I'm going to bring this thread back around to the application a little common sense.
Back in the day, after attending every RO class available at the time, we were taught that our jobs as RO's was to "safely assist the shooter through the course of fire" and the prevailing attitude at the time was that the benefit of the doubt goes to the competitor.
Well, times have changed.
Since I was standing behind Randi during this stage, and every other stage in this match, I will tell you exactly what happened.
Randi drew and engaged the first popper EIGHT (8) times at or above the calibration line before it finally, and still very slowly, fell. Her intention was to shoot it twice, and acquire her sights to engage the US popper concealed behind the standard popper. In fact, she hesitated after she punched it dead center with the first two shots, and the popper just stood. She didn't drill it down like we did with our open guns, she methodically shot a group in the center of the target, and worked her way up the popper until it finally fell. The RO had plenty of time to stop her, but he did not. Strike one against the competitor.
Randi chronographed on the first day (this incident happened on the 2nd day), and her 147 grain Atlanta Arms & Ammo 9 mm loads power factored 133.4, gracious plenty to knock down a properly calibrated popper.
Randi signed her score sheet, but NOT before asking if this would preclude a reshoot or protest of the target in question. The RO stated that it would not, so she signed her score sheet. Randi was advised that she would have to file a protest in order to obtain a reshoot. Strike two against the competitor.
The target was inspected, and a problem was found. It took approximately 30 minutes to remediate that problem before the target was recalibrated and the next shooter was allowed to shoot the stage. THIRTY MINUTES. Minor problem? You decide...
Randi filed the protest, and Rule 4.6.1 was quoted on the protest form. It states, "Range equipment must present the challenge fairly and equitably to all competitors. Range equipment failure includes, the displacement of
paper targets, the premature activation of metal or moving targets, the failure to reset moving targets or steel targets, the malfunction of mechanically or electrically operated equipment, and the failure of props such as openings, ports, and barriers."
Applying a small amount of common sense, it is clear that something was wrong with the popper. During the arbitration, however, the person who assisted in remediating the problem stated that the popper was not broken, and that the calibration bolt was changed since it was the wrong size. Frankly, who cares what the problem was??? It is clear that there was a problem, and the shooter's score was significantly adversely affected as a result. Ultimately, the arbitration committee ruled against Randi, and...to add insult to injury...informed her that the rule quoted did not apply and that she didn't convey what she actually WANTED by filing the protest. Strike three against the competitor.
I have seen this time and time again. Application of the rules in such a way as to penalize the competitor. Should the rule book be ignored? Absolutely not. But when the application of a small amount of common sense can be applied to a situation, the benefit should ALWAYS go to the competitor.
The fact that the competitor didn't move on after initially engaging the popper doesn't make this the competitor's fault. The fact that the RO didn't stop the competitor doesn't make this the RO's fault. Beyond that, there were plenty of opportunities to apply common sense to this situation so that the competitor could get a fair shake. That didn't happen and it's a shame.
I appreciate the RO's that spend time suffering in the heat, and dealing with hundreds of competitors who may, or may not, be all that pleasant to deal with. But let us not forget that everyone working this match is doing so out of their choice and of their own free will. There are several RO's in this match who clearly would rather be somewhere else, and where ever that place is is where they should be. Every competitor in this match is paying big money to spend up to 11 days in Las Vegas for the privilege of shooting this match. The match is for the competitors...not the RO's.
Everyone makes mistakes, and that includes RO's. But those mistakes...in this particular match...affected the outcome for several top competitors, including the competitor in question on this thread. Poor decisions, like this one, and lack of attention by the RO's to ensure that scores were correctly recorded, adversly affected several shooters' overall placement in the match. While no one is going home with a million bucks in their pocket for winning this match, every competitor is out there trying to perform to the best of their ability. The majority of the RO's are out there doing the same, and their efforts are greatly appreciated. But there are some RO's that aren't, and they need to stay at the hotel.
Before you flame me for my opinion about picking on the poor RO's, know that I've paid my dues over the past 25 years of being involved in USPSA, including starting a club (South River PSA in Georgia), running it as the club president for 6 years, running major matches, sponsoring major matches with large sums of cash, and owning a shooting organization (Western 3 Gun).
We need to remember that matches are FOR the competitor, not the RO's. Application of periodic doses of common sense makes the entire match experience more pleasant for everyone and ensures a more equitable outcome.
Good Shootin',
TGR
a.k.a. Billy Abbate