Free Advice

All sports have some sort of referee, umpire or in the case of our sport, range officers. The jobs of the officials are to ensure that the rules are applied fairly and equitably and to make sure the competition remains safe. But in order for that to happen, there needs to be good sportsmanship from the competitors, spectators, and officials.

How many of you have gotten to the end of a major match and while reviewing scores noticed something that doesn’t seem right? Maybe it was a procedural penalty that you don’t remember or a miss or no-shoot that you can’t place. What happens when we find an error in a score that has already been approved by both the range officer and the competitor?

It either has happened already or will happen sooner or later to all of us. Either we get injured and/or we get older; and our ability to be agile and speedy in our sports of choice diminishes. Should we just give up, start playing checkers in the park, and go away or soldier on? Let’s cogitate on that.

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…

When I teach the RO seminar I always tell the class that taking the seminar will not only teach you how to officiate, but also help improve your game as a competitor. Why? Because if you know the rules, you understand what is allowed and not allowed and also can be an advocate for yourself if you encounter an official who may not know the rules.

Are you comfortable shooting at your local club, but haven’t shot anywhere else?
Go shoot somewhere else. Big match or little match, go shoot someplace different than your home club.