Old Joe,
I think you should give a vote of thanks to every Master Class shooter who has declined to be moved down at the end of the year. Why? First is the fact that to become a Master you have to dedicate the time and lots of money to travel to competitions ... and don't ever forget that you have to have a little skill to finally become a Master no matter how much you spend.
Second is that while the NSCA may downgrade one Master and not another, their hope is that the downgraded Master will spend MORE money all over again to get their rating back. Third, and this is very important for you to remember ... every Master that you have to shoot against is going to kick your ASS, take your money and keep you from getting the punches you need to attain your goal. I have no respect for any Master who accepts the demotion. If you're good enough to get there, you should stay there and not take the lower class money. Fourth, if making Master is really your goal you're not shooting for the right reasons anyway. It's the trip that counts, not the destination, you need to shoot against the course not another shooter. Fifth, if you're good enough to finally get to Master Class you'll discover its meaningless. You're still shooting the same targets in the air as the D Class shooter, but you have nothing left to prove except your own skill against the course, just like the D Class shooter.
The best system has always been FITASC that uses the OPEN system and you just see how you stack up against the field. Of course that wouldn't make any extra bucks for Hampton & DuPont at the NSCA would it...so they'll get suckers like you to believe that classification is everything, when the truth is the only thing that counts is showing enough character to have class. So what if only 4% of us make it to Master Class? It used to be an invitational only classification for the pros, but there was no money in it for the pros or for the NSCA.
Frankly, if you think getting to Master is going to change your life, I feel sorry for you. Take up fishing instead and be happy.
