Future direction being charted by the St. Ingbert Rifle Association
The Shooting Club St. Ingbert 1897 e.V. celebrated a successful year and a well-attended regular members' meeting last Friday evening. The event marked the introduction of the club's new extended board, led by Benjamin Backes as First Chairman, who was re-elected to his position.
Joining Backes is a new Second Chairman, Florian Munz, who also takes on the role of Air Rifle Coordinator. Helmut Stalter steps in as Sports Coordinator and Small Caliber Coordinator, while Michael Kohl remains the First Treasurer and Erik Baumbach continues as Second Treasurer. Christian Michel remains the Secretary.
The meeting opened with Backes welcoming numerous members and several honorary members, including Heinz Müntzebrock, who was appointed as an honorary member. The gathering also paid tribute to club members who had passed away in the past year, with Rolf Arras being named in their memory during a memorial.
The archery department, under the leadership of Peter Hoffmann as Archery Coordinator, enjoyed a sporting success, winning several state championships in both individual and team competitions. The club's total of 447 starts at championships resulted in 272 podium places, including nine state championship titles.
The team is also well-positioned for both sporting success and a vibrant club culture, with investments in the technical infrastructure playing a key role. Benjamin Backes highlighted these developments, including the installation of an electronic shooting book and the comprehensive modernization of the shooting stands.
While the club has managed to maintain its membership of 442 members despite general challenges, shooting clubs in many regions often face difficulties such as declining membership, especially among younger generations, regulatory and safety compliance with evolving laws, facility modernization and equipment upgrades, attracting new talent and retention, community engagement and public perception.
To address these challenges, clubs with long histories often update their leadership and implement modernizations such as renovating shooting ranges and club facilities, introducing digital scoring or training technologies, expanding community programs or youth outreach, improving safety protocols and compliance, and enhancing member services and events.
For precise and current details on how The Shooting Club St. Ingbert 1897 e.V. is dealing with their specific challenges, direct sources such as their official website, local news, or official club communications would need to be consulted, as no relevant information appeared in the retrieved search results.
The new board also includes Stefan Bogner as Muzzle Loader Coordinator, Stefan Schönthaler and Viola Zengerle as Deputy Members, Georg Klein as the Long Weapons Coordinator, Philipp Beyersdörfer as the Weapons Coordinator, and David Kirschenmann as the Youth Coordinator. Carlos Kretschmer remains the Press Coordinator. Gerd Schamma is the Large Caliber Coordinator.
With the new board in place and the club's modernization efforts underway, The Shooting Club St. Ingbert 1897 e.V. looks forward to continuing its success in both sporting and club culture endeavours.
The new Second Chairman, Florian Munz, will also oversee sports activities as the Air Rifle Coordinator. The archery department, under the leadership of Peter Hoffmann, has achieved sports success, winning several state championships.
