Griffin, GA GSSF Match

Thought I'd ask," Who's going?"
I plan on shooting the match Saturday.

 

Think they are calling for 30's now. Just like the weather we had in Orlando.

 

Heard the range is a kittke muddy from the rain yesterday. Maybe the wind today will help dry it out.

Happy shootin!

 

I think we were in Bay 4 that had all the squadding issues, 5 to Glock with 2 stages anyway. Scott (GSSF Match Director) addressed the issue at my request, but the comprehenion of the RO's were not very good. We waited it out also.

Saw a gun left on the table also while people went down range to paste targets. Yea, I addressed that too. Thought the RO was about to have me removed from the match....

We had no trouble at the Plate Rack or the Glock M stages. Plenty of good friends all around too. My back was killing me but I pasted as often I could and would have helped the RO's with the squadding issue but they seemed to impressed with their new high ranking position and paygrade.

Last years match was great and I'm not going to allow one group ruin the work of the whole club. I was treated well everywhere else and enjoy the overall atmosphere at their club. We'll be back for more of that good BBQ AND HOPEFULLY, NEXT YEAR IT WON'T BE SO WET.

 

Well here is the perception that causes the problem to begin with.

You squad and hang those score sheets on the tree, in the order they signed up. NOT a problem. At that point the tree is full, or, near full you stop the process!

Because you started building a “STACK” and got caught things had to change. Scott directed you to stop taking score sheets and, he asked you to put the stack you had built into chronological order (of the sign in times off the Sign In sheet). But the RO’s didn’t follow that procedure correctly at first. They continued to accept score sheets and try to fit them into "the stack" by sign up times. Now you were inserting new arrivals' score sheets into "the stack" by their sign in times. Had you stopped accepting score sheets, the shooters that have been waiting at your stage won’t see you inserting score sheets into "the stack."

But, waiting shooters happen to see you doing this and it looks to them; that you are giving preferred treatment to someone that just walked up. Without an explanation a new shooter (or someone that doesn’t understand the process you just screwed up) can only come to that conclusion.

I was there; I witnessed the whole thing, well at least the time it happened in front of me. I was the person that notified GSSF personnel in the first place. For as long as I was there, there was a fellow running around with a stack of score sheets in his hand. Your stage at that point, became the longest wait of all for the shooters to shoot.

You did the best you could with the information you had. It made life difficult for you and those that had signed up for the stage. What many well meaning RO's can't do is say, "NO." That is what happens to new RO's because they are trying to forcus on just one aspect of the job at hand.

Signing up the shooters is a small part of running the stage actually. Getting the tree full means it is time to move on to other duties until squading is necessary again.

What other duties you ask?
- Learning how to do others' jobs like time keeper.
- Relieve RO's at your stage for water, potty, or, lunch breaks.

*** More importantly though, while the stage is running smoothly you are there to answer questions on how to shoot the stage.
- Get the shooting order called out so the next person up, on deck, or in the hole, is made aware they near to get ready (check ammo, load mags etc.) Calling out their names and stagging them allows you "to know" your shooters haven't walked/ wandered off the stage.
*** Pulling score sheets, introducing shooters to the line and, the order they are going to shoot gives you an idea too, on when the tree is geting low so you can squad another group at your timely run stage.

REAL RO's are scared to death of the Squading position, they would rather hold onto a timer and do the simple job of just staring at the gun. That is another whole lesson....
Time Keeper or the person actually scoring the shooter does most of the work.

The Squading position requires experienced people that can talk and reason with shooters that have questions about the stage. All the while they carry out the squading process of calling names, ensuring the correct score sheet is labeled and placed in the correct order for the shooter.... lining out the sign in entry etc.

 

Results are posted!