Since the shooting season is wrapping up, and the Holidays are upon us, I thought I’d take a moment and wrap up some of the NROI activities from this past busy year.
At the present time, the Range Master Instructor corps is reviewing the 2024 rules audit file, preparatory to passing their recommendations along to the rules committee. The rules committee will then discuss, tweak, reword, or remove items as needed prior to making a recommendation to the USPSA Board of Directors for approval. Once that happens, a new edition of the rules will be published. There are no division equipment changes on the horizon, though. Most of the rules changes are brought about by member input, questions which cause us to examine a rule more closely, or things that happen at major matches that seem to need clarification or correction within the rules. One major item coming up is a proposal to allow digital evidence: video, audio, photo, or app based information to settle disputes on the stage or at arbitration. We are currently fine-tuning that proposal to be as competitor- and range officer-friendly as possible. Stay tuned to the BOD meeting minutes for more information on that. And, yes, there are changes proposed for rules for Competition, Rifle, Shotgun, and Multigun, and SCSA.
Training activity was on the increase in 2024, with 35 seminars on the books: 32 are complete and 3 remain through the end of the year. Included in that number are 6 Steel Challenge Range Officer seminars, a training tool we introduced this year due to member demand. The table below shows our current stats:
2025 is shaping up to be busy as well, with 27 seminars currently pending for the year.
We certified 6 new Range Masters this year, with a couple more still working. The applications for the Range Master program are available now through the end of December. In January, we’ll meet to discuss which applicants we will accept and assign a mentor. Not everyone gets accepted, and not everyone finishes the program, or passes a final oral review. It’s not a gimme, and requires some dedication and attention to detail, along with a coachable attitude. Just because you may have actually done some of the exercises in real life doesn’t mean you get to skate, but we will work with you on real-world endeavors if that is your preference and current project. Before you apply, though, please read the document outlining the program and make sure it’s something you want to do and will have time for.
One benefit of RO training is a $200.oo Hunters HD Gold discount certificate available upon certification. These are delivered electronically along with a certificate and RO card. Big thanks to Brian Conley for his continued support of the sport and range officials.
We are also planning staffing applications for next year’s National Championships. WSSC will be held at CMP Talladega May 30-June 1, with pre-match on May 29. Factory Gun Nationals are slated for June 27-29, pre-match June 25-26, at Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. We are returning to the Southern Utah Practical Shooting range in October for Race Gun Nationals, main match October 24-26, pre-match October 22-23. These are the matches that USPSA will be selecting staff for. Applications should be available by the very end of December or first week in January.
Multigun Nationals returns to Forest Lake, MN, 18-20 July, as a contracted match. More information on that will be forthcoming as available, and IPSC Nationals will be contracted to Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio on August 22-24, more information to come.
Lastly, we are suspending the NROI Podcast until 2025 to allow for other projects to be finished up and time with friends and family for the holidays. I hope you all had a successful shooting season, and wish you Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!