It seems that the Question of the Month caused some consternation and discussion around the proper application of penalties in this example. First, keep in mind that this blog and the discussions and questions posed here DO NOT represent any official rulings or interpretations. They are simply designed to generate conversation and to inform and educate. We never said we were right all the time, and in some cases, given a good enough argument (despite the apparent urge to issue penalties because the competitor “just didn’t do right”), can change our minds. NROI is always happy to entertain different opinions, but we don’t crowd-source the answers off social media or other forums. Almost all of these items come from actual match happenings: we can’t make this stuff up…
Having said that, here is a breakdown of the items, rule by rule, presented in answer to the number of emails we received telling us we were full of it. If you don’t agree, then okay, but you should be able to support your position with some rules, please.
Wording of the stage procedure and ‘only’ and ‘then’
Stage Procedure: On the audible start signal, from within the shooting area, engage T1-T3 with only two rounds per target, make a mandatory reload, then engage T1-T3 with only two rounds per target.
- Use of the word “only” is typically done for assistance to the competitor in Virginia Count or Fixed Time stages. It used to create a penalty for firing too many shots, but then the double jeopardy rule, 10.2.2.1, was put into the rule book to prevent double penalizing in scenarios like this one. However, we do want to be specific in our language.
- Use of the word “then” denotes the reload point for this stage, so the reload isn’t after 6 rounds, it’s prior to re-engaging the targets, T1-T3. Therefore, no penalty for not making the mandatory reload under 10.2.4
Extra shots and stacking
What Happened: (And this was from an actual match) Virginia Count scoring, 12 rounds. Competitor fired 2 shots each at T1 and T2 and then engaged T3 with 3 shots. He then performed the mandatory reload and engaged T1 and T2 with 2 shots each and T3 with 1 shot. How many procedurals?
- This is one stage, therefore, number of shots at the targets (extra shots) doesn’t come into play unless the total shots fired exceeds 12. It didn’t. Also, no extra hits were noted.
- Is this stacking? No, although 9.4.5.3 may make it seem like a logical penalty to apply. The glossary definition expands on the rule, and in this instance the competitor did not shoot “other targets” with fewer shots, nor did he save any transitions.
The final call
No penalties, even though this brain fade on the competitor’s part appears that it should incur penalties, there are no rules that support that decision.