Club affiliation or not.

[Marshal Halloway]

I receive a lot of questions and comments about affiliation with C&WAS organizations. It is about for and against, the purpose of, what organizations can offer and so forth.

Why does a club need to have a SASS life member (Territorial Governor) to be represented in SASS rule discussions? Why not elect one from the membership instead of selecting one that can afford this type of membership? The size of the wallet is not equal to being a good representative....

What is exactly the club benefits?

Is affiliation really needed to start a club and enjoy the sport?

Who is the best when it comes to doing some good for the affiliated club?

Why do we have to have a membership system where members are individual members and the club affiliated. Why not have the same system as organizations in Europe where the club pays an annual fee according to the number of members and all club members become SASS, NCOWS, WASA or W3G members?

Here is some info from:

SASS
The reason a club affiliates is very much the same reason one joins SASS, to belong. It has the benefit of getting the club shooting calendar and contact point published in The Cowboy Chronicle and on the SASS Web Site. Having the club visible in The Cowboy Chronicle and on the Web Site allows potential new members to find a place to shoot. Being able to participate in Cowboy Action Shooting matches at a convenient club does wonders for the club's growth and revenue.

Everybody wins. However, affiliation takes some effort. SASS needs certain information from the clubs, such as where you are located, who the contact point is, where and when you shoot, and who your Territorial Governor is (if you have one), in addition to assurance you have appropriate insurance to protect both yourself and SASS should an unfortunate incident occur.

SASS Club Affiliation is free.
SASS® affiliation runs from January through December. Clubs must renew their Affiliation annually. SASS® will send renewal notices to all affiliated clubs during the month of December.

A Cowboy Action Shooting Club can become SASS® Affiliated if it:

• Maintains no less than 50% of its membership in SASS. (This applies to only the "cowboy part" if part of a larger, multi-discipline shooting club. The 50% rule is waived the first year.)
• Conducts its matches in compliance with the SASS Shooters or SASS Mounted Handbook
• Has a regularly scheduled shooting program
• Respects all SASS aliases and shooter numbers at its matches
• Regularly provides SASS with copies of club newsletters and bulletins
• Provides a fully completed SASS Affiliate Club Registration form and renews annually
• Provides proof of $1,000,000 public liability insurance for the coming year (US organizations only)

SASS® Affiliated Club Receives:

• A complete affiliation binder
• A SASS Affiliation Certificate
• SASS promotional materials
• Listing of monthly and annual events in The Cowboy Chronicle and on the SASS web site
• Promotion of its activities and reporting on its event in The Cowboy Chronicle. (All material must be prepared and submitted 60 days prior to publication by the club. Reference to SASS members in this material is to be by alias and SASS number.)
• Territorial Governor representation
• License to use SASS logos in club newsletter, advertising, and promotion
• Special bulletins regarding late breaking SASS club/event news
• Three SASS Shooters and SASS Mounted Shooters Handbooks are supplied annually. SASS applications and copies of The Cowboy Chronicle are supplied as requested
• The opportunity to foster the organized growth of Cowboy Action Shooting in a manner consistent with the Spirit of the Game

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NCOWS

• Representation in the NCOWS Territorial Congress (Board of Directors). Each NCOWS Posse may elect one Territorial Representative (eligible for election to National Office) to serve a one-year term to the Territorial Congress. There is no limit on the number of times a Territorial Representative may be re-elected.
• Discount advertising rates for your events in The Shootist. One free 1/4-page ad per year in The Shootist for NCOWS-sanctioned events, plus free listing of all Posse events in The Shootist and in the NCOWS Up-Coming Events Web page.
• $1,000,000 liability insurance coverage for the Posse's NCOWS-sanctioned events. Posse events must be approved by the Executive Committee and published in The Shootist at least one month prior to the scheduled event.

A Rebate of $3.00 on each new NCOWS member enrolled by the Posse.

• A Charter suitable for framing.
• Assistance on running NCOWS-sanctioned events
• Opportunity to host NCOWS Regional Shoots

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WASA
See http://www.wasaranch.com/affdetail.htm

W3G (WESTERN 3GUN)
No information available.

[Doc Shapiro]

W3G doesn't yet have an affiliation program yet, but when it happens, Gold Country 3 Gun will be affiliated.   I think that what we'll get is rapid answers to questions, our club posted on their web site and printed material, and help getting targets and such for the club.

2 of the other clubs I regularly shoot with are SASS affiliated.

Doc

[Irish Red O'Toole]

Ditto what Doc said.  The Deadwood Boys (for braggin' purposes, the first W3G club  ) was opened strictly for the purpose of shooting W3G.  The other 3 - 5 clubs I haunt are all SASS affiliated.

[Mustang Gregg]

I shoot at several clubs in NE.  However I am not a member of all of 'em. 
The one (close-by club do I belong to) is actually an NCOWS club that voted down the possibility of being SASS also.
Wish it woulda went through.   OH WELL!!
Mustang Gregg

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

I am a formal member of one club which is SASS affiliated. However, Cowboy shooting is new to the club, so we don't yet have any Life members so don't have a TG.  Since I shoot at other SASS affiliated clubs, I've been allowed to vote on issues through another TG.

A SASS life membership is a requirement before a person can be a TG. There are other criteria as well, including being an ambassador for SASS, Inc and promoting SASS memberships.

I dunno if I could do that, even if I became a Life member.

AnnieLee

[Calamity Jane]

Our club would'a gone with SASS affiliation if it hadn't been fer the actions of SASS H.Q. over the past couppla years. Out of about 30 members, I'z the only SASS member and that ain't likely to change in the near future.

Folk'll sign up with a good spread but nobody wants ta werk fer a bad one.

[French Jack]

Our club, The Johnson County Rangers, Inc., is a chartered posse with NCOWS.  At the present we are still the easternmost posse in the US (Eastern Kentucky).  Our decision to charter with NCOWS was based on several points:  NCOWS is member driven, governance is through a congress elected by the members, and each posse has equal representation.  NCOWS is non-profit.  NCOWS offers liability insurance reimbursement to the individual posse.  NCOWS is not for everyone, but perhaps offers more to members and prospective members that have diverse interests in history and reenactments.  There is also a very different outlook with an organization that is not profit motivated.

We do have members that are also SASS members, some for many years.  None of our members wished to affiliate with SASS, for various reasons. 

[Ozark Iron John]

My club, Missouri Mounted Shooters is CMSA affiliated.  I've shot with the Moniteau Creek River Raiders a SASS affiliated club, but I haven't joined up with 'em.

[Cuts Crooked]

My "home club" , The Zen Shootists, is SASS affiliated. Actually I shoot with a number of clubs Some of which are SASS affiliated and some of which are NCOWS affiliated. But I am only a formal member of The Zen club.

[Dusty Chaps]

We're a little different, being a Mounted Shooting Club: The Ghost Town Riders, who are based at Raahauges's Ranch - FORMER home of End of Trail.  We are affilliated with SASS and with CMSA (Cowboy Mounted Shooting Assoication) and have matches for each (which are mutually exclusive, by the way.