Free Advice

So you just found the fabulous sports of USPSA and Steel Challenge and are having a blast (pun intended) with them. At some point it is suggested you get your RO credentials to help at matches and a class is being scheduled near you so you sign up. Now what? Just go take the class and that is it, or is there more to this whole RO thing? It kind of depends. Let’s take a look.

In this day and age, we have reached a point where the possibility that everything we say and do is being recorded, especially on a shooting range at a match. And, because an awful lot of this is shared on social media, how we comport ourselves on the range really does become the public face of the shooting community and can have far reaching impacts. Let’s discuss a bit deeper.

We have talked before on the blog about the phrase “It’s only a local match” and how it annoys those of us who spend our weekends educating members on the rules. It’s not because rules accidentally get overlooked, not applied, or misapplied, we understand that happens once in a while. It bugs us when clubs have attitudes that either they aren’t capable of following the rules (everyone is capable) or blatantly ignore the rules.

There are some things that just are not in the rulebook. They are part of club culture and the etiquette of our sport. Recently, we have received multiple emails from members asking about others poaching the on deck shooter’s time to walk the stage. Let’s discuss this!

It always has puzzled me why some competitors race through the process of unloading and showing clear at the end of stages. This process is not on the clock and is an important step to ensure the firearm is unloaded, so why the rush?

As with any skill, practice makes perfect…or at least better. Same goes for being a Range Officer. The RO seminar is just the first step, it’s sort of like your learner’s permit for driving. To become a skilled RO, it takes practice.