ROSE SYSTEM IN TRAP SHOOTING. 



One of the great drawbacks to trap 

 shooting is the habit the "experts" 

 have of "dropping" for a place, and 

 several schemes have been tried to stop 

 this unfair method. One of the latest 

 schemes is to divide the shooters into 

 two classes — experts and amateurs. 

 The expert, to win any money, has got 

 to be in either first or second place, 

 while the others are allowed to take 

 their share of the five or four monies, 

 as the case may be. This is a good 

 scheme, with one exception, and that is : 

 Where is the line to be drawn between 

 "expert " and "amateur ? " Managers 

 of tournaments will find this question a 

 difficult one to handle. 



Some scheme must be adopted where 

 every shooter is placed on an equal 

 footing, or else kept in separate classes. 

 Shooting is the only sport that does not 

 have two classes — "professional" and 

 "amateur." Really, every shooter is a 

 professional, according to the meaning 

 of the word as adopted by other sports. 

 Last April, at Newburgh, N. Y., this 

 dropping caused some trouble, and has 

 taught the Newburgh boys a lesson, 

 and they are now looking for another 

 scheme, and will probably try the 

 "Rose system." At the E. C. tourna- 

 ment, at Gtittenburg, N. J., the "drop 

 ping " was done, and no steps wer© 

 taken to prevent it ; but in the last few 

 tournaments, especially in the west, 

 there seems to have been a strong 

 movement against this sort of thing, 

 and rightly, too. Some of the shooters 

 argue that it is all right to " drop " for 

 a place, as they are shooting for money 

 and want to get all they can, and are 

 willing that everyone should know that 

 they do. That is a very weak argument. 



It is like pulling a horse in a race. 

 The American Angler is in favor of 

 a scheme, and we understand that it 

 is to be tried at several tournaments in 

 the near future. Mr. Ed. Banks, of 

 Forest and Stream, is a strong advocate 

 of it, and has told of its merits at 

 nearly every tournament. The scheme 

 is a simple one, and is as follows: 

 Instead of the percentage system, it is 

 worked on points. Every point has a 

 value, more or less, which is determined 

 by the number of shooters getting a 

 place. We will say that first place is 

 worth eight points, second place is 

 worth five points, third place is worth 

 three points, fourth place is worth one 

 point. Now, there are twenty entries — 

 $2.00 entrance money, and twenty tar- 

 gets. The total purse would be $40. 00. 

 We will have $25.00 added money, 

 making, in all, $65,00, to be divided, 

 less 2C. for each bird, which will be 

 $8.00, leaving $57.00 for the shooters. 

 Now, there are three men tied for first 

 place, four men tied for second place, 

 six men tied for third place, and two 

 men tied for fourth place. 



Three men at 8 points each 24 



Four men at 5 points each 20 



Six men at 3 points each 18 



Two men at i point each 2 



Total of points 64 



Now, the total of money ($57.00) 

 divided by 64 would be 89 cents per 

 point, leaving four (4) cents, which 

 would go to the club. Therefore, we 

 find that first place is worth to each 

 shooter $7.12; second place is worth 

 $4.45; third place is worth $2.67 ; and 

 fourth place is worth 89 cents. At no 

 time is fourth place worth more than 

 third, or third worth more than second ; 



