We can definitely tell it’s major match season. We are getting a lot of questions related to start position enforcement. While competitors can come up with freestyle solutions to the stages after the start signal, the start position is not something that is freestyle.
Are some of you ready to argue that some start positions are freestyle? Good! Keep reading! Some start positions allow the competitor more freedom to choose than others, but there is always some sort of requirement that needs to be met. As Range Officers, we never let a competitor start the stage without being in the correct start position. As a competitor, we should comply with what is written and follow RO instructions to correct if needed. But the key to success is always a clearly described start position in the Written Stage Briefing.
The most common start position we usually see is, ‘The start position is inside the shooting area with feet on marks. Handgun is loaded and holstered with wrists below belt. PCC is loaded, on safe, and held in both hands with stock touching belt.’ This is easy to enforce because the competitor’s feet are at a set location and we have described where the hands are for both PCC and handguns. There are no restrictions on which way the competitor is facing or how they are standing. We just care about the location of their feet and hands. As long as they comply with those things, the RO can proceed with the range commands.
But what about a start position that says, ‘The start position is completely outside the shooting area with feet touching anywhere on the rear fault line. Handgun is loaded and holstered with wrists below belt. PCC is loaded, on safe, and held in both hands with stock touching belt.’ This one is also commonly seen either as written or it requires feet touching marks on the fault line. Seems very simple, but some folks make the touching the fault line more complicated than needed. Touching is against the outside edge of the fault line, not on top of the fault line. Why? Because the fault line is part of the shooting area and being on top of the fault line is considered inside the shooting area. Please see our previous post for all the details.
I can talk about start positions all day, but let’s discuss one more that is often enforced incorrectly. The facing uprange start! This one can only be used with handgun divisions, but has a very precise definition. The definition of facing uprange from App. A3 is: “Face and feet pointing directly (180 degrees) away from the backstop with shoulders and hips square to the backstop. A natural, “toes out” stance is acceptable and meets the standard of feet pointing directly away from the backstop, as long as both feet do not point in the same direction, and the rest of the position requirements are satisfied.” When the words ‘facing uprange’ are used in the WSB, that means this definition applies and needs to be enforced by the RO. We have a post with pictures that details all the things to watch for when facing uprange is used.
What happens if the incorrect start position is used and the competitor attempts the course of fire? See 8.2.2. It’s a mandatory reshoot. Why? Competitive equity. Start positions are not freestyle and everyone needs to start the stage in compliance with the requirements of the WSB. Now, if the RO realizes a competitor or competitors started the stage incorrectly right away, the issue can easily be fixed with immediate reshoots. However if the issue isn’t discovered until later in the match, or after the match, and depending on how many competitors were affected, reshoots may not be possible. What happens then? If it was multiple squads, the stage scores will be discarded for the whole match. If the MD and RM are sure it was only one squad, then that squad will get a zero for the stage. That is why properly enforcing the start position as a RO is very important. And if there are ever any questions on what is allowed or not allowed in the start position, always call the Range Master for clarification!