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Respectfully, It is such an advantage for club matches, that the line to take that tremendous advantage usually has zero people standing it it. That is the paradox of it all.... again at club matches. The very people that will do anything to get an advantage, no matter how tiny, ARE NOT lining up to get this particular advantage that they trumpet. The ones saying how much advantage it is, are not taking it. Maybe I'm just a woos, but I shoot much better when I'm fresh, not after 8 or 9 hours of work. Maybe, just maybe the worn out factor nullifies the advantage, and that is why there is no one standing in line to take the advantage. Knowing the blind stage ahead of time is indeed an advantage for one stage, and that assumes it wasn't altered before the designer shot it. However being exhausted is a disadvantage on every stage, every draw, every shot. I have never had a match that I worked be my best effort, or even my normal effort. Just a thought. YMMVAPD. Either way, I'm done on this one, lest I get another extremely friendly reminder from the moderator. Thanks by the way, well done. Ken Reed "You are what you do."

Yeah, it is a huge advantage. So much of an advantage, that most clubs have to select which one of over 30 volunteer SOs gets the advantage. Yet those that don't want the advantage, want to bitch about it. Our March IDPA match had a blind stage. The week before the match it took about 4 hours of work to plan out a good blind stage, select props, timing, debug the stage, draw it into a CAD system, make print outs, etc. The day of the match, it was up at 4:30 to go set up the stage. I arrived at the range about 30 minutes before sun up. I got a rocking target and drop turner and a flip up/down target out of the target shed. It is getting easier to see without the headlights of the truck by now. Next a semi-truck load of tumble weeds had to be cleared out of the pit to be used. After that I drilled new holes and put in some beefy screws into the hinges of the door prop. The door was now moving freely. Next this 10 foot x 8 foot wall with the door in it was positioned in the pit, and vision barriers were attached on both sides. After that the targets and actuating linkages were set into the stage, and tested 10 times. Yep it all works as planned. After checking for shoot throughs, etc I arrived late at the shooters meeting held at 8:45. At 9:00 shooters began showing up to shoot the blind stage, and by 1pm the last shooter shot the blind stage.... except me of course, I have been stuck on the stage all day so far. I hadn't fired a round yet and almost everyone was gone. At about 2pm, in a hurry up, tired and plain worn out manner, I fired the match, including my blind stage, which I did fine on. Of course by now, almost everyone except me and the MD are gone, so guess who tears all the stages down and hauls all the props/targets back to the target shed. At 4:30 I drive out the gate, and the MD is a few minutes behind me. So yeah, getting to shoot the blind stage after working 9.5 hours is a big plus. Driving home exausted after 12 hours or work is what shooting is all about isn't it. That is why there are do damned many volunteers. This isn't so bad unto it self, because after all we have a volunteer sport, and we should all do our part. The best part comes later when people that the blind stage was set up to entertain, take cheap shots on the internet. Oh yeah, it is rewarding being an SO. Ken Reed 'Maybe you could add a new phrase to your rhetoric today. Try saying "Thank you! to the SO of the blind stages, or all the SOs for that matter." In all fairness I don't know the guy who anonymously posts under the handle "pisgahrifle" and he doesn't shoot at my club. This is a generic rant about lack of appreciation for the work it takes to put on a blind stage, and then be blasted for it on the internet.

Ya know, This is the type of thing that could fall in the cracks when getting stages okayed by an AC. Most COF descriptions do not specify what is going to be used to designate NTs. Unless the COF description was very specific, the AC could be blessing a stage he/she didn't understand was going to violate the rulebook. The COF description probably doesn't say, "We are not using hands to designate NTs.) Or maybe the AC did know, and decided to violate the rules anyway..... Yeah I know, it shouldn't be that way, but it has happened before. Just a thought. Either way, it is poor stage design, AND against the rules. Ken Reed

Greetings, The Parma Rod & Gun Club invites you to attend the first Idaho State IDPA Championship on Saturday, September 10, 2005. Participation is limited to 75 entries, including staff. The registration fee is $50 including lunch, up to July 10, 2005, and $60 thereafter. Registration closes August 10, 2005. Expect 8 creative and challenging stages, including rockers, drop turners, movers and other fun targets. Please visit our website at <http://www.parmarng.org> and click on the State IDPA Match link. Thank You ! ! ! Ken Reed

To me, scenarios have a story or justification. It is after all a sport about concealed carry, and self-defense, no matter how much people try to break away from that premise. Yes these story COFs are much more work to come up with than just saying, "Lets see, two targets here, one there, two here, done." That is something, but it is not a scenario COF. The term scenario actually requires a story, that may be why the term was chosen. To me, standards are actually standard COFs shot the same decades on end. So the shooter can compare their performance to last year, different equipment, TGO, etc. Standards, that aren't standard, a misnomer, don't seem to make any sense.... to me. So there are more categories. Scenarios, Standards, and "none of the above. " COFs without a story are "none of the above." Standards that aren't standard, are also "none of the above." We really need some new names. Scenario = scenario Scenario without a story = ? Standard = standards Standards that aren't standard = ? YMMVAPD, Ken Reed "You are what you do."

Cool, I'm fine with that. Just imagine how much carboard we can save now, completely cutting off all the -3 zone. Ken Reed

GRD, It was in reference to this: Ken Reed "You are what you do."

GRD, Everyone; This has been a rule for some time, since the 2002 Nationals. Many MDs at sanctioned matches would yell "COVER" in the shooters briefing, and let the shooters know that was their warning. Cover violations are earned, and only noted by the SO. If you are good enough to go so fast that "COVER" can not be uttered before you are gone from that shooting position, then you are good enough to use cover well, at speed. Either you are using cover properly when the shot breaks, or you are not. This clarification does not change that. This is the way the rule should have been written in the beginning. If you don't use cover properly, then penalty. That simple. If you actually have an issue with an SO that you don't trust or that makes a bad call then fix that issue, not complain about a rule that makes perfect sense. Or maybe all you light speed guys will just have to have your performance on video, slowed down in slow motion for the mere mortals that are volunteering their time to run the match. Ken Reed "You are what you do."

GRD, Everyone; I suspect you are right it is unfortunate wording. FTN has always been for targets with only one hole in the target, and that hole was in the -3 area (2 points). One hole in the -1 area or better (4 points or 5 points), or two holes anywhere have always been neutralized targets (4 points up to 10 points). So I suspect what the rule is saying, without using a points reference, is that if the target does not have a score of a -1 hit, or a better score, then it is a FTN. Another way to say it, is if the target has no holes, or only one hole and that hole is in the -3 region, it is not neutralized. Nothing to panic over. Same FTN as before, reworded to eliminate any reference to points. Which is a good thing. Trying to teach new shooters about IDPA, always gets them wound around the axle with confusion about points and points down. Thie elimination of points will eliminate that confusion, and I for am glad it is gone. A wise Merchant Marine once told me to "Listen to what they are saying, not how they are saying it." Ken Reed "You are what you do."

Greetings. I like this dedicated forum for targets. Thanks! ! ! I have pix and plans for targets on my web site. You may use the plans for free, but I do not want any of this material replicated on another site. If anyone needs to reference it, just use a link to the home page of my website below. In fact I'd suggest you post only stuff you have written permission to post. Some of these targets are unique to me, some of them are simplifications of existing designs. Hope this helps someone. If so, please write me an email, and let me know what you have made, any improvement you have made, and send me some pix. It is the only joy I get for providing free plans. Thanks. Over the holiday, I'm building a prototype of a drop turner, because my club wants some, a simplifiction of other designs. I'm also working on another design for a mover. We'll see how far I get, after doing the "honey do" stuff for the holiday Have a great holiday! Ken Reed "If you think your driving doesn't degrade while talking on the phone, then your driving sucked to begin with." ===== +-+ E-Mail freeidaho at yahoo dot com |--\ Personal web site to display |---| ideas http://www.geocities.com/freeidaho /----\ My Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, IDPA club |-----/\ http://www.parmarng.org |#-----| +------+

In the context of IDPA: Gamer: someone that knowingly chooses to shoot an easier COF than designed, rather than compete purely with speed and accuracy. Someone that uses a crutch if you will. I prefer Matt Burkett's approach to IDPA, "Just shoot the COF the way they want it, but do it faster and more accurately than everyone else. But I suppose if one does not posses Matt's skill.... Ken Reed

Greetings, I have a couple of target ideas on my personal web site. See the simple reactive target, and the IDPA reactive target links. Enjoy! Ken Reed "You are what you do." Free Idaho Web Page