Ask anyone, especially those that have earned their RM card but also a lot of CRO level folks and they can tell you the story of their first time working as the RM at a match. And, if you stick in the sport long enough, stay abreast of the rules, and help run matches at your local club(s) then it is probably going to happen to you. Here are some tips and some advice to help you in that journey.
[Read more…] about So, YOU Get to be the RM todayCaveat Emptor
More often than any RM would like, we run into competitors, especially newer competitors or those who have decided to campaign in a new division, whose equipment has run afoul of the rules. The oft heard phrase of “But the advertising said it was USPSA legal” or “my buddy said it was legal” is uttered usually followed by someone saying “Welcome to Open”, if they are lucky. But should you believe everything you see in advertising, on websites, on packaging or hear from others? Read on…
[Read more…] about Caveat EmptorWhen Nature Calls
It is a fact of life, everyone needs to perform certain bodily functions. In fact, if you aren’t having to perform one of them during the course of a match, it can be a bad sign. At a recent class, we ended up having a rather interesting discussion about this which has inspired this post. So let’s examine the finer points.
[Read more…] about When Nature CallsX Marks the Spot
No, not a post discussing treasure maps, sorry. In this case, it is regarding the placement of firearms on a surface prior to the start signal as part of the make ready routine. Let’s grab our shovels anyway and and see what we can find.
[Read more…] about X Marks the SpotLocal DQ Policies
Now and then we get queries about “DQ Policies” that clubs or sections impose on competitors wherein if a competitor gets more than X DQs during Y period of time they are ineligible to participate in matches for Z period of time and/or they complete other requirements. Folks seem to have a couple questions about these so let’s dig in.
[Read more…] about Local DQ PoliciesLet’s NOT Keep it Quiet(er)
One question we get frequently to rules@uspsa.org is around the use of suppressors, or more specifically, why we don’t allow them. Most of the time the person sending the query is upset that we are infringing on their rights. Nothing could be further from the truth.
[Read more…] about Let’s NOT Keep it Quiet(er)Going to DQ
There is an old saying in our sport: “There are those that have DQ’d and those that will DQ.” It’s true, as near as I can tell. I made it almost eight years before my first called DQ. I actually SHOULD have been DQ’d at my second match and several more times along the way but I was not. Let’s talk about this whole disqualification thing and why I made it eight years (and ended up calling the DQ on myself, by the way).
[Read more…] about Going to DQTalking to Others about the Rules
We’ve all been there. A call is made at a match, or not made, and there is a query about if that is the right call, or non-call, and the response is “it’s just a local match”. I’m on my twentieth year in this sport and I’ve heard that response more times than I can count and, as an instructor, have fielded questions about how to handle it even more often. A lot of this directly relates to so called “club culture” which has also been referred to as the “Good Old Boys” syndrome. So let’s dig in a bit and talk about what does and does not work.
[Read more…] about Talking to Others about the Rules