ONE HUNDRED AND EEEEEEEEEEEEEEIGHTY!!!!!!

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STARTUP Q&A FOR JOSH/BLACKFIRE41

Monday, January 13, 2025


As to walking...come up with answers to these:

VeteransReloading.org > General Chat > Tossin Darts

Just a thought here but....
I regularly tell folks that I don't "play" darts "I throw 'em". Could we consider the change to the overall from tossin? Not to be nit picky but the I have had the phrase "Throwing darts at better mental health." in my head for a while. Its a huge oxymoron and humorous to me, but only because i think it is an accurate portrayal of mental health care and how we all have to go about finding something that helps us improve our lives. Just throwing 'em up there and seeing what sticks......

1. Come up with mission Statement of section. Briefly outline content of section.

Answer:
Be a part of the global fight to stop veteran suicide by building a community of veterans helping veterans to utilize throwing darts as a recreational and competitive activity to promote improved mental health and wellness.

2. Tell me what sub-forums you want (Darts, Pool, horse Shoes, Badminton)

Answer:
Like we talked about, I want to stick to darts as my avenue to reach vets searching for the same things that darts has given to me. This is as much about improving my own mental health as anything and in doing that I can help others to realize the same benefits and personal improvement.

CAVIAT: As I have Gone about this process I have realized that I do have interest in pushing another venue forward. I'm a avid cigar smoker and they are a priceless tool in finding clear head space. I think a forum aimed in that direction would have a huge draw factor for vets. Perhaps just a thread with just one main heading where it could be used as a way to get folks in the door. Cigar smokers love nothing better than talking about cigars and showing off the collections they curate.

3. Come up with description for each sub-section.

I think maybe this would be where I might tell my story. My testimonial and what brought me to this point is the whole reason I want to get involved. have not written this down yet but I have been needing to actually put in the time to get it all down in print. Maybe this gets lumped in with the overall group mission?

4. Advise how you want, say, Darts section expanded in sub-sub-section...(events, equipment, training, chatter, pictures or??)

Darts 24/7:
Darts related general chatter of any and all kinds.

Ton80's and 9-mark 1's:
Show it off!! From the best of rounds to the ones that hit the jukebox. Lets see some of those wild Robin Hood shots too!

Ally Pally:
Darts tournaments and League play. Post events to participate in both on-line and in person, and find one to throw in. Then go out and give 'em that smoke!! Bring us back some results and review how things were organized and conducted.

Double Top Pro Shop:
Buy, sell, and trade darts and darts related gear.

Throw better darts!:
Get coached up! Seek out crowd sourced coaching and advice from others. Tell us something that works for you and has improved or your game. More importantly tell us what has made your game worse! From approach and stance to release and follow through and everything in between. The plan is to also recruit some the really incredible top tier throwers I know for in-house coaches as well.

Dartitis is REAL!:
Darts is, at minimum, 50% mental. Veteran mental health and wellness is our whole purpose. Reach out for help and share your triumphs, or just tell your story. We are all in this for the same reason. Check-in and check-on and other vet!!! This is where we come together as a family and

Double In/Double Out:
Crossover posting. Listings for platforms and venues and groups built around them that support what we do and welcome vets to be active in them. Ask about how to use particular software or scoring and reporting systems or share what not to do. Vendor listings for retail providers as well perhaps. Bring on the resources!!

Meet me at the Oche:
Let us know when you will be throwing and how to find you for a match. You improve your own game by competing against others in live matches. World Champions are not crowned in their living rooms but they do practice there. Find someone to compete with.

Have to me, on or before 1.20.2025. I will make additions to website.
______

*Other thoughts darting around in my head....maybe overthinking some things but just trying to throw it all out there as it comes.

Did I mention my amusement we with dart based puns....it's awful I know. Lol

I don't think actually hosting events is the most productive endeavor starting out. I love the idea of being an off-faceboom based venue. I want to be a resource for vets to find support and assistance without having to find it on stupid old facebook and also to be an alternative to social media darts. There are darts groups by the dozens hosting tournaments all the major platforms and through social media as meeting places. I think we can bring vets away from there to participate in VRAP by sponsoring/participating in these already highly utilized venues and events and megaphoning what we are doing whenever and wherever there is an opportunity too. I'm intimately familiar with several already and can reach out to them for a conference on how best to use them to get our message out there. This also makes us more attractive in reaching out to vets using platforms other than Granboard that are usually not as much the bright and shiny thing. Scolia, Dart Connect, Darts Counter and others too need as much focus as the Granboard based. Centralized organizatiin with assets in every direction

I have relationships with several extreme!y accomplished darts throwers that I hope to bring on as coaches and mentors for folks that are looking for that in their darts game. I think that will be something that sets us apart as well. I don't know of any social media groups that can tout having a former world champion or two or three on tap to watch a video and evaluate a throwers form and such. I do think having a titled social media presence to use as a mouthpiece is a good idea though. I am optimistic that highlighting our mission focus on mental health and connecting vets to resources in general will draw veterans to us and we will begin to see the numbers grow. It's another place where the work is being done already and we can support and participate while using the infrastructure to go about our work of vets.

What about a badge or identifier that can on a member's profile when joining VRAP that would identify as a darts thrower? Just something that would help identify a person by there interest or what brought them to us particularly when posting or responding to threads outside of the darts related content. Is that a possibility? Or would it even be unnecessary. If that can be done, could it also be possible to do award type badges for specific benchmark throwing combinations like a first Hat Trick for novice level throwers or for tournament wins and such?

I do want to be able to solicit gear and supplies from retail vendors for distribution to member veterans that have need of that kind of assistance as well. How should we go about that? Should I just start going about the business of making it happen? Do we need to be sending those type donations to you for storage and then distribution comes from you? I do understand the importance of vetting out anyone who we consider providing support to that way. How then do you go about that as well?

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Josh I want to also tell you here how much I appreciate you and your team and what you all have accomplished with VRAP. I am honored that you have allowed me to join and you and I look forward to being an asset to you and the veteran community at large. SEMPER FI SIR!!!!

[Blackfire]

Please see answers to your thoughts starting with:
answer

keep in mind that VRAP is primarily reloading, but growing in all directions.

Other thoughts darting around in my head....maybe overthinking some things but just trying to throw it all out there as it comes.

you know where to find me. Try the website PM function.

Did I mention my amusement we with dart based puns....it's awful I know. Lol

get to the point!

I don't think actually hosting events is the most productive endeavor starting out.

gotta get people in here, so you have crouwd to draw from.

I love the idea of being an off-faceboom based venue. I want to be a resource for vets to find support and assistance without having to find it on stupid old facebook and also to be an alternative to social media darts.

there is resources tab above l need to fill out...soon. once people come in and look around hopefully they will tell others.

There are darts groups by the dozens hosting tournaments all the major platforms and through social media as meeting places. I think we can bring vets away from there to participate in VRAP by sponsoring/participating in these already highly utilized venues and events and megaphoning what we are doing whenever and wherever there is an opportunity too. I'm intimately familiar with several already and can reach out to them for a conference on how best to use them to get our message out there.

let me know...

This also makes us more attractive in reaching out to vets using platforms other than Granboard that are usually not as much the bright and shiny thing. Scolia, Dart Connect, Darts Counter and others too need as much focus as the Granboard based. Centralized organizatiin with assets in every direction

I have relationships with several extreme!y accomplished darts throwers that I hope to bring on as coaches and mentors for folks that are looking for that in their darts game. I think that will be something that sets us apart as well. I don't know of any social media groups that can tout having a former world champion or two or three on tap to watch a video and evaluate a throwers form and such. I do think having a titled social media presence to use as a mouthpiece is a good idea though. I am optimistic that highlighting our mission focus on mental health and connecting vets to resources in general will draw veterans to us and we will begin to see the numbers grow. It's another place where the work is being done already and we can support and participate while using the infrastructure to go about our work of vets.

infrastructure is here. Use it, see how it goes. Maybe you will want to start your own 501c3 in couple years?? Never know...

What about a badge or identifier that can on a member's profile when joining VRAP that would identify as a darts thrower?

Maybe. Will see if something like that is able to be done...

Just something that would help identify a person by there interest or what brought them to us particularly when posting or responding to threads outside of the darts related content. Is that a possibility? Or would it even be unnecessary. If that can be done, could it also be possible to do award type badges for specific benchmark throwing combinations like a first Hat Trick for novice level throwers or for tournament wins and such?

maybe.

I do want to be able to solicit gear and supplies from retail vendors for distribution to member veterans that have need of that kind of assistance as well. How should we go about that?

Eric Adair is the VRAP Acquisitions Officer (and board member). We are currently drafting acquisition request forms to send out to companies for equipment and funding.

Should I just start going about the business of making it happen? Do we need to be sending those type donations to you for storage and then distribution comes from you?

will figure that part out. In this situation, having equipment donations sent to you so you can put value on them and let me know for keeping track of incoming expenses would be preferred. For monetary donations, they would need to come to non-profit, then l can buy things (with your assistance) and have shipped to you.
EVERYTHING has a receipt. NOBODY profits monetarily through this non profit.

I do understand the importance of vetting out anyone who we consider providing support to that way. How then do you go about that as well?

you tell me...usually, l ask for confidential proof to be sent to me at VRAPinc@gmail.com , then after viewing disability rating, l note rating and delete their proof.
0-89% disabled - VRAP pays 50% of cost, 50% of shipping.
90-100% disabled - equipment & shipping is free.

MIND YOU...if funds aren't available, l cannot afford to pay out of pocket. The Darts section would essentially have its own financial holding amount.

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Alrighty. I just sent you a PM asking about making scaling back a bit. As is my nature, I went a little overboard to start and now I see the redundancy.

I think I want to combine the DI/DO and Meet Me at the Oche sections with the Ally Pally thread. I will put a knew description together that is no more than a couple or three short phrases. How bout this: Matches, Events, Tournaments and Leagues. Find a place and someone to throw with. Plug your favorites, find a new one and stay connected to the competitive arena.

Do away with the pro shop all together. Its covered by the same elsewhere and can be done in the Throw Better Darts secction.

Throw Better Darts will get a new MUCH shorter description also. Working it up now.

That leaves us with

24/7
t80s and 9m1
ally Pally
Throw Better Darts
Dartitis.
Puns and lurkers (i like what you did there. LOL)

I think that would look and feel better. not too much not too little?

If we need to scale back even more then T80s and 9mark1s could easily be absorbed into Throw Better darts as a show and tell thread within.

Whatcha think? Im excited as i can be. Really looking forward to see some word spreading and getting some folks engaged.

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Let's change the order too.

24/7
Throw better
T80/9mk1
Ally Pally
Dartitis
Puns

Here's a though for changing the overall thread description too:

The fight for better mental health and wellness is why we are all here. Some of us have discovered darts to be a vital part of achieving that goal. Join us. You may find that it sticks for you too.

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More new descriptions for combined threads.


Throw Better Darts!!!

Get coached up!!! Get crowd sources advice and options or ask someone we have identified as an Expert Coach. Tell us all what works for you and also what absolutely does not. Fine tune you your throw and take it to the next level.


Ally Pally

Matches , tournaments, and league play seasons. Find one to throw on or plug one you know of to be available. Practice and competitive, steel or plastic, across all the many platforms for our sport. You improve through testing yourself against others. World champions are not crowned at home where it's comfortable.

The other look alright except for the last sentence if Dartitis description. I dunno what that was supposed to say. Lol

[Blackfire]

Updated to here. Also ordered alphabetically. OCD is horrible thing to live with. Dont want members turned away because of it...

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Order and discipline in everything boss! I'm dig it!

[Blackfire]

Any other changes you want, or good to go for s bit?

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Seems just right to me for now at least. I did come up with a couple questions though.

1. How do I pin a post to the top of a topic? LIke the welcome post in 24/7.

2. Can we lock this thread doewn where you and i are the only eyes seein and fingers typing? No need for everybody to see the sausage being made....but could still our coms line

3. Can i have a set of so called "tourist credentials" in order to let somebody take a quick look around? for recruiting purposes

Thats all that comes to mind right this second. Ill be back on the grind in the morning.