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.
As an uncredentialed competitor, there are two “RO Classes” available to you and which one you take is determined by your competitive focus.
The more common, and more traditional, class is the Level 1 “Range Officer” class. This credential allows you to “RO” at all USPSA and SCSA competitions of all levels from Local to Nationals.
The second and newer option is the “Steel Challenge Range Officer” class. This RO certification is focus only on the sport of Steel Challenge and this credential only allows you to “RO” at Steel Challenge matches at all levels local to Nationals/WSSC.
So which one to choose? This depends. If you only shoot Steel Challenge and have no interest in ever competing in USPSA matches then the SCRO is your best option. However, if you want to do USPSA and SCSA then you should do the USPSA RO class. Following that class you can then take the online SCSA endorsement course to cover the knowledge you need for SCSA competition. This online course takes only a couple hours to complete.
Great! You took your class and are done, right? Not really. Ever heard that your “license is just a license to learn?” Did you know everything to know about driving a car when you got your driver’s license? Probably not. You kept learning, sometimes the hard way, as you built up your miles. Being an RO is similar. The more matches you work, especially at higher levels, the more you learn.
The next step for the USPSA RO is the Level 2, Chief Range Officer class. This class focuses more on match production including stage design and troubleshooting, how to manage squads efficiently and many aspects of match production that are more prevalent at larger matches than at local matches. It also dives into the rules a bit more starting to look at “gray areas” where there isn’t necessarily a black and white rule that covers the issue at hand.
For those looking to continue to expand their knowledge about USPSA competition and working at the CRO level at Section, Area and Nationals matches this is your next step after getting your RO feet wet for a year. Note that there is no companion CRO certification for SCSA as the basic certification covers pretty much everything there is to know for SCSA.
As a CRO, you will be entrusted with more responsibility at bigger matches and expected to take ownership of the stage assigned to you. You aren’t just running the next shooter, you are managing YOUR stage and the squads that come through them. You are that next level of appeal for the shooters. And, you manage the ROs working with you to build a cohesive team that can get the job done rapidly, efficiently and consistently for 20+ squads over multiple days, in whatever weather Mother Nature feels like throwing at you. This also means you ensure you aren’t on the radio asking for more pasters, paint or target changes because you have thought ahead and planned to make sure you have the right supplies to make it through the day. And, when there are problems with your stage, you are the first one the RM is going to want to chat with to explore the situation. More learning opportunities!
With the CRO and working bigger matches, your opportunities to learn through experience expand rapidly. It is often said that you will learn more as an RO/CRO working one stage at one Nationals than you will in years of just working local matches. This is because the crucible of competition is running a bit hotter at the higher level majors. Titles, prizes, sponsor deals, and more are often riding on place of finish for the top tier of competitors. And, everyone else is chasing them trying to finish as close to the top as they can to win their division/class/category to have some hardware for the mantle. All that leads to a lot more pushing to the ragged edge, which leads to more interesting calls and thus more experience.
And for those few that want to take things to that next level we have the Level 3 “Range Master” certification (Note: We are working on a Match Director certification…stay tuned). This is a much more exhaustive (and exhausting) course that takes months to complete and which finishes off with a final exam at Nationals and an oral review board. Range Master is not for everyone but those that do achieve this level generally find it worth the effort.
Even Range Masters aren’t done learning. I finished my RM in 2007 and every time I work a major match I learn something new. The rules are always evolving. Equipment is always evolving. The art of stage design is evolving. And even competitors are evolving.
So maybe you don’t really want to work big matches, at least not yet, should you get your RO certification and encourage others at your club(s) to get theirs? Absolutely! Knowing the rules well does absolutely make you a better competitor. I saw it myself when I got my RO in 2003 and I have heard from hundreds of others since then that they saw their scores go up after completing the RO class.
Other than working matches, there are lots of opportunities to add to your knowledge about SCSA and USPSA matches. The NROI Blog (nroi.org) is updated with a new article every Thursday and you can sign up to be notified when these new articles are posted. The NROI Podcast produces a new episode roughly every two weeks January through November. Search “NROI Podcast” wherever you get your podcasts from like the Apple Podcasts app, Spotify, and so on. NROI also publishes at least one, but usually more articles each issue of the USPSA Magazine (formerly Front Sight).
In addition to the SCSA Endorsement mentioned earlier, we also have a MultiGun Endorsement available in the online format and will soon roll out our IPSC RO Endorsement for those that wish to gain IPSC RO certification.
NROI is also looking to expand our offerings for additional educational opportunities in 2026 so stay tuned for those announcements.