USPSA Payouts: Go on, take the money and run!

Up until recently, I had no idea there was such a thing as USPSA Payouts for club level matches. When I learned about this phenomenon, I was handed a check for $30 by the Match Director at Southern Chester Co. Practical Shooters. The month prior, the usual division winners were out of town, shooting a Level II Match. I came away with 1st Place in Production Division and was proud of my accomplishment. The icing on the cake was getting paid for winning.

A couple of weeks later I learned that clubs in my area have USPSA Payouts for Class Wins as well. Much like my division win, I learned about this little gem when I received two checks from Lower Providence Rod and Gun Club ($20 per check) for being the High C Class shooter in April and June.

Based on what I’ve learned from asking around, Class Winners are awarded $20 if there are at least fiver shooters in the class. Division winners are awarded $30. I’m unsure if there are any stipulations on the number of shooters required for a division payout. This structure, as I understand it, is typical for the Mid-Atlantic Section.

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems:

As of this posting, I have shot 8 Club Level Matches this season at a cost of $155 (I received $5 off of my entry fee last month for helping with setup at Lower Providence). We aren’t going to touch on ammo cost because the cost of match fees alone, for the past four months, is surprising enough. Of that $155, I have won back $70, putting me at $85 spent (which is awesome).

These payouts are fantastic and have been a very pleasant surprise. Even so, there is a problem, sort of. One of my goals this season is to make B Class. If I make the bump in class, I coud very well stop receiving payouts. Before you scream “Sandbagger!” at the top of your lungs, it isn’t like that. I have no problem competing at a higher level, I actually look forward to it. The problem is the lack of B Class shooters at the two clubs I routinely shoot.

Looking back through the results, I’m seeing one B Class shooter on average. If I make B, that bumps the turnout up to two shooters. That is still three shooters shy of the five required for the club to payout on the Class Win. The same is true for A and M Classes, although they are a little closer to the minimum required. GM Class is rare although I think one of the regular M Class shooters may receive a bump to GM later this month. Then again, when you are shooting at that level you are probably striving for a Division Win since there are so few people shooting at that level, at our local matches.

At the end of the day, I’d feel like I was cheating myself if I held back to remain in C Class. For the time being, I’m going to continue shooting like I normally do. If I win my division and receive a USPSA Payout, great. If I get bumped and no longer qualify, well then that is all just part of the game.