iainmcphersn Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I'm at a point where I feel OK as the shooter and want to do more to help with RO'ing. This past weekend was my first time running timer and it showed. I had run the timer for half the squad at a field stage and we were starting the last stage which required the shooter to move back from an open van door and begin engaging targets. I was not familiar with the timer and it had gone to sleep between stages. I flipped it off and on again and figured it was good to go. Unfortunately, I had been running the previous stage with it set on instant on and it came back on with a random start. After one false start, I restarted the timer again (with the random start) and was caught flat footed when the buzzer went off. My shooter had to yell for me to get out of the way and watch out for my safety rather me watching for his. I was so fuzzy that I ran through the stage with him thinking "Reshoot" without stopping him so we could do that. As soon as he was complete we both agreed that a reshoot was necessary and I passed the timer over to the other RO on the stage. It really sucks when you screw yourself up but it does not compare to knowing you've screwed up someone else. I'll resolve to better understand any equipment I'm using and ask if I have a question (even if it's the last stage and we're all tired). I'll resolve to keep a clear head and if I'm too foggy at the moment, stop and swap out. (Maku mozo indeed.) I'll resolve to recognize when I make an error and correct it as soon as possible without letting things play out. I thought about posting this in "Things I Hate" since that's how I feel about it but it's really a match screw up. Abashed but perhaps somewhat wiser, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 John, Everyone who's good at the ROing thing has done something like this while becoming good. Learn from the experience --- and get ready for the next mistake...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerjg Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I screwed up being an RO more than a couple of times. One match i was fiddleing with the timer, one of those CED 'Game boy's', and accedently put it on cumlative time mode. No one figured it out till somone shot the stage really quickly and the time was like 150 seconds. OOPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Last year at the Area 5 I am RO for Kay Miculek. While scoring her run I am going along "Alpha-Charlie", "Alpha-Charlie", "Alpha-Charlie", "Alpha-Charlie", and as I walk pass the two Alpha hits I call out "Alpha-Charlie". Of course I did not have time to be embarrassed in the least since about 20 Warrior Princess's were yelling at me as even I realized what I had just said.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Like everyone else has said...welcome to the club. There is exactly one way too get comfortable running shooters: Run more shooters. It doesn't have to be in a match though. Find a buddy or three that are experienced (and preferably certified & current) RO's and set up and run practice stages with them. They can help iron out the bumps with you. I did a lot of this with my shooting buddy and it helped a ton. And get thee to a Level 1 RO course ASAP. Your confidence will definately improve after the course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Even a RM makes mistakes. Don't worry you are just "range equipment" and can have a failure too. ROing is hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I think my worst so far was at a 3-gun match when I was running the clipboard for a shooter on a multi-gun stage. I can't remember the round count but it was way up there and involved all three guns. This particular shooter was shooting a bolt action .308 for the rifle part but managed to put it all together to have a smoking fast run. We were all so busy congratulating him that I neglected to record his time. I really felt horrible about it when we finally found the mistake but it got even worse when he had big problems during his reshoot. His disappointment was obvious but I really have to hand it to him for handling the whole situation with patience and class. I think I would have preferred it if he had just beat me with a stick. That's a lesson I'll never forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRD Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Patches: BTDT. That's the absolute worst feeling on the range. Forgetting to record the time and ruining someone's good run is just....ugh. - Gabe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I've made some mistakes myself Just remember, though, "range karma" has a way of evening things out. Sometimes you'll make a mistake that hurts a shooter's score, sometimes it'll help (the reshoot they get results in a much better run...). But, either way, you *ARE* human after all (aren't you?? ). Mistakes will happen - it's how you handle them that makes it good or bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Baier Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Mistakes, no, rather think of them as lessons learned. And I have learned a lot of lessons so far . I just try not to make the same ones a second time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 In other words, good judgement as an RO comes from experience. Experience, of course, comes from bad judgement.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Baier Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 In other words, good judgement as an RO comes from experience. Experience, of course, comes from bad judgement.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 At least you didn't start a shooter with someone down range... ... that happened this weekend, and the RO went from 6'4" to about 5' in a half a second. It does suck though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 At least you didn't start a shooter with someone down range...... that happened this weekend <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ugh.... that sucks Another suggestion from my Level I course was to always be the last guy off the stage, if you have the box - and inspect the course for possible "traps" where someone could avoid your gaze, and figure out how to walk out of the stage so that you cover them. Obviously, wisdom that was gained by "experience"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainmcphersn Posted May 4, 2005 Author Share Posted May 4, 2005 Thanks for the insight and wisdom. I'll try to make this experience pay off in good judgement later. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folsoml Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Smooth seas don't make a good sailor. I'm new to competitive shooting and even newer to ROing. It seems like most shooters I've encountered are really easy going, and are forgiving of most mistakes. I've dealt with some type A personality jerks is some other sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now