Stage tampering

[kimber45]

Jim - The gentleman who set up the stage said that there was no ports on that portion of the wall. But you are also correct we're not made of money, we do use older pieces of black fabric in our matches. I have to take the word of the set up crew when they said there was no port prior to the start of the match. I also wish I could of shot that stage it looked like a lot of fun.

[Gary Johnson]

I once saw him use a GE Minigun in a match and claim he was shooting "production".

Isn't a minigun OK for production so long as he dosen't modify it?

[Gary Johnson]

I have a couple of questions regarding the construction of your walls.

You mention "Black Fabric" Do you use new wall covering over your frames each match? If you do, then it would of course be obvious that the port was "New", if you however use the old walls with pre-existing ports is it possible that no one cut a new hole and that a flap or cover simply came undone?

I would be very careful in making accusations as to someone cheating. This is on the whole a very small community. If you are a cheater or a general screw-up, you won't have many places to go to that haven't heard of you. Likewise if you are falsely accused, you will have that stigma attached and it will follow you, wrongly.

The real question is I suppose; does anyone really know what happened?

Jim Norman

We recycle our vision barriers and that stage was built with 'veteran' material but even if the material was cut from a previous match, it wasn't stapled open when I hung paper one hour before the match started.

I made a brief inspection of the targets after hanging them to look for shoot throughs. I checked targets from every port and don't remember any port being in the location in question.

Also, all the ports made for this match were square and lined with 100MPH tape. The one in question was cut on two sides, folded over and stapled. We don't make ports that way.

[Jim Norman]

Thank you for clarifying the situation. Since the port was "different" from how your range makes them and since everyone seems to not remember a port being in that wall, I guess that there appears to have been malicious intent. I would certainly like to find out who did it if I were you all. One solution that we have thought of is to announce that due to tampering a stage has been tossed. State the case very clearly that since no one is sure exactly when it occurred, the stage is being dropped and that in the future should someone see a need to make an alteration to a stage, to please get the MD first. This way everyone knows what happened. You might indicate that should someone be caught doing this, the punishment would be a Match DQ for un-sportsmanlike conduct and should there be repeat performances, you would see about a ban. Don’t rail and don’t rant. Just state the facts and the actions that will be taken. Chances are at least that person will not make a repeat performance.

[Flexmoney]

OK...now that has been discussed...

I wonder why the person put the port in there?

Maybe they weren't a cheat, but a frustrated shooter...trying to send a message?

I know that, if I had designed a stage that someone felt the need to alter, I would want to know why they felt the need.

Perhaps, there was some aspect of design I had missed...and it was pissing off the customers. If so, I'd want to know.

(I am not saying that is the case here...just something to think about.)

[Vince Pinto]

Perhaps, there was some aspect of design I had missed...and it was pissing off the customers.  If so, I'd want to know.

You should be grateful we have a few talented decorators shooting IPSC. I mean, c'mon guys - black chintz is sooooo 2002

[Jim Norman]

Does anyone have a copy of the stage design in question? Maybe in .pdf or some other format? maybe a photo? Sure would clear up a few questions. (and maybe keep the discussion on track and realtively serious.

[banjobart]

It wasn't me this time, I was 600 miles away in Copper Harbor!