dgsmith

Anyone know start time for Sunday morning?. Everyone was gone by 3:00 Sat when we got there. They must have good drainage, we drove in rain all the way here.

Tightloop, If the prize distribution is not perfect, what can we do do make if better than to tell us to suck it up? This whole topic seems pointless when no one here shoots for prizes yet everyone cares how prizes are handed out. I admire the GM or M who can shoot like they do. I take nothing away from them. I just think they should play among themselves like we do in the lower classes.

I was happy with the prize I got. I really did start this post with other shooters in mind that I have heard complain and some that won their class and did not complain . I also do believe that the class system is right. We worked just as hard as the top shooters, we just do not have the talent to ever compete with them. I am sorry if i had offended anyone that was not my intent. I want to see this sport grow. God knows how many people I have tried to get to the match. One poster quoted the match booklet about prize table distribution. That is nice I also read it when I got my booklet at the match. There is nothing about it in the web site, and after entry fees paid and travel to match it is a little late.( would have went anyway for the experience.) I believe the post about match anouncments stating how or if their is a prize structure in place would help many shooters decide if they want to shoot the match or not. I may not believe in the HOA system, but it sure will not stop me from shooting a match if it is one that I want to shoot. But if it is a high cost match fee with a long travel time and expense and HOA prize distribution, I might find a closer match that distrubutes prizes to class winners. I do not shoot for prizes just like every other person who posts on this forum, But I still do not mind taking home a toy either. I think winning your class is still a very high accomplishment and it drives me to move to the next level. It also drives me to strive to beat the class winner when I finished below him. Watching people take home prizes when they come in tenth in their division when I come in first is demoralizing. People on the forum say they deserve it because they shot better than the lower class shooter. I say maybe they should practice harder to beat the other 9 shooters in his class that were over him.

Did I try to win my class. You betcha I did. I also tried to best anyone in the classes above me. Somtimes I did, somtimes I flamed out and that caused me to finish where I did. Am I there for the prizes? NO!! I have spent an incredible amount of money and time this year in the pursuit to get better. But during my year of shooting this year I have talked to a lot of new people that I have never met before around the country and heard a lot of them tell me that Nationals is a sham and they would never be back. Being my first one since joining in 1988 I will be back. But I still agree with some of them on how somethings should change.I think all the Nationals should be joined together into one so that it is more economical and to show unity as an organization and so there is no dilution of the prize table. I believe the donations from the dealers or manafactures have gone down because they also are tired of the shooters who are the ones to best buy their items are not recieving the product. Those B,C,D.U shooters are just getting everything together. That is where the money is , not the Master and GM who only get the prize to sell it. Also unless you get rid of the classes then prizes should be awarded accordingly. If I ever get to that envious position of being in top ten and anyone of you hear me complain that those below me should not get a pick before me even though they won their class , please remind me of this thread and I promise I will quit USPSA on the spot. I began this thread for the good of the sport overall and for the lower class guys who are tired of the upper class guys who forgot where they started from. If you invited the top 300 guys in the nation to this event I doubt hardly anyone whould show. It is the lower class guys who support this sport.. Thanks for your input. DVC

I guess we need two divisions. One for the A class and below who either have not the talent or money or drive to make master. We can shoot for trophy only and make our match fee around 100 bucks. Then the division of Masters and Grand Masters who can shoot for prizes and make their match fee 500 bucks. I have been in this sport since 1988 and have not been able to make it into your elite ranks. Did not have the money or the time. Now that I do have the money or the time I don't have the eyes or the body to make it there.

How in the world is order of finish more fair than by class order? A master class shooter will always finish higher than than a C class shooter. Do you think a Master who finishes 10th out of 10 Master class shooter deserves a better prize than a C class winner who just beat 60 other C class shooters in a tight race. If you do you probebly are in this just for the money, not the good of the sport.

So why do we have a class system. Should the lower class people just write a check to the sponsered pro GM. Also the top ladys picked before class winners even though they were 61st place and 73% also 2nd place women placed 100th and 67%. They both walked away with guns. So invite the lower class shooters? Just invite the top 300 shooters in the country.

This was my first Nationals I have attended. I was appalled at the distribution of prizes Saturday night. How does a GM that finishes 10 places down from the 1st place GM get a good prize when a B class or C class shooter that just beat fifty or sixty of his fellow B or C class shooters gets hardly nothing. Why does it not go in order of match winner, 1st GM, 1st M, 1st A and so forth down thru D and start over with 2nd place finishers then 3rd and so on till every one picks. Why does all the lower class shooters pay for the good prizes a subpar GM gets who finishes at the bottom. Mind you I was not that top B class. I would have picked after that 10th place GM. But at least it would be fair. We might as well eliminate the class system if this is the way we award class winners.

I like IRC logo with .45 acp Shoot six reload shoott six Also their is Those who can count to six shoot revolver Those who cannot shoot everything else Or Revolver shooters cannot afford to spray and pray

I will also be their along with my friend Craig. Just confirm meeting place and where located. Never been to Nationals before I do not know where anything is,

Jeff, Let me know and I will send you shipping money. I have never even seen one of these medals lessalone win one. Does USPSA and IPSC look alike?

Good job Dan.

At Area 1, was it a random draw for prizes or order of finish. I f someone was not their did they pick the next best prize to send it to them. At Area 8 last year they did a double blind draw and when you registered you got your prize so you did not have to wait till Sunday.

I am shooting or have shot 7 or 8 matches this year where I have to travel more than 400 miles. Four of the matches I have flown too. More than likely it is a vacation conflict or travel time that will make us miss that prize table. I will spend around 5 grand this year on travel. Do you think that 100 dollars saving on the hotel will make me miss your prize table? You put on a great match and we enjoyed ourselves. If we had to leave before the prize table do you think we would have liked for you to pick the next best prize and send it to us? Of course we would. It would also promote another visit to your next match. Do I shoot for the prizes. NO.. but it is a nice way to remember the event. I have also seen some of the trophys that have been given on some of these matches. Did all of the trophy places close shop. Some of them are pretty cheesy. You could do away with the prize table if the match fees went down. I really do come for the shooting. Look at Area 2 do you think people paid that huge match fee for a trophy? This match was sold out long ago. Heck why can't the shooters at every match come up with an extra 5 dollars to donate to the local Boy Scouts or ROTC group and have them tape and set steel for us every big match? What a could be a better way for a fundraiser for these groups.

Thanks guys, I was kinda torqued about this because (1) this was just a local match we were both there getting ready for Nationals and I would have offered him a reshoot anyway after he was done with the stage. For him to stop after the obvious screwup and play the reshoot card kind of frosted me. I know he is a RO and maybe a CRO. (2) He lectured me after it was done to always use the rules to your benifit. I am the kind of guy who always gives the shooter a chance. This is supposed to be a fun sport, and I hate the gamers. As long as their is no safety issue and a local match, I pretty much let anything go. (3) The next stage I had my first squib since I started USPSA in 1988. We were both in the revolver division and he had to beat me no matter what. I know the rules are no reshoot, but most local matches I go to we let everyone shoot again, as long as it was not a safety violation. But a reshoot was not an option to him. (4) We had a pretty new guy with us and on the last stage the guy only had 6 rounds left for a 18 round COF. He knew that and just let the guy shoot his 6 rounds and score it. I had asked the guy what had happened on the stage , and after everyone was done I gave him my belt and gun and ran him for fun on the stage so he would know what he could have done. This guy really left with a better feeling about the sport. The other RO only wanted to beat everyone instead of help promote the sport. I am done rambling now. I will be checking on this site from now on to help me do a better job. I took the RO course last year and never sent in the paper work. That will be rectified. Thanks Dennis

All right you rule book guys,I Ro'd a guy on this stage. He shot the first part of course with no poblem. On the second go around his flying elbow on his draw contacted my arm with me holding timer. a very light bump. He continued shooting his first five rounds with all A hits. He then swung around to second target and without reload put his 6th shot on that target. As soon as he did that he stopped his course of fire and demanded a reshoot. I did give him a reshoot anyway but wanted to know from you guys what you would have done. ( 1) should he have completed course of fire? (2) Should I have given him reshoot because it was obvious that he only stopped after screwing up, (3) The rule book states RO [MAY] grant reshoot, not must grant reshoot. Was it at my discretion?

I use the millet sight now, I am prettty happy with it. I still might consider it on the backup 25-2 I am putting together.

I was hoping that the squads would be a little more mixed with upper and lower classes together. I want to learn from the higher classed guys. When you can watch a higher class guy shoot different or scope the stage beter it only raises the level of lower classed shooters trying to get better.

I agree with Mike, What bothers me is that a person can jump 3 classes in a month. Are these two people going to be able to beat masters , A class on a reagular basis in a reall match? If not then they are not true GM's in my eyes. Trust me I am envious of these two. I would love to hold a GM card. Only problem I would have to stop shooting USPSA because I know that I would get my butt wooped by people who were more deserving of higher classifactions than what they have. I do not want to take away from their glory , they shoot way better than me to get those kind of times . But an A card or Master card would be as high as they would get from me untill I saw match results that matched their card class.

Kenny I use a 25-2. I really like the 6.5 inch barrel. I would love to keep shooting well. I started the season with gun troubles the first two months. I have all that ironed out now so I can concentrate on my shooting instead of " is my gun going to work right this stage."

" Getting my clock cleaned " is not quite true. Bob won 5 out of the 9 stages , a couple of them by 3 to 7 seconds. I was lucky to have only one mike on the second to last stage. Bob keeps on shooting better and better also. I have a feeling a lot of our matches will be a horse race. You have to shoot clean and fast to win against Bob.

+1 on the 25-2 I love mine. I have a couple 625's but cannot brin myself to switch

Guys are all the Nationals this low on round count. I just looked at the stages and added up only 334 rounds for 18 stages. Shooting 4 days and that is only 83 rounds a day. Is this normal? We are spending around a 1000 dollars for a match that has 80 or 90 rounds more than a Area or Section Match. I have never been to the Nationals so please tell me this is normal and this will be the best experience this year that I hoped.

Hats off to Jeff LaFave for a wonderful match. They were 10 excellent stages that could have been shot many ways. If this is an example of matches that are held their, then count me in for more.

Thanks Guys, I owe it all to my wife and her fear of chickens. I also tried to shoot like Bob Perdue Tom or Gary if you are on this forum, how did you shoot stage ten? Did you skip the drop turners?