BDH

On my last leg home from the 3 Gun Nats, we touched down and after the flight attendent annouced 'welcome to Dayton', he asked everyone to please remain in their seats until several of our troops 'could dis-embark to enjoy the maximum amount of leave with their families'. No one moved... not even first class. They walked proudly off the plane to cheers, thank you's and applause. One of the more moving things I have seen in awhile. GOD Bless our Troops!

And always great to put forum handles with real names and faces! Glad you enjoyed it! BDH - CRO Stage 6

Not only Carla, but Carla Gordon...

No one loves my beloved OHIO STATE BUCKEYES more than I, but after Joe Pa took it to us tonight, I hope he cleans the table..... No one deserves this years National Championship more than he does... Go Joe Pa... Keep rolling and go out on top....

Hey Julie, First, great videos!! The Jake video is unbelievable (sorry about the jam on my stage buddy )... Second, but who is that big RO that keeps getting in-between you and the video camera on Linesman's Hard Decision?? Wow, either that RO is huge, or you are tiny, or maybe a little bit of both!!!

Happy BD Phil!! And yes, I still owe you dinner (or at least a pint or two).....

Lineman's Hard Decisions Hmmm.... well, this WAS a challenge! I'd bet that nearly half the competitors went each way on Saturday. Strange though on Sunday, because several squads ALL went to the right. Fast time was through the half-door, but you had better be 100% confident that you can hit that 35 yard popper on the first shot.... Also wanted to commend my range staff. GREAT job guys! Happy to work with you anywhere!

Chuck, I ordered my match polo the other day. Nice looking logo, plus I appreciate the fact that it is embroidered, not screen-printed. Price seemed reasonable as well... See ya in week...

No worries.... we'll focus THAT energy on TEXAS!!!

What a DEFENSE, and Zwick looked good too. Three capable quarterbacks.... running backs coming together.... outstanding DEFENSE.... BRING ON TEXAS!!!!

I travel a fair amount, and always rent at Hertz so that I can have NeverLost in the car. While GPS is nice, the VOICE prompts are really handy for cities you don't know, and especially at night (really bad night vision here....) However, I just bought a Garmin i3 ($349 at The GPS Store) so that I could have a GPS not only for my business travel, but for general travel by auto (I mean just bought it... today was the first day it was in my truck). First impression.... I CANNOT believe how small this thing is!! It's approximately 2" by 2" by 2" I can easily take this thing with me when I travel. Also, battery powered, or 12v DC powered, WAAS, plenty of memory, AND VOICE PROMPTS!!! I looked at a lot of GPS's, and almost went with the Garmin 2710, or the Garmin Quest. The 2710 comes with a ton of accolades (and the pricetag), and the Quest would give me navigation on the water, but ultimately, I looked at what I was going to be using this GPS for, and so far, I think the i3 was a good choice....

Manny absolutely cracks me up! Even though he is one of the top competitors in the World, he ALWAYS has a smile on his face, and is usually joking around right up to.... 'it's time to go to work!'

Wouldn't miss it!! Or maybe I meant to say, my TIVO wouldn't miss it....

CNN HLN just showed gas in ATL over $5/gal with some areas expected to hit $6...

You'll love this.... my parents went to New Orleans late last week to enjoy the city and then take a 'paddle wheel' cruise up the Mississippi. While they have been to a lot of places, never N.O. Well, I finally got a voice mail from my Dad today.... 'We left N.O. early (late Saturday night instead of Sunday) and steamed full power up the river bypassing a couple of the ports where we were supposed to stop. We were approximately 175 miles up the river (yesterday) when we got the rain, and winds of approximately 60 mph. Sunny today. HAVING A GREAT TIME. WISH YOU WERE HERE!' I will admit that they are a couple of real troopers!

Carina, you absolutely had the right to stop yourself and to reshoot the stage under the rules quoted by BritinUSA. FYI, this is an addition to the Green Rulebook as in the past the RO was allowed to stop you if he/she saw that you lost hearing protection, but there was not a specific rule that allowed the competitor to stop themselves. This is a good addition to the rulebook (although it does create a potential issue with the very small number of competitors that might be tanking a stage, and try to use this as an out). I had one of these on my stage at the 3 Gun Nationals a couple of years back. Shotgun stage, and shooter loses his weak side ear plug. Since the RO was on the strong side, he didn't have a chance to see it fall out. The shooter completed the stage but was very upset that the RO did not stop him. I looked up the rule (Red Rulebook), and saw that the RO 'had' to stop him if he saw that the competitor lost hearing protection, so I suggested that what he could have done was stop, point to his ear without the plug, and then we would have had to reshoot him. I know, that's a risky move to stop yourself (and the competitor in question was a GM, so he pushed on). I'm just glad that we have a rule to solve this little dilemma going forward...

Happy BD Todd! And like Flex said... 'Tutle Power!'

They almost look like 'screen' material, and I am kind of surprised that they even stand up to comp blast. Also, surprised that the ports cut through them hold up (although they look like they are framed in wood). Anyway, if they hold up, that is one heck of an idea as 1) they would be light, 2) the wind would go right thru them, and 3) you can see through them to be sure that the range is clear. Our best to you and BJ!!

Saul (or anyone in the know), what are the stage walls made out of? It almost looks like screen material.

Happy Birthday Phil!! A WS win would be a nice BD present and we are ALL pulling for ya!

Well, if that is happening, hopefully it happens more at club level matches than at the Area or higher level matches. Also, depending on the actual situation, it might be a great moment to do some positive coaching. I know that was the way I learned that lesson years ago... If I ever do that to you... first, glare at me, then settle down and complete your run. Then before I get ready to run the next shooter, sneak up behind me and smack me across the back of the head with the rulebook. That will remind me to pay closer attention!

Unfortunately, my shooting matches (even local matches) has fallen to a new low, as my working matches has reached a new high... Gotta find a better balance in 2006...

Ahhh, the finer points of range commands!! Since I get to do this alot, I'm not sure if even I am always 100% consistent with myself. Anyway, I give the Are You Ready once the competitor settles into the required start position and 'appears' to be ready. I'm looking right at them when I give it, and probably give them a second or two to say Not Ready. After that, it's Standby with the beep following in the 1 to 4 second window (counting like Nik described). I can't remember anyone ever saying Not Ready, so I must be giving them plenty of time to assume the position. As for 2 seconds after Standby being 'about right', I've got a couple of comments here. First, the rule clearly states between 1 second and 4 seconds. Second, good shooters often try to guess the rhythm of the RO's in an effort to gain a small advantage. At the same time, good RO's vary their rhythm so that everyone starts on the beep signal. Finally, I always keep the timer on instant so that I am controlling it. This is important if the competitor begins to move, lean, etc., I can delay the start, get them back into position, and then go again. Couple of tips for competitors... 1) if you are double plugged, hard of hearing, or have a favored ear, tell the RO... 2) keep your strong hand on your gun (assuming a holstered start), until you are ready. Since we cannot start you in that position, that is a great clue for RO's to watch for... As always, I'm open to positive suggestions since I have run most of you at one time or another...

First, flying out of Newark sucks. Second, flying out of Atlanta sucks. Third, did I mention that flying out of Newark sucks worse than flying out of Atlanta?

I guess I haven't paid attention to FL, but know that it was COOLER in Georgia last weekend than it has been in Ohio and the whole Midwest for what seems like a couple of months....