This thread is mostly winding down, but it was just brought to my attention. I was at the match, and while I was not the RO who issued the overturned DQ, I was the RO that did a 5 minute crash course on the safety rules. In other words, it was all my fault! Thank god no one got hurt, but you can bet I went a little pale when it was brought to my attention that an inadequate, last minute safety briefing was responsible for what happened, which could have lead to something truly tragic. no need to tell me: lesson learned.
My takeaway on why the DQ was overturned was because, while we are an official USPSA sanctioned club, we were not having an official USPSA sanctioned match. No, this does not mean on some matches we follow the rules, and on others we don't. We do a hybrid indoor rimfire rifle/centerfire pistol multigun match (anyone who hasn't tried it, you are missing out, by the way). So we were already off rulebook to allow for the use of the rifle and a custom scoring system. The MD took advantage of this and cited RO error (mine) and let the new shooter keep shooting. I appreciate that for some (probably all) of you this doesn't change anything, and in an ideal world it *is* cut and dry.
And I realize that this does beg the question: If we aren't using USPSA rules, than what the hell rules are we using? Either way, I do think everyone, the RO, Shooter, MD, and myself, all learned and are better for it.
Well maybe not the RO. He went and ratted us out on Benos forums ^.^
just kidding, Bill. I was glad to read the feedback and discussion. Hearing about people getting shot at matches is a bit of a slap in the face and a wakeup call.
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And those of you that are beating your self-righteous "I'd leave" or "I'd never RO again for that MD" or "I'd not shoot that MD's match" or whatever drum are living on another planet. Get over yourself, help the MD and the club and the shooter(s) improve. Where I shoot in interior Alaska, in the winter (7 months of the year) there is only one USPSA club that can shoot in the *only* public indoor range. It's 360 miles to the next closest shooting club. More choices in the summer months, but martyrdom because I disagree with an MD is tantamount to taking a seven month, annual retirement.
And yeah, i realize if someone gets hurt while breaking a safety rule, we won't have that venue to shoot in either.