been chosen to avoid conflict with the Frontier Gun Club to give the competitors more opportunities to compete. Bob is looking for volunteers to assist in these matches as well as participants. Call him at (303) 273-0071 or rhnation@aol.com. Bob Nation also hosted the successful reloading clinic at the range last summer and is hoping to conduct a similar clinic in 2006. Again, Bob will gladly accept the services of anyone who would like to help.
Pistol Match Schedule for 2006
Speaking of schedules, here’s the preliminary 2006 schedule for pistol matches at CRC.
Kaser Memorial Silver Trophy Match* May 14
ISSF Zone 9 Championship May 27
Eastern Colorado Regional June 3-4
Camp Perry Consolation Match* July 15
Mid Summer Classic 2700 Match* August 6
CRC Bullseye Pistol Championship* September 17
Risk Takers 2700 Match* October 8
All * matches will be approved
matches. Watch the website for more
details or call Wayne Harris at (303) 431-4009 or email wwharris@comcast.net
or Doug Maxwell at (303) 431-1420, dkmaxwell0@lycos.com
Copy Machine news
The club’s old analog copy machine recently conked out. Since getting replacement parts present an iffy problem and repairs will only get more difficult, a refurbished Kyocera digital laser copy machine was purchased. The old copier is currently in the shop and later will be placed in the ranch house for use by match directors. It is important that the copier dust cover be used. A paper supply will also be found with the copier. Any questions about the use of either copier should be directed to the Secretary/Treasurer.
WORKBOND UPDATE
By Dave Paananen
On October 15 & 16, the ranges were closed for the annual fall workdays. We had 23 members come out for range maintenance and winterization projects that weekend, in addition to several match directors who lead the various work parties. Most of the planned projects were completed, including building repair, painting, vehicle maintenance, target frame repair and construction, and a couple of special projects. The big snowstorm at the beginning of the week caused a lot of damage to the trees along the fence line and around the ranch house. There was a full day of work just in cleaning up the storm damage. Another special project was filling a 30 yard dumpster with most of the trash pile that had been accumulating by the tractor shed.
On November 1 we passed the deadline for performing work activities to complete your workbond obligation for 2005. If you have not done your volunteer work for the club yet, send in your $100.00 workbond fee to the club secretary/treasurer to P.O. Box 280251, Lakewood, CO 80228-0251. This should already be done to keep from being dropped from the club membership.
The ranges are in good shape for the winter months. Thanks to all who helped!
In
Memory of
PAUL
J. SIMONETTE
CRC member Paul J. Simonette, member number 190, passed away October 12. Our condolences to his family and friends.
GUNSMITH
Ever wish there was a gunsmith located near the CRC range to make getting your equipment worked on and then out to the range for testing an easy one - two step? Denny Reul and Ron Best report they’ve found one! Michael Cuypers is a gunsmith, located on 72nd Avenue north of Calhoun-Byers Road just north of the town of Byers. He specializes in refinishing including polishing and blueing, and does a lot of work for local gunsmiths and shooters. His website address is http://bijoucreek.com, and his phone number is (303) 822-5323.
CRC MEMBERS IN THE
NEWS
The November
27th Denver Post had an article and photo in the Travel section of
the paper about CRC members Randy and Lydia Swan. They were featured on their hunting trip in
the Altay Mountains of Mongolia. The
camp at 11,300 feet of elevation looked liked a nomad’s paradise. The paper didn’t say how the hunting was –
but it looked like they had a real adventure regardless.
A
preachy editorial rambling
to
all our family members
By Laura Everitt
The recent notoriety in the news these days about the troubles of certain coaches and college athletic programs gives me a perfect segue to preach to the choir about the virtues of Junior shooting and college shooting programs. This past June, The University of Alaska Fairbanks hired Colorado native Dan Jordan as their new Head Coach for the rifle team.
Dan’s rise to this most prestigious of positions didn’t follow an ordinary path – though it may have started out that way. Dan began shooting at age 9 as a member of a 4-H club, and began competitive shooting at 12. After graduating from Parker High School near Colorado Springs, he chose to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks and compete for the shooting team there. He earned All-American Honors his freshman and sophomore years and was the NCAA second place winner in Air Rifle as a freshman. Then, the summer after his sophomore year, a climbing accident partially paralyzed Dan, and confined him to a wheelchair. It was something that could have ended his athletic career. But shooting isn’t a sport with ordinary limitations and Dan isn’t an ordinary athlete. Dan finished school, graduating from UAF in 2001, began training for the Paralympics, and started coaching Junior shooters in the NRA Civilian Marksmanship program. In 2004 Dan achieved his dream of Olympic success, winning a Silver medal in Men’s three-position rifle in the Paralympics, and this past June UAF hired their alumnus to coach the Rifle team. UAF has a long history of shooting success, and having a coach who not only competed for the school, but has also achieved so many personal victories despite some overwhelming obstacles will surely help keep the team on the winning track.
So the next time you hear someone lament over the state of NCAA athletics or the lack of roll models in today’s sporting world – feel proud to point out Dan Jordan’s contributions to our sport and it’s future. It may be tough to face pressures from a society that misunderstands the shooting sports, or pay the hefty ammo bills, or haul the kids all over the State to rifle matches, but shooting can truly pay off for you and your family. Shooting probably won’t get your kid on the cover of Sports Illustrated or earn them multi-million dollar contracts, but it may benefit them in ways you can’t put a price on. CRC is here to support all the parents who share shooting with their children, whether they have Olympic aspirations – or it’s just something you do with them a few weekends every year. We’d also like to thank all the match directors for accommodating our youngest members, and send special thanks to all those who help bring this sport to the next generation of shooters. You never know where it may lead!
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