Our new payout system for major matches at York

The problem with our new unsanctioned matches is that there are no classes.  I know there is a 3 Gun Nation classification system in the works, but it is a ways off from being ready, and we don't want to pay their fees.  We just got away from USPSA.  There is no need to leave one relationship and jump into the first thing that comes along.  We're not getting involved in that.  Maybe someday.

The problem with "top down" payouts, meaning prizes that start with the winner and dwindle down proportionally to the bottom of the list, which I do understand, and personally like, is that the newer guys, and people who don't live at the range have no chance unless the prizes go very, very deep.  "Top down" works at really big sponsored matches because the sponsors donate so much to make them happen that the prizes often do go very deep.  But these sponsors give a ton to the really big matches and I don't want to hound them, and it is a lot of work getting those sponsors.  Without sponsorship it is not possible to pay cash deep enough with meaningful prizes without bankrupting the match to make a difference.  So "top down" is out.

We tried "Cash optional" payouts, where the shooters who want to be in the prize pool paid in extra money, and 100% of that money was paid back.  That's just another version of "top down" and after a while all but a few get wise and quit playing.  So there's so little money in it that it's not worth the administration of it.

There is another cash payout system called "Lewis scoring".  "Lewis", I believe originated in trap or skeet shooting and the way it is supposed to work is that payout is done on set percentiles.  For instance the winner(100%) gets paid, whoever finishes at 75% gets paid, whoever finishes at 50% gets paid and whoever finishes at 25% gets paid.  It has the advantage of spreading the money out all over the list, but with the exception of the match winner it's really about dumb luck.  Somehow it either makes you very happy or it makes you feel like you got cheated.  I always feel cheated.  We won't use this form of dumb luck payouts.

At future club level or monthly matches we will not be doing any kind of payouts.  We haven't raised our match fees in years and $20 is very reasonable in our estimation.  We can still buy props and targets, make range improvements, and make some money for the club, and we can  give some discounts to the guys who help run the program. (email me if you want to get in on that and you're not already) We won't be running "cash optional" either.  If you want to shoot for something talk your buddies into a friendly wager to buy lunch or something.

So, here's where were at with the June 8th and 9th "2013 York Izaak Walton Multi-gun Challenge", the July 27th "Blasphemous Steel" match, and the September 8th "2M3G".  I think I have devised a system using parts of the "Top down" and "Lewis" systems combined with bracket racing from drag racing that should work to satisfy the people at the top, and some people farther down the list, and while there will still be some luck involved you will control your own destiny.

On the match application it will ask which percentile you want to shoot in.  Now you can choose the 100-90.001% meaning you intend to win the match or any of the lower percentile brackets based on you past experiences, lack of experience, what kind of breakfast you had, the phase of the moon, or any criteria you choose.  Here's the trick: You can't shoot better than you predicted.

If you chose to shoot in the 80-70.001 percentile and you finished the match at 84% of the match winner you "broke out" of your bracket and aren't eligible for prizes.  The good news is that you shot better than you expected and you can be proud of that.

On the other hand if you chose the 80-70.001 percentile and only shot 62% of the winner it is quite likely that people did shoot closer to 80% than you and you're not going to win anything either.  So going under is not going to sink you automatically, but will realistically in most cases.

So be optimistic in your prediction.

Your choices of brackets or percentiles will be:
100-90.001%
90-80.001%
80-70.001%
70-60.001%
60-50.001%
50% and under

Here's an example of how this payout system may work in a hypothetical match:

Shooter	Predicted bracket	Actual %	Prize
G	100-90.001%	100	$200
H	100-90.001%	94	$100
I	100-90.001%	89	$50
J	90-80.001%	88	$180
K	90-80.001%	86	$90
L	90-80.001%	85	$45
M	90-80.001%	83	0
N	80-70.001%	81	0
O	80-70.001%	79	$160
P	80-70.001%	77	$80
Q	80-70.001%	72	$40
R	80-70.001%	71	0
S	70-60.001%	82	0
T	70-60.001%	71	0
U	70-60.001%	69	$140
V	70-60.001%	68	$70
W	70-60.001%	65	$35
X	70-60.001%	64	0
Y	60-50.001%	61	0
Z	60-50.001%	59	$120
A	60-50.001%	58	$60
B	60-50.001%	57	$30
C	60-50.001%	56	0
D	50% and under	50	$100
E	50% and under	45	$50
F	50% and under	32	$25
GG	50% and under	30	0

You should notice several things:
1. The match winner "G" is still the highest paid, and should always be. The winner of each bracket gets less than the bracket above.  Second place in each bracket is half of what the winner got.  Third in each bracket is half of what second got.
2. Shooters "M, R, X, C, and G" all shot within their predicted brackets, but weren't in the top 3 so they don't get paid.  That's going to happen.  This isn't pre-K soccer.  We do keep score. Not everyone gets a trophy.
3. Shooters "N, S, T, and Y" all shot above their predicted brackets, or "broke out".  That could have been avoided by being more optimistic in their predictions.  They can still be proud that they exceeded their expectations.

I don't think this system is perfect, but I think it's better than anything I've seen to this point that is ready to go.  I reserve the right to tweak it, and the numbers above are just for illustrative purposes.  To achieve those numbers there would be a lot more shooters involved than what is listed, probably 3-4 times as many.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.