I got an email the other day from a member, asking if not painting at level one was an option. Because he didn’t mention what discipline, I told him level one matches were exempt from painting but that it’s strongly recommended that steel get painted between hits even though the rules don’t require it. He also informed me that his entire squad had been told to leave by the match director because they didn’t want to paint. I thought that was a little extreme, but to each his own, I suppose, and thinking about it, I can see the reasoning behind it.
Then, he replied that this was a Steel Challenge match. Oops. That’s a whole different kettle of fish.
Steel Challenge rules require painting between competitors at all levels–it’s not an option like in USPSA matches. There are several reasons for this, the main one being the ability to determine misses. Steel Challenge, although competitors love “live” steel because it rings when struck, is a visually scored sport. Without paint, it’s difficult to determine whether a plate has been hit or not, especially on the edges, and also how many times it’s been hit, as sometimes they get shot twice on a single string. This affects the scoring, and can affect the stage results, resulting in errors in the classification system. It also creates a disservice to any squad members who would like their plates painted, but don’t want to buck the entire squad to get it done.
While there were several reasons for not painting cited in the email, none of them are truly valid: if you are going to play the game, play by the rules. It’s not that much of a hike to go out and paint, especially if the squad organizes itself and the same people don’t have to go paint for every competitor. Painting the steel is the right, and rules-required thing to do.