So Close!

It's getting closer to the end of the semester! I'm so excited to be able to work more, and spend time with my family and friends! I know the working part sounds wierd, but i enjoy going to work and i need the money so i'm looking forward to having the next month off! I made the finishing touches to my paper the other night and printed it off and have it all ready to hand in tomorow!
Hope everyone has a great Christmas !

Ready for a Break!

Well the semester is almost over! I can’t wait for Christmas break! These last few weeks have been full of stress! With papers due , finals, presentations it’s full of stress! I have my presentation in English tomorrow , kind of nervous, but I got all my information together, I talked my boss into letting me borrow a vest  shooters were while shooting. Got my power point together and some visual aids.

                My car has been in the shop for the past week, I got it  back on Friday …$420 dollars ! I was so mad! Foreign cars are not cheap to fix , no matter what’s wrong with them it’s usually really expensive. I HATE it ! … I had to work all weekend, I was pretty excited! I need money! I’ve decided I won’t be buying my Christmas presents this year. Just stuff for my sister, mom & dad.. that’s about all I can afford with just spending $400 on my car. Work was fun Thursday, there was a dinner for the friends of the WSRC , people who volunteer at the complex. I got to help serve them , and see some people I hadn’t seen in a while. Saturday Sparta National Guard had their Christmas Party , they had lunch  then had casino night later that night. The best part about doing they’re dinner was they cleaned up all the tables they used, cleaned up their plates , everything ! Then I worked on Sunday , it was pretty boring, along with some drama from the other prep girl, She was really getting on my nerves… BAD lol well that was my weekend!  

Thanksgiving

We had a lot of preparation at my house to get ready for thanksgiving on Thursday.  I started cleaning and whatnot Tuesday when I got home from class Tuesday, and cleaned Wednesday too. We had most of my mom’s family over plus my dad’s dad over around 4 on Thursday, my dad didn’t get home till 10 thanksgiving morning from work so we pushed it back so he could sleep. After everyone left I tried to do some homework due to the fact I had to work the rest of the weekend, and I got most of it finished, by Friday, Saturday at work I got to see 2 helicopters landing in the front of the main event center at work. It was a family that comes out to shoot. I’m not sure where they are from, but I got some pictures on my phone. I was pretty surprised to see them landing as close as they did, but I guess with the cold weather they wanted to be close. MY boss said they usually park by the vender buildings so that’s why I’d never seen them before. Well that was my weekend, hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!

I'm so BORED!

Well I went to talk to Chris Hespen who works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. I showed him my glossary terms, to see if I had the definitions correct, and any that he thought I should add. There were a few more he gave me and some that he corrected. Other than those he looked through some parts of my paper, to see if I had the history behind the complex correct and things like that. Then I said that was about all I had, and said thank you and left. He said to come back if I had any other questions or problems he could help with. He was very welcoming, and very laid back with everything. When I walked in his office, I saw his bright orange sweatshirt and hat, with his cameo pants. He was getting ready for the weekend to go hunting. After I left from talking with Chris, I went to get my sister from school and then start off the weekend, I had to work on Saturday, and deal with a lot of crap.. it’s starting to get on my nerves..we have a wedding reception of 450 people this coming Saturday! I am not looking to it, it’ll be one of those days where I’ll be there ALL day, then turn around and come back Sunday morning. It should be an interesting day considering I won’t be helping with prepping food at all that day.

my life is finally slowing down!

Things are finally starting to slow down in my life, work is getting slower and slower, and I have found I have nothing to do anymore! I’ve been so busy with school and work that I don’t know what to do when I’m off of work and have my homework done.. Work has gotten to the point where I get maybe 2 days a week, I don’t mind it being slow right now , but I could use the money. I’m thinking about getting a 2^nd  job, but I don’t know how that would work with school , so I’m trying to save as much as possible and work as much as I can when my boss needs me. I’m starting to miss everyone at work, usually I’ll see everyone at least one time that I work throughout the week , but I’m usually there during the day and they work at night. When I do get to see them , were busy and don’t have time to actually talk to them, I even miss the delivery guys, whether it’s they deliver beer or our food, I’m use to seeing them at least once a week and now I don’t see them at all. I see them driving back and forth to other places but I never get to talk to them. As you might be able to tell, there aren’t very many of us that work in the kitchen, so we get to know every delivery guy that delivers for us.   These ones know my car, so when I see them on the road we’ll wave at each other, but I have no idea what their names are! I doubt they know mine, but they’re my favorite! Well that was my week!

busy weekend

This weekend there was a shoot going on, we had a bunch of people come  in after they were finished to get something to eat. The Shiners had a meeting Saturday night , that I had to help cater, there were about 25 that came out of 40 that were supposed to be there. It was a pretty good group of people, mostly coffee drinkers , there were a few that went to the bar, that was about it. After we were done serving them, we bussed tables, and got that all taken care of , and then went our area in the kitchen. The other girl I work with she was not in the best mood , so she wasn’t making my night any better. We got all our stuff cleaned up , and put away. We were finished about 9:30. A girl that I used to work with came to visit everyone , along with a couple of guys that work at prairie state , they’re regulars on Saturday nights, they come in and sit and talk and wait for us to get off so we can visit with them..so when I was done, I went out and talked for a while and left about 10:15.

                                          This is the Main Event Center

                                        Close up

                                           parking lot

                                          This lake is in Front of the main event center

                                           vender buildings

                                         trap house

                                           where the scorer sits

                                         these white things are hook ups for venders to get power

                                           storage

                                            campers

                                          close up of the campers

slow week, but got some pictures taken !

We've been really slow at work, so that's helped me out alot , i was able to go around and take some pictures around the complex when i got off sunday. i'm hoping to have them up sometime soon ! This time of the year is really slow at work , everyones hours are getting cut, and that really sucks for me.. i've been there almost 4 years so i have seniority over the other girls i work with, but it hasn't helped me get more hours the past couple weeks. i'm thinking after thanksgiving it wil start picking up with christmas parities, and wedding receptions. i'm looking forward to being busy again, i hate being slow it makes time go by really SLOW. This weekend we have a wedding reception, so that will give us something to do, and I get to work Sunday too so I’m pretty excited. There was a lot of Drama at work Sunday, a girl that works with me in the back , is still in high school and doesn’t really understand the whole “ respect your elders” thing, she likes to start crap with the cooks and it really got to it’s highest on Sunday, I got so mad and yelled at them to shut up , and do your job..she didn’t like it to much but my boss was right there and didn’t say anything to me. Well that was my weekend .. I went to a friends house Saturday night for a bonfire and that’s about it

BUSY weekend

This weekend at work , there was a thing going on not a shoot  a thing where the group went out and hunted pheasants( some kind of birds) not exactly sure. But we had to make them box lunches and serve them to them as they came in, so I got to observe them while coming in from the field. They all had the bright neon orange gear on, and hunted in groups, and had one instructor in there group. A conservation officer was there to talk to them after they were done with lunch.  After I was done with that we had a wedding reception, plus 3 class reunions all Saturday night! It was crazy … Saturday was a mandatory day for us at work so it was a LONG day. I loaded up on coffee and energy drinks J Sunday was pretty slow, but everyone was crabby from working all day Saturday, so everyone was on edge. It got a little intense towards the end of work. One of the girls left early without telling anyone, the servers were pretty ticked.  When I got home from work around 4 I finished my homework and then took LONG shower and went to bed! I was so tired !

Slow weekend at work

Well this weekend was pretty busy at work; we didn't have any events going on. I only worked on Saturday, which is weird for me, I usually work Friday, Saturday and sometimes on Sundays. It just depends on who's worked more; there are 4 of us that do prep, for the restaurant, so it's kind of confusing when it comes to scheduling us equally. I've been there for almost 4 years and everyone else is new, so I usually am my boss’s first preference when it comes to doing things. I've been trained to do almost everything at work, i can't serve and I’m definitely not a bartender but other than that I can be put anywhere. This really sucks for me because I like to do the same thing. Which is prepping food for the cooks, that's what I’m most comfortable doing, but that doesn't always work out in my favor. ,If you get to know me , you can defiantly  tell I work with a bunch of guys, they always have gross things to say , which girls would normally not talk about when boys are around, so I’ve had my share of things happen to me so I’m use to being picked on ALOT. I’m the second youngest that works in the kitchen too so that gets me blamed for a lot too.

Weekend at work

Friday there was a group of shooters come in to eat lunch, and then have appatizers later that night. I came to the conclusion that when they've been out all day they just want to come in , sit down, relax, eat and drink a beer. Most of them left by the time i got to clean up everything, but there was a few that stayed and talked and had some beers. They were all super nice, and appreciated the fact that i was cleaning up their beer bottles! i think they would of done it themself if i didn't have to. Saturday was Sparta's homecoming, they have had it at the complex for about 3 years now. I had to sell soda, and stuff like that for them until midnight and come back at 9am on sunday. I was pretty crabby sunday morning. My boss likes to give me a hard time , but this time he didn't since i was pretty much a crab.

BUSY WEEKEND!

Well this weekend was super busy at work! Saturday we had two parties going on, was people from the Spartan Sam’s club. I’ve lived in Sparta all my life and I’ve never heard of them! The people were pretty nice, some of them I wasn’t too fond of. We also had a class reunion; they got appetizers but didn’t want any until 9pm! I think I walked out to my car at midnight … it sucked. Then got up and went to work this morning, let’s just say it was a long day. Those people at the reunion were drinking so much, we had to run to town and get more beer! It was ridiculous! Since we were so busy ,by the time we got time to get to pick up their trash, I think we filled a whole trash can full of NOTHING but bottles!  These people were some hard core drinkers, but the girls at the bar made a lot in tips so I guess it’s better than nothing. As you can see the complex is busy every weekend, whether it’s because of a shoot going on , or a wedding reception or a dance it’s always busy!

Fall Classic Shoot

I was able to observe during the fall classic shoot on Saturday, the shooters all shoot with their teams. Along with the teams there is a “scorer” who keeps their score while they shoot, they sit on this podium I guess is what you’d call it , and have an umbrella to keep the sun out of their eyes. These are people who are hired by the state while there are small shoots going on.. during the grand the ATA( Amateur trapshooting association) hires these people. I also noticed all the IDNR (Illinois department of Natural Resources) employees drove around in golf carts to make sure everything was running smoothly. Most of them had golf carts or ATV’s , but there were some with vehicles keeping on eye on everything.  

Shooters would wear vests , with either their schools name or teams name on them, and carry there gun around rather than having carts like the cowboys. Some of them did have golf carts but not all had them. They like to sit and talk at their vehicles before or after they have shot. If they have a truck they usually walk back to it , put the tail gate down and sit and wait for everyone else to come talk to them.

I haven’t heard anything back from Chris yet , he was in charge of the shoot so I’m hoping to hear back sometime this week.

                 

what the complex is used for , other than shoots ...and my plan for next week

There wasn’t any shoots this weekend, so I wasn’t able to observe any. However I can tell you what the complex is used for other than shoots. There is plenty of space for wedding receptions , class reunions , anything you might think of there is space enough for 500 people I believe.  I helped cater a 60^th class reunion last night. There were 90 of people! For a 60^th reunion that’s pretty good! These people were still sitting and talking when I got of work at 11:30pm! I’m not sure when they finally left, but I was glad I was able to leave before them. I talked to Chris Hespen who is the executive director for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and he doesn’t have a problem with me observing at shoots or interviewing people. I will be bringing him the permission letter sometime next week, to make sure he understands what I’m asking and then observe at the Fall Classic next weekend. I love working during the shoots to see what the shooters have to say. They’re usually really happy , or really made  , it just depends on how they’ve done shooting throughout the week.

Rough Draft Paper 1

Denise Birchler

Bradford Nadziejko

September 23, 2010

Rough Draft

            I will be researching the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta Illinois.  The complex was in Vandalia, Ohio from 1923-2005, and then moved to Sparta in 2006.  I will be researching not only the complex in general, but also the different shoots and how the shooters interact towards each other.

            I believe that I am different than the shooters; I do not understand why people would spend so much money on their guns, or, for that matter, why they love shooting so much. I personally think I would be horrible at trap shooting; I have never shot a gun before.  A lot of it depends on the shooter’s background; where they grew up, if they came from a family with tons of money, or one that came from not so much, and whether or not they got a higher level of education.

I am a 19 year old, white female. I live with my parents and my little sister; it is sometimes a big pain living with them, but I am still glad I stay with them. We have lived in the same house since I was about 3 years old; it has all my childhood memories in it. I grew up in Sparta, went to school in Sparta, and got my first job in Sparta. I have been employed at 17^th Street Bar and Grill in Sparta for the past 4 years, and babysit or mow grass when I am not working. I am not married. I am a sophomore at Southwestern Illinois College  and my major is in Social Work, I plan on transferring from Southwestern Illinois College  next year and going to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale to get my bachelors degree then my masters in Social Work.

I have been working at 17^th Street Bar and Grill (located in the Main Event Center at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois) for the past 4 years-- almost as long as the complex itself.  I guess that is why I am so interested in learning more about it. I do not really know much about it other than when there are shoots. I have experience with the shooting complex because I have worked there for so long and I have served so many shooters it is ridiculous. I know how they act, what they want, what they need, and when they need it. It all comes with the experience you get from working there. I want to find out if this diverse group of people from around the world would be considered a subculture, and how they got into the sport. I do not have any concerns about this group, I believe that I will have no problem getting my information, and talking to some of the employees of the complex and seeing what they have to say about it.

Some stereotypes I have heard include; shooters are usually good tippers, very protective of their guns and usually very rude and inconsiderate when being waited on at work. That is usually said because someone has had a few bad experiences with them. I can say they are very protective of their guns. Some of them are very rude when being waited on at work, this usually happens when we are extremely busy, and they want their food right away. They are not considerate of the other people around them and are usually very loud when they get mad.

            I think it will be hard for me to understand why people would spend so much on a gun and the other supplies. It just seems weird to me that someone would you spend thousands of dollars on a gun just to go off and shoot it? If it was me I would be protecting it with as many cases as possible, putting it in a safe place, and never using it. I will try to come to an understanding of why people enjoy trap shooting so much and why they want to spend so much money on their things. Most importantly, I will look into the history of the complex, where it originated, why it moved, what was the land before the complex was built. I will also observe how other shooters interact with each other; do they have certain jesters, a certain code that they go by, and their own language.  By the end of the semester I plan on understanding more about the shooting complex, and the history behind it. Along with the different shoots, and how shooters interact with each other.

   

I just added some things to it ... If you can think of anything else let me know!

SASS Cowboy Shoot

I got to observe the Cowboys this weekend while i was working our concession for work. SASS stands for Single Action Shooting Society, which was created to preserve and promote the Cowboy Action Shooting. When participating in the Cowboy Shoots it’s required to adopt a shooting alias appropriate to a character or profession of the late 19th century, a Hollywood western star , or an appropriate character from fiction and dress like them while shooting their name has to be like well thought out and can’t be the same of anyone else’s. If they sound anything alike then they don’t allow it. Many ladies enjoy dressing up in big dresses and corsets than the shooting itself the guys have their boots with the spurs, chaps, shirts, and of Corse their hats. I observed them shooting during the day, and saw that it can get pretty completive but they enjoy themselves more than anything. All the shooters have carts for their guns, and are very protective of them. Their guns they use are typical of what were used in the old west, single action revolvers, pistol caliber lever action rifle and old time shot guns. I also observed that most of the men aren’t that nice. One day it was raining and the guys had their umbrellas covering them but their wives were out in the rain. I thought that wasn’t very nice considering it was their wife. They just let their wives walk by them and get wet. It didn't seem nice to me. Saturday night we catered the SASS dinner for all the shooters, they had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, ham, turkey, veggies, and numerous casseroles. Things that people in the old west would have loved. I also noticed that most of the men were very big muscular guys that want their food. I would be trying to get through to put more food out for them and I’d say excuse me and they’d turn around and it seemed like they were a giant compared to me. I’m talking like 4 or 5 feet taller than me!
Denise

project letter #2

Dear Mr.Nadziejko and Class,



I would like to research the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois; I would like your permission to study this group. There are so many groups that meet at the complex every weekend from Cowboy Shoots to the Grand American to Boy Scout events. The complex has been in Sparta for 5 years. Its brought of people to Sparta, and helped a lot of the business. I’ve been at 17th Street Bar and Grill at the Shooting Complex for four years. Working there has made me want to learn more about what the Complex offers and why people are willing to spend thousands of dollars in these shoots. I would also like to learn more of the history of the complex before being in Sparta. It has so many things going on all year round whether its shoots or the restaurant hosting a wedding reception it has so many uses for the people around Sparta. This faculty I feel is defiantly a subculture, everyone who comes there either loves trap shooting, or wants to learn more about the complex in general. The complex has league shooting every Thursday night, whether it’s a school team or just some people wanting to practice before some shoots start for them. The complex is open Wednesday through Sunday, anyone who wants to shoot through the week has to go to the IDNR office first and they will get you ready to go. At the complex they have a number of shoots year round. It includes skeet, trap, sporting clays, archery, and cowboy action shooting, camping and fishing. I’d defiantly say the shooters have a feeling of belonging when they are there for shoots. They have their own language when with other shooters, stuff someone that doesn’t shoot would not understand. It blows my mind how many people come down to Sparta every year for the Grand American, it is always so much fun to go out and see how many out of town vehicles you see. I don’t really feel connected to them.

The Shooting Complex is very easily accessible, it’s about 8 miles outside of Sparta, very welcoming and insuring proper parking and everything you need. I would defiantly be able to visit the complex whenever I need throughout the semester; I’m there almost every weekend for work. It’s defiantly safe and legal. The IDNR office is located there, along with a security guard. I’m familiar with the Complex with just what I know from working there. I know a numerous number of people I can interview for this, Chris Hespen, who deals with scheduling shoots and works for the state. Dennis Sneed works for the state also, helps with scheduling shoots and organizing things. I could also interview some of the IDNR guys who work at the complex for maintenance, or the guys who watch over the complex fixing things just making sure everything running smoothly. Some of their names are John Hamilton & Joe Dobyns. I can also interview people who live in Sparta , the mayor Rob Link for what he thinks the complex has brought to Sparta. Some of my friends who shoot, Grant Kueker, Molly Howell, the list goes on. My schedule works well with the schedule at the complex. It’s open anytime Wednesday through Sunday. I will be able to get to the complex each time we have an assignment and complete it by the deadline. I will be able to go out there anytime I would need to ask questions or observe when there is shoots going on. There is actually a shoot going on this weekend, I got to observe them and take notes, along with serve them at a dinner we catered for work.

In conclusion I would like to research the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta Illinois. I look forward to learning more about the complex in general, I love learning and researching about what the complex is like for someone who isn’t from Sparta. I want the outsider’s opinion and the local people’s opinion. I want to know how everyone feels about the complex being in Sparta, and the past history of it being in Ohio.

Denise

Group Project Letter

Dear Mr.Nadziejko and Class,



I would like to research the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois; I would like your permission to study this group. There are so many groups that meet at the complex every weekend from Cowboy Shoots to the Grand American to boy scout events. I’ve been at 17th Street Bar and Grill at the Shooting Complex for four years. Working there has made me want to learn more about what the Complex offers and why people are willing to spend thousands of dollars in these shoots. I would also like to learn more of the history of the complex before being in Sparta. It has so many things going on all year round whether its shoots or the restaurant hosting a wedding reception it has so many uses for the people around Sparta.

At the complex they have a number of shoots year round. It includes skeet, trap, sporting clays, archery, and cowboy action shooting, camping and fishing. I’d defiantly say the shooters have a feeling of belonging when they are there for shoots. They have their own language when with other shooters, stuff someone that doesn’t shoot would not understand. It blows my mind how many people come down to Sparta every year for the Grand American, it is always so much fun to go out and see how many out of town vehicles you see. I don’t really feel connected to them.

The Shooting Complex is very easily accessible, it’s about 10 miles outside of Sparta, very welcoming and insuring proper parking and everything you need. I would defiantly be able to visit the complex whenever I need throughout the semester; I’m there almost every weekend for work. It’s defiantly safe; the IDNR office is located there, along with a security guard. I’m familiar with the Complex with just what I know from working there. I know a numerous number of people I can interview for this, which would include the people who work for the state, anyone from the city of Sparta and people that I work with. There are a lot of people I can interview on this subject. My schedule works well with the schedule at the complex. It’s open anytime Wednesday through Sunday. I will be able to get to the complex each time we have an assignment and complete it by the deadline. I will be able to go out there anytime I would need to ask questions or observe when there is shoots going on. There is actually a shoot going on this weekend, as you can see all the time. I can’t wait to start observing!

In conclusion I would like to research the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta Illinois. I look forward to learning more about the complex in general, I love learning and researching about what the complex is like for someone who isn’t from Sparta. I want the outsider’s opinion and the local people’s opinion. I want to know how everyone feels about the complex being in Sparta, and the past history of it being in Ohio.

Hello

Hello my name is Denise; I’m 19 years old soon to be 20 in January. I’ve live in Sparta with my parents and my little sister who is 13. In high school I was in band all four years , played softball and volleyball for two. I still play softball and volleyball, but just for fun nothing important. I drive a 2001 Volkswagen Bug, it’s not the most reliable car, and however it gets me to where I need to be. I’ve been working at 17th Street Bar and Grill in Sparta the last 4 years. I work in the kitchen preparing food for the cooks, and when there is a wedding reception or some kind of party I make that food too. I use to not like cooking, but now that I know what I’m doing I don’t hate it so much anymore. I've become more comfortable cooking , which helps out alot when cooking at home.


I'm working on getting either my bachelors or masters in Social Work, I love working with kids and helping them work out there problems. I decided on Social Work when I went to Church camp a few years ago. The kids I worked with were abused in one way or the other, and that’s when it clicked in my head that I wanted to help them.