The second Fixed Time question I got from a former student is a bit more complex. The questioner stated that on a Fixed Time stage at a larger match, the Written Stage Briefing did not list all the potential penalties under Fixed Time. They thought this was not correct and it should be spelled out in the WSB.
This brings up an interesting question. Do you need to list the penalties in the WSB for the various scoring systems? The short answer is no, it is not required. It is expected that anyone who is a competitor in our matches understands the various scoring systems and the penalties that apply. If you are unsure after the WSB is read, you can always ask for clarification.
Now I am an old school Range Officer. When I wrote WSB’s for many years, I tended to list the potential penalties for both VC and FT stages. To many modern match directors/range masters they do not follow this belt and suspenders methodology. They feel it makes the WSB too long and verbose. I think their feeling is since the competitor is not really listening to what you say after the first couple of paragraphs, what is the point? Frankly, in many cases once the competitor hears the number of targets, total round count and the start position they tend to zone out.
Now there was a method to my system since in many cases most local clubs rarely run Virginia Count stages and Fixed Time is almost unheard of. The reasons for this are twofold in my opinion. First, many match directors and range officers are uncomfortable scoring Virginia Count stages and they tend to be “boring” and many require multiple strings. The second is most Fixed Time stages were standards and who wants to run Standards when you can use that bay for some circus-style run and gun stage with 30+ rounds.
Now with the increase of use of Fixed Time stages with movement, that should start to change, but you do need to be careful with your stage designs. You can end up with a stage that is either too fast or more likely too slow and it will not be a challenge for your top shooters and be frustrating for your lower-class shooters. As I have said for years, no one should be able to shoot a perfect score, but everyone should be able to at least decide what targets they will engage to get the best score they can within the time limit.
So, it is up to you as the writer of the WSB. You need to give the competitor enough information to understand the scoring method you are using. Frankly, I think letting them know about the potential penalties is part of customer service. You do not need to write a book, but a simple listing of the penalties will not take up much space and help both the competitor and the ROs on the stage. This is especially true on matches where your ROs are embedded in the squads.
My final suggestion is to local clubs: Do some Virginia Count and Fixed Time stages. They are like vegetables, they are good for your shooters. Besides, they allow you to test all the strong and weak hand shooting nobody does until they get to one of the big matches and find out they should have practiced. And it prepares them for major matches where these scoring methods will be used and avoid any surprises.