Why Do Clubs Fail ?

[Steve Shipman]

Would like some general input on why you think clubs fail. We have a new club here in WV. that I really want to succeed. Want to try and avoid any bumps in the road so to speak. Your thoughts please.

[mccall]

cllub members depend on field trialers to help. You are on your own.

[Jim Stinnett]

Clubs fail because there is normally 1-2 people doing everything.
It gets old to the ones working their butts off & sooner or later they too get pissed off & quit.

When a club first starts everyone is excited about it and willing to pitch in to do anything to help. After awhile it gets old and people quit helping out.

It really sucks when club members come to a hunt. Get put out in the first round. Then go home. No help judging or clean up or anything.

I have been to a couple clubs that have alot of support from there club members. I just dont know the secert of keeping people interested.

If anyone has the keys please post them......Jim

[biged39]

Listed here are some - in no necessary order:

Poor running grounds (not enough rabbits) - people won't support you if they can't run rabbits at your clu.

Internal member controversy - the old he said she said type of stuff. Having good level headed officers will help this.

Trying to do too much too quick - Keep your club lean (nothing fancy - try to build up a little extra cash before putting out too much)

Judges - having a decent amount of judges will always help - make sure they kow the rules and dogs. Knowing the rules without knowing dogs is like the blind leading the blind. Also, make sure there is no hint of any kind of buddy judging - goes with having GOOD JUDGES.

[mtnwaykennel]

I have seen this to many times.... Like Jim said it is usualy a few running the club and it just gets to be way to much. A good club will keep it's membership up for the most part but all it takes is one BIG problem and everyone jumps like rats on a sinking ship.
Back in the 90's we had a super strong beagle club ... now it is a few doing a lot just to keep the hunts going. A few bad apples spoiled the barrel around here. Now it takes time to earn people's trust again!

Good Luck with your club!!
Bill Woods

[R.W.Hawk]

Consistent buddy judging--Regardless of format, it doesn't take long for trialers to figure out if they will get a fair shake at your club.

[danny vansickle]

i know one club that can't seem to get the big chip off their shoulder and try to get along with a local club by them,well,one of the members suggested that this club should squedule all their hunts to bump heads with the club that they dont like,well,as a trialer,i like to hit the club that i feal has the best runnin and fair judges,so they did squedle hunts on top of the other club,well people decided to pass up the club and drive on to the club with good runnin and fair judges,so now,the club that squeduled ontop the other has went from havin 70 to 80 dog hunts,to havin 25 to 35 dog hunts.

plus people are getting sick of the same guys winnin all the time and always feelin like thay got the big stiffy after everyhunt there,after the last hunt i attended at the club,there was three groups of guys that saidd they would never come back,so,i usually pack 4 to 5 hounds,one guy brings a trailer with 6 to 8 hound,and the other group packs 3 or 4,so ,what does that leave when they average 30 dogs,well,they always want to get the hunts over as fast as possible,shouild be no problem now with only 15 to 20 hounds

morral to this post

don't squedule your club hunts to bump heads with other clubs,it may come back to hurt ya

[Larry G]

The ones who kick in the big bucks expect to win... and they do, or they go somewhere else. You can't stop buddy judging. Only in a format such as Upland Classic is field trialing impartial... that's because you are scored and on the clock, no style points, you just get credit for what you and your dog do. Beagle running cannot be scored that way. I only belong to a club to have a place to run some dogs... I had jury duty this week, that's the only place I've been lately where there was more lying and under the table crap going on than at the club. Hook the lawyers or the dog judges up to a polygraph machine, you get the same result.... off the chart.

[Keystone Kid]

It’s sad to say, but a fair percentage of the beagle owning public is unrepeatable, untrustworthy, uncouth, and immoral. Compared to other Performance Dog Sports such as retrievers and birddogs competitions, beagle field trials and hunts have cheap fees, and beagles are much cheaper and easier to maintain and train. Frequently but not always, with cheaper entry fees comes “cheap people”. People of this type of character (unrepeatable, untrustworthy, uncouth, and immoral) aren’t good organizers, have a hard time budgeting their money, and don’t listen or take instructions from knowledgeable people well. That’s why "they are where they are".

I personally know you can’t buy morality, but hard work and kindness has a lot to say for ones credibility. Someone doesn’t have to make a lot of money, but you can definitely see ones “fruits of their labor” if you know what to look for.

With all this being said I would have to say, “some of the BEST people in the WORLD are involved in the sport of BEAGLIN”. You just have to be a good evaluator of the human race to know who they are. But, the poor character of a large percentage of the people involved in the sport is frequently the reason club’s fail. I’ve seen this happen in my own home club, but we rebounded and I’ve talked with many other members of other club’s that are having or have had the same thing go on.

[Larry G]

Amen, Keystone, there are some of the finest folks in the world in the beagling sport, and I in no way meant to imply that they are all bad apples.

I think some of them are in a way a lot like Mike Vick. Don't see the harm in stepping outside the rules long as you don't get caught. After all it's just a bunch of good ol' boys foolin' around with some dogs, not a matter of national security!

[Ed Brown]

Couldn't resist this one. I belong to a fine club, no doubt. We are at a strange point though. We are low on game and the running is tough. This seems to bring out the worst in alot of members. We will get through this with trapping etc. The same members do most of the work and seem to get kicked in the butt for this. Don't know why, just the human in us, I guess. Maybe others are jealous cause we, as retired members, can be there more, but when we are, if there is something to be done, it gets done. You'd think they'd be glad of that, just something they won't have to do.

[Ed Brown]

Couldn't resist this one. I belong to a fine club, no doubt. We are at a strange point though. We are low on game and the running is tough. This seems to bring out the worst in alot of members. We will get through this with trapping etc. The same members do most of the work and seem to get kicked in the butt for this. Don't know why, just the human in us, I guess. Maybe others are jealous cause we, as retired members, can be there more, but when we are, if there is something to be done, it gets done. You'd think they'd be glad of that, just something they won't have to do. I have wittnessed another club get low on game and the members are fighting amoun themselves like you wouldn't believe.

[Ed Brown]

Couldn't resist this one. I belong to a fine club, no doubt. We are at a strange point though. We are low on game and the running is tough. This seems to bring out the worst in alot of members. We will get through this with trapping etc. The same members do most of the work and seem to get kicked in the butt for this. Don't know why, just the human in us, I guess. Maybe others are jealous cause we, as retired members, can be there more, but when we are, if there is something to be done, it gets done. You'd think they'd be glad of that, just something they won't have to do. I have wittnessed another club get low on game and the members are fighting amoun themselves like you wouldn't believe.

[Ed Brown]

Couldn't resist this one. I belong to a fine club, no doubt. We are at a strange point though. We are low on game and the running is tough. This seems to bring out the worst in alot of members. We will get through this with trapping etc. The same members do most of the work and seem to get kicked in the butt for this. Don't know why, just the human in us, I guess. Maybe others are jealous cause we, as retired members, can be there more, but when we are, if there is something to be done, it gets done. You'd think they'd be glad of that, just something they won't have to do. I have wittnessed another club get low on game and the members are fighting amoung themselves like you wouldn't believe. I think this club has held it's last trial, a year ago. I think if a club fails, normally it will be due to the internal fighting, cut-throat BS, and jealousy. Without this any club should do fine. JMHO

[Tim H]

Ed Brown, It does appear you have a lot of time on your hands.