It’s a New Year, and along with it comes a bit of a change. SASS Clubs are the backbone of SASS, and we currently have over 600 clubs worldwide. Keeping up with those clubs is a major undertaking, so to service clubs and members, we are making a few changes in 2011.
First, we are making some changes to the club renewal process. In previous years renewal for your club’s affiliation has been on January 1st. Beginning this year, the renewal date will be the anniversary date of your insurance. For many clubs this will still be January 1st, but it will spread out some of the renewals over the course of the year. The renewal form can be found on line, and all you need do is to complete the form and click submit. What could be easier? This process should make it a little easier on us as well. I say “us,” but it will make it easier on Slipnoose, our new SASS Clubs Administrator. Slipnoose has been with SASS almost a year, working in customer service and in our SASS Mercantile department. She will now take on the duties of the SASS Clubs Administrator. She is responsible for maintaining all the SASS club affiliation paper work and keeping the databases up-to-date. She is also responsible for getting prize packages and buckles to Championship Matches. Clubs Administrator is really a do-everything position, and she can handle the job.
Secondly, we have updated our SASS Clubs Web Page. It now has more information than ever before, and navigation is a snap. With all this information at hand, we need your help in keeping it updated. There’s a Web Update Form on the Clubs page where the Club Contact or Territorial Governor can email us changes to their club’s information. We especially need to know the date of annual club matches as soon as they are determined for the next year.
Speaking of Annual Matches, work is under way on the web pages that display the Annual Matches. As of late, they have been sorely out-of-date, and hopefully by the time you read this, we will have the new pages installed and ready for viewing.
On January 1st, we begin sending out applications for the 2012 SASS State Championships. You may request them by emailing the SASS Office at
sa*******@sa*****.com
or by calling the SASS office at 877-411-SASS (7277). The process runs from January 1st until May 1st, and any club may apply. If only one club from the state applies for the State Championship, that club is awarded the SASS State Championship, so long as the club’s affiliation is up to date and the club is in good standing.
If more than one club applies for the State Championship, the Territorial Governors of the state are asked to vote for the club they feel would do the best job. The winner gets the match. This year SASS is sanctioning SASS Action State Matches, SASS Mounted State Matches, SASS Blackpowder State Matches, and SASS Wild Bunch State Matches. Again, the process is very simple, and there are only a few simple requirements to meet.
Last but not least, we always have a few questions about how we handle our Regional Matches and National Match. These matches cannot be applied for and are awarded by the Wild Bunch. We award them to clubs that have a track record of putting on successful SASS Matches, and they are also clubs we know have the best interest of Cowboy Action Shooting™ and SASS at heart. These matches rarely change from year to year, and they are the some of the brightest spots in our Shooting program.
So, please take a look at our new SASS Clubs web page, I think you will like what you see!