Lessons from my first match as MD

[rowdyb]

I'm not a certified SO or RO in either sport. I've built stages, sometimes designed them, ran shooters, score keeper duties, help with tear down and set up but I've never been "the one" for a match, until this weekend.

 

First, for those who do this on a regular basis thank you. Second, those who are a good support crew for a MD thank you as well. If I've ever made you feel unappreciated I'm sorry.

 

Now for I guess some of  my observations from this experience and I hope replies that might help someone else to do it for their first time and if they find they're good at it, continue.

 

• I don't know squat about Practiscore beyond looking at my scores. I don't know nearly as much as I should. If you're going to MD a match I'd suggest learning how to do the online registrartion, build matches, get squadding done, synch pads, do the uploads. All the administrative stuff on the digital side of things.
• Put people where their strengths can be used. Help a volunteer be successful by matching them to something they're good at or capable of doing.
• Bagged targets can last from Friday morning until Sunday morning without damage. But if you staple them with the head too high that part will get droopy.
• Smile. Phrase things in the positive when someone presents you with a challenge or problem. Resist the "well if you don't like it you run the match" type of reply. ( I didn't say avoid, just resist hahaha)
• Pace yourself physically and emotionally.
• Say thank you.
• Give clear and concise instructions. In my case I didn't do a good enough job getting some squads to understand they advanced through the match by stage number, not by our range's bay numbers. If I'm ever involved again each bay will have a target with a 1,2,3 etc stage number painted on it and at the end of the bay.
• Getting balanced squads seems more important than I'd realized to flow and ending time.

[NMBOpen]

+++1

[Schutzenmeister]

For future, bigger matches ... Delegate, Delegate, DELEGATE!

 

You can't do everything yourself!!!

[Nik Habicht]

Regarding balanced squads -- add squads in multiples of 8.  Have 23 shooters?  Two squads.  Have 24 -- three squads.  Why? RO, Scorekeeper, Shooter, On Deck competitor, leaves 4 people to work the reset.  That usually works pretty well toward making stages flow.....

 

Also helping: Got complicated movers/devices/props/tons of steel?  Use them on short to medium courses.  Have a need for a 32 round stage?  Make it all paper.  Rationale -- stages will/should take about the same time to shoot and reset, generating near identical turnover times....

[MikeBurgess]

13 hours ago, Schutzenmeister said:

For future, bigger matches ... Delegate, Delegate, DELEGATE!

 

You can't do everything yourself!!!

This is the one has been my largest struggle.

 

 

 

 

[Nathanb]

As do I. Luckily this year I've got someone who has a bunch more experience than I do helping out. Makes my life so much easier. Match days would start at about six and then end around five for me being on the go the entire time. You have to have good people to help. Otherwise you'll drive yourself into the ground and your match quality will suffer. I know my shooting has taken a back seat to running the matches

[MikeBurgess]

If someone offers to help, let them, find something, anything they can do that will help even a little with what knowledge or ability they have. That guy that is new and doesn't know anything today but shows a little enthusiasm may grow to be a huge help in the future. 

 

Stage design take a lot of practice to get right, new stage designers will give you bad stages, help them make the base idea of their stage work so they learn how to make good stages.

 

 

[CHA-LEE]

I would consider the minimum quantity of shooters per squad at a club match is 8 for it to function reliably. That is also assuming that you have 1 - 2 experienced RO's seeded in each squad. I have found that the optimal squad size is 10 - 13 shooters. Once the squad gets beyond 15 shooters then there are too many people assuming that others can get the work done and nobody works. At 8 shooters or below on the squad everyone needs to be hitting on all cylinders with no jacking around to make it work.

 

The best advice I received when taking over as an MD was "From day 1 of your MD efforts be thinking about passing the torch to the next MD in an effective manner". This comment was vague to me at the start and I thought that it really meant giving up on the job right away. But after doing the job for a while I understood that meant that I should be  developing tools, processes and training for the match staff to learn how to do their jobs effectively. Taking this approach makes the MD task a LOT easier because I can delegate tasks to others and provide them with the tools to get the job done effectively. For example, I documented a step by step process for score keeping. I listed every single detail and step required to do the score keeping task. That way I could simply hand the scoring equipment and this procedure to ANYONE that can read and they can get the job done. They don't need any special scoring keeping experience or anything like that. All they need to do is read and follow the procedure one step at a time to be successful. Making easily followed procedures empowers others to take on match management tasks with confidence even though they may not have ever done it before.

 

Lastly, you need to continually remind the shooters attending that the match CAN'T happen without dedicated volunteer efforts from many different people. If everyone pitches in and helps even a little then it will make the whole process happen more effectively without causing the primary match staff to get burned out. If you attend a club match and think that your minimal entry fee entitles you to do nothing all day long, think again. Roll up your sleeves and help make it happen.

 

[mosher]

Put the comment cards in the tool bag with the hammer and nails.  You'll either get more help or less complaints.

[pjb45]

I would add "test every stage in the match prior to match day."

 

3 minute turnaround is a great rule of thumb but only by the thumb.  15 shooters at 3 minutes is 45 minutes of shooting plus 5 minutes for walking, plus stage briefing plus etc. YOu are now about 1 hour which seems like the norm.

 

Some stages run a little longer some a little shorter but anything less than 4 minutes seems ideal.

[9x45]

Stage flow, stage flow, stage flow. Regardless of squad size, you have x amount of shooters to get thru the match in Y amount of time. It boils down to the slowest stage flow time.