Followed the stage plan exactly, but...

[tanks]

On Saturday I had a match where on the first stage I shoot an array of 3 targets through a port, turn around shoot one target off an another array, run to the opposite corner to shoot another array turn and shoot the last target of the array whose other target I had shot while moving. Then reload as I am going to a door, open the door and clear all the targets, unload and show clear!!!

Felt really good, I was seeing the sights in the A zone and moving well and efficiently.

Except I left off another port array on the left hand side of the door I had opened. 6 Mikes.

Total brain fart. I was the second shooter on that stage.

[Hi-Power Jack]

My 2nd Regional match, about ten years ago - first stage - I ran past an array of 3 targets in my haste to get

to the next array -

BOOM!

Shooting for fun, after that (except it wasn't too much fun).

Has NEVER happened, since ...

Part of The Learning Process.

[Mark R]

Except I left off another port array on the left hand side of the door I had opened. 6 Mikes.

Not to mention the 3 Failure to Engage procedurals ALSO...just sayin'

[BeerBaron]

I had a massive screw up at a recent match. It was a state level 2 day match hosted at my home club. I got 5hrs sleep on the Friday night before the match and got there early to help setup. shot 8 stages on Saturday then stayed afterwards to pack up and reset ranges for Sunday. I managed 6hrs sleep on sat night and spent Sunday morning setting up a nice 32 rounder which would be the last stage my squad would shoot for the match.

We finally get to that stage and I'm patching and helping but always patching the same array (which is the first array of 3 targets through a port), which means I haven't looked at the full stage since I set it up.

It's my turn to shoot.

beeeeep

3 targets through the port,

run off forward and right and shoot 4 targets and 1 steel down the right hand side of the stage,

run straight left and shoot another 5 shots (1 steel and 2 paper),

go through door and have 2 targets on the right,

move over left where I can see the final swinger and 2 targets.... felt awesome.

RO catches up. I'm standing there catching my breath.

he says "ifffffff you are finished.....". I think 'Why the hell did he say it like that?!?!" miss on the swinger maybe? I look at it and it's swinging so slow now I can see 3 hits (2 A 1 C).

ummm I look to my right and there's a single un-shot target sitting next to the array of 2 targets that I shot after coming through the door!?!?! WTF!?!?!

I later find that after I had finished building the stage that morning 1 target had been moved during the RO inspection. god dammit!

I had not done a proper walkthrough since I had walked it a bunch of times when building it to make sure everything was correct. I 'thought' I knew where everything was.

At this point I realise this will be 40 points down out of 160 (2 mikes + 1 FTE). FARK! by now I've already dropped the mag, I quickly yell "not finished" (as he'd asked "if you are finished"), slap in a mag and shoot the final target.

Now I'm thinking. How long was it between my last shot, him arriving, me thinking, me reloading and the final 2 shots?? hmmm. I honestly don't know if it was 2 seconds, 10 seconds? more?

I ask if I can check the timer... the last 2 shots? 15 extra seconds!!!

My 'original time' was 25 seconds 7 points down (well except for the missed target). My final score was 40 seconds still 7 points down (got 2 A's on the final target) .

In hindsight I would have been much better off to leave that target even taking a massive 40 points. In the end it cost me 70 MATCH points... d'oh. Would have been maybe 40-50 match points if I'd left it alone.

lesson learned ALWAYS do a proper walkthrough before you shoot. no matter how well you think you know the COF... It was a stupid mistake and it burned me all the more as it was a smoking stage run. The match winner in open shot it in 22 seconds with about the same points as me. so it was about a 90% run which for me is damn good.

[teros135]

I had a massive screw up at a recent match. It was a state level 2 day match hosted at my home club. I got 5hrs sleep on the Friday night before the match and got there early to help setup. shot 8 stages on Saturday then stayed afterwards to pack up and reset ranges for Sunday. I managed 6hrs sleep on sat night and spent Sunday morning setting up a nice 32 rounder which would be the last stage my squad would shoot for the match.

We finally get to that stage and I'm patching and helping but always patching the same array (which is the first array of 3 targets through a port), which means I haven't looked at the full stage since I set it up.

It's my turn to shoot.

beeeeep

3 targets through the port,

run off forward and right and shoot 4 targets and 1 steel down the right hand side of the stage,

run straight left and shoot another 5 shots (1 steel and 2 paper),

go through door and have 2 targets on the right,

move over left where I can see the final swinger and 2 targets.... felt awesome.

RO catches up. I'm standing there catching my breath.

he says "ifffffff you are finished.....". I think 'Why the hell did he say it like that?!?!" miss on the swinger maybe? I look at it and it's swinging so slow now I can see 3 hits (2 A 1 C).

ummm I look to my right and there's a single un-shot target sitting next to the array of 2 targets that I shot after coming through the door!?!?! WTF!?!?!

I later find that after I had finished building the stage that morning 1 target had been moved during the RO inspection. god dammit!

I had not done a proper walkthrough since I had walked it a bunch of times when building it to make sure everything was correct. I 'thought' I knew where everything was.

At this point I realise this will be 40 points down out of 160 (2 mikes + 1 FTE). FARK! by now I've already dropped the mag, I quickly yell "not finished" (as he'd asked "if you are finished"), slap in a mag and shoot the final target.

Now I'm thinking. How long was it between my last shot, him arriving, me thinking, me reloading and the final 2 shots?? hmmm. I honestly don't know if it was 2 seconds, 10 seconds? more?

I ask if I can check the timer... the last 2 shots? 15 extra seconds!!!

My 'original time' was 25 seconds 7 points down (well except for the missed target). My final score was 40 seconds still 7 points down (got 2 A's on the final target) .

In hindsight I would have been much better off to leave that target even taking a massive 40 points. In the end it cost me 70 MATCH points... d'oh. Would have been maybe 40-50 match points if I'd left it alone.

lesson learned ALWAYS do a proper walkthrough before you shoot. no matter how well you think you know the COF... It was a stupid mistake and it burned me all the more as it was a smoking stage run. The match winner in open shot it in 22 seconds with about the same points as me. so it was about a 90% run which for me is damn good.

BeerBaron, sorry about your run. It's a good learning situation for all of us, and thanks for sharing it.

Part of the problem was that you had a bad RO, who wasn't doing his job. ROs should treat everyone the same and not give assistance, especially at LII matches. That's what he/she did - gave you a heads-up that you missed something, and you heard it and screwed up even further. For another shooter his assistance might have cued them to move directly to that target, he gets the points, only loses a couple of seconds, and gets a higher score than he earned.

We're supposed to be responsible for our runs. You can't own the success unless you can ride the mistakes. Remember the basic principles of safety, fairness, and efficiency - this one's about fairness, to you and the rest of the competitors.

[BeerBaron]

Agreed. I also agree on the point about RO's needing to be completely un-involved in coaching etc.

To be fair it was a very subtle inflection and may have just been caused by his surprise and not intentionally trying to do anything for me. After all it IS a question - "IF you are finished....." at that point the competitor needs to ask himself "and I finishedd?" and can decide he's not finished and keep shooting, OR he can unload and present his firearms empty chamber for the RO to inspect. I only defend the action as I know this person. He's a conscientious RO (and competitor), knows the rules well and tries his hardest to be fair. in this case it may have been a little slip. We are in the same grade and division so he has no incentive other than 'fair play' to do any special favor for me.

I do agree that the practice of giving the shooter a little verbal clue when somethings gone bad by the inflection on 'iffff you are...' shouldn't happen. It's generally the fact that most RO's want to help people (after all that's why they RO in the first place, to give something back). So I wouldn't go as far to say someone doing it is a bad RO. Just perhaps one who is doing the wrong thing, but from a place of good intentions.

After all they are most usually competitors too and don't like to see people trash an otherwise smoking run.

I defend this incidence on the basis it was very subtle and may in fact have been un-intentional.

You are right, the danger is another competitor may benefit greatly. Or on another run he may not notice the competitor FTE'd a target and thus not give the same assistance. At the end of the day I was completely boned on that run regardless of any action by the RO.

Your point though is important which as RO's we must strive always to be fair. Given we can't be sure we'll always notice a competitors mistakes we can't 'help' by pointing them out when we do notice.

Edited July 14, 2016 by BeerBaron

[Craig N]

1st year I started shooting major IDPA matches I "skipped" a target on stage 8 at my home club's match. Then the next month at VA State I "skipped" a target on Stage 8. Thankfully I got that out of my system and now shoot all the targets on stage 8 no matter how poorly I shoot them.

[Mark R]

Talk about brain fade, we had a USPSA match a week or so ago and one of the competitors is an avid 3-gunner. He shoots really good and before I DQ'ed him, he was like 2nd or 3rd overall in the standings.

He was shooting the last stage of the match (6 stages) and he had a really good run. After targets are scored he walks back under the carport, exhales with satisfaction, and THEN he rips off his belt and gear with the gun STILL in the holster. Another 3-gunner/3gun match director and I look at each other in awe and I say, "hey man, this isn't 3-gun" and I got that deer in the headlight look along with a squeaky turned-head dog look from the competitor. Welcome to DQ...his first ever.

[dynamicalflinch]

That's something I thought I had cured myself of years ago, but we have to be vigilant! Recently, I got so focused in re-learning two arrays after realized their swingers were SLOOOOWWW, and kept rehearsing the new order to perfection. I executed both arrays flawlessly, but forgot to turn around a shoot the last target that was 160 degrees behind me. Lesson learned.... (again).