World Shoot

[Greg in VA]

[kimmbeckwith]

Glad to here you got your ammo. Be there after lunch tomorrow

[DWFAN]

I've not ever shot NRA pistol, but I would just suggest that competitors come and enjoy Rockcastle and Kentucky for what we have to offer in a unique experience rather than comparing it to other facilities that have been hosting this type of match for a few decades.

If you spent thousands of dollars to go shoot a World Championship match clear around the world, I think you would expect a World Championship level match. Not something that seems to have been put together the week before and was less of a standard than the club matches you're used to. I would also say that you wouldnt be excusing the organizers because they're new to the match.

Im looking forward to seeing Rock Castle and I really hope the match goes well... but the pictures and words from people there are concerning. Especially for our friends who've come thousands of miles for a World Championship, not just to enjoy the sights of KY.

[gm iprod]

There is no excuse for the mistakes. This is a commercial setup. They have run big matches previously.

Just because they have not got the set up in the rule book is absolutely no way this can be put down that road. They had been to the Bianchi Cup twice, last year and 2012, so they know what the setup should be like. Still constructing the gear two days before the match starts is totally out of order.

There are puddles on the ground where people will be going prone, the movers are not stable. They are staked into dirt, which is now wet and get wetter and mobile, so everything is sagging.

Having the practical and barricade rages 3.5Miles along the road is nothing compared too the general problems this place has. Staff themselves are great, but the hotel is dated, bleak and dark. The AC is stuffed. Wifi is virtually useless.

[PPGMD]

The rain didn't help anything.

About the only thing good I can say so far, is that the award ceremony is causal. I am not a big fan of suits.

If we have another World Shoot in the United States, it should be at a range with an established NRA AP club or be willing to install the stages semi-permanently well ahead of time and have them troubleshooted by an established shooter or two. Also at the very least the match director should be either a NRA AP shooter, or someone that has run NRA AP matches before.

[Spangler]

is there a rumor it may get moved??? I can't imagine the logistics of trying to do that. Hotel reservations, travel plans, scheduling...

Those of us that went to Germany...

They did not have the range done until the day before the match. Practice was on a completely different set of barricades (wood frame) than the match. Match plates weren't even installed, mover pads were being poured...They still managed to pull it off and provide a great experience. I know they had a lot of help from some VERY good AP shooters. I guess the best thing I can say is that regardless of range conditions... we are all shooting with equal handicap...

Leaving tonight for KY...

Good luck to all.

[Service Desk]

This event was a total debacle. The ineptness of the organisers is absolutely astounding, it is like a sketch out of that British comedy "Faulty Towers".

The pre-match organisation and competitor contact was non-existent, the ranges were still being built on the first day of competition, the majority of range staff had not been given an opportunity to know what they were supposed to be doing and how to do it, the scoring support and statistical office were still getting the final results wrong five hours after the end of the shoot and to top to all of the presentation saw the wrong awards going to the wrong competitors.

Everyone was complaining and the majority of people in attendance swore they would never return. The weather just topped of a wasted opportunity for the US to show how well it could host an event of international significance.

Roll on Bianchi and show how it should be done.

[Chris1911]

I thought the staff running the actual events were good.

[PPGMD]

I thought the staff running the actual events were good.

Very much so. They ran it professionally, the issues were mostly with match management.

My review with pictures:

The Barricade Range:

This picture is of the one that we shot for score. What they had up at first on Monday was so shitty, that we forced them to tear them down and redo the entire range.

This was completed on Thursday afternoon, the day before we went live to shoot for score. Note that nothing is really straight, and that the concrete is just a blank form not sunk into the ground. Also the barricades had different levels of movement, from rock solid in lane four to moves tremendously back and forth like lane 3 at 35 yards. The lane I was assigned.

Due to this, the NRA officials have said that the rule book will change to spell out how barricades should be built in the future.

The Practical Range:

It wasn't until Wednesday that the turning targets were working, but we could practice on it until then. There wasn't much wrong with the range except for the fact that the ground was level, it went from good in lane 2 and 3 to acceptable in lane 4 to an extreme forward tilt on lane 1 unless you were well to the right.

Falling Plates Range 2:

The falling plates had issues, one there was no locking plates so we had to run one shooter at a time. Second the plate rack wasn't quite right, the stems were a good inch short compared to other falling plate ranges. And of course there was the ground.

Finally the procedure for running one shooter at a time wasn't conducive for the cold weather we had. As it was a struggle to stay warm as it took twice as long to shoot the event, and we had to wait for the other shooter to complete their run so our fingers got cold.

The Moving Target Range 2:

The biggest issue here was the equipment. The target bounced up and down, and had an uneven speed, it would jerk out and then slow down. It took just the right amount of time for the target to pass the opening.

Finally there was the awards ceremony, it took five hours. It wasn't the typical Bianchi five hours which includes speeches, patting each other on the back, and useless awards like sponsor plaques (most of whom don't attend the match).

No it was waiting on scores to get completed, and not only did that take two and a half hours after the scheduled start time to do they were f*#king wrong. More than one competitor swapped plaques after they privately pulled out their scores and figured things correctly. And then we had another 45 minute wait while they computed the multigun aggregate. Only then did they do prize table. I was lucky and was picked fairly quickly (which netted me a certificate for a FNS9 Long Slide), but it was still 11pm when I left.

I know that five hours doesn't seem too bad as that is the same amount of time as Bianchi's awards ceremony, but this was outside in cold weather.

This was the match from hell. Never again do I want to attend a match at Rockcastle.

[DougCarden]

The above post is 100% accurate and correctly portrays what happened. The contempt shown to the shooters by the upper match staff was truly mind boggling. The match advertised cash payouts similar to the cup. No money was paid out.......

I am truly embarrassed for our sport and hope the International Shooters would consider coming back over for a match other than the cup.

[PPGMD]

And here is the video to go with the review.

[gm iprod]

As mentioned above this match was a disgrace.

If you had anything to do with the organisation of this match you should ashamed. The people of Kentucky, who we met whilst travelling about, were outstanding. Kind friendly and helpful.

Messrs Noble are not any of the above. The arrogance was unbelievable.

[Chuck Anderson]

Sorry to hear that about Nate and Nick. I've been to Rockcastle for a few other events. Never been treated with anything but the best hospitality from any venue I've shot in the US. Not sure what happened with this event.