Friendly Tease/help/suggestions @ Match

[Rikarin]

I was really unhappy aobut this...... when I arrived one stage at Golden Bullet match, one of the guy there who was hanging out with RO told me "you need to finish shooting in 4 minues" and I took look at the watch its 10:46. I said " I thought its till noon" and he said "it has changed. Didn't you read?"

Boy, it totally rattled me, until real RO denied it. Of course he was friendly joking but it really threw me out siriously.

This one was difficult not to get me because it sounded very official. sigh... Shoting is really a mental game.

[schoonie]

There's enough stress at a match that you don't need any extra from pratical jokers. You've got to do your homework before you report to the range, ie; what is my squad number, when do I start, where do we start, .... The more informed you are the less likely someone can get away with jerking you string, pulling your leg, etc..

I was given some missleading information at the nationals about how to shoot a stage, nothing overt, just enough information to formulate a less than optimal plan. I guess the idea was to throw off a competitor just enough to take him out of play. My fault for being gullible!

Lesson learned: you only have yourself to rely on so give yourself the best opportunity to succeed!

[HI5-O]

A similar thing happened to me at the Open Nationals this year after given the LAMR command.

Later I was reassured by the CRO that if anything like that happens in the future, take the time to re-group. Won't be a problem. Don't let it affect you too much, something new learned.

Barry

[EricW]

I feel your pain. I just had someone pull that BS on me at GSSF and boy was I mad as hell. I asked *twice* for some extra time between strings because something just didn't seem right with the mag that I had and my other mags were in another booth because we were forced to switch booths during the COF. There was no line of shooters, no rush, and no reason to refuse my request.

"Hey, could you give me a minute here?"

"LOAD AND MAKE READY!"

"Can you give me just a couple minutes here, I think I have a problem."

"LOAD AND MAKE READY! STANDBY...."

So, I just stuffed what ever I had in my gun. Gun jammed on the last shot and I finished -10, which is flat out death in GSSF these days since it's been so dummied down, it's down to a battle of the X-counts.

I hate getting rushed by people while shooting. I can pressure myself without any outside intervention, thank you.

[kevin c]

It's a bit late, Eric, but you could email Chris at GSSF. Glock wants to encourage people to buy their product. Having an RO turn somebody off by acting like a jerk is definitely not what they want.

FWIW

Kevin C.

[EricW]

Kevin,

Thanks, but I've already made my point loud and clear to those parties responsible. I really don't want to relive the incident, but it's sh*t like that which just wrecks your whole weekend. It was more than just the -10. It was the fact that I know that guy loved ramrodding shooters because he knew it would generate reshoot revenue. In the end, I guess I don't care. I shot better than most of those goofballs with my carry gun with a NY1 trigger.

Rikarin really brings home that fact that we have a responsibility to create an environment where every one can shoot their best. I think joking around on the line is just fine, but some "jokes", especially the "gotcha!" kind, need to be rethought. Neither the time nor the place.

[TriggerT]

I will joke like that ONLY with people I know. You never know how someone is going to take a "joke" and the last place I want to mess up a persons mojo is at a match.

[spook]

The annoying thing is these jokes are mostly made by people who can't or don't shoot (well at) the match. They have nothing to lose and just try to goof around, not realizing that they can do some serious damage. I remember shooting my first Level III match two years ago. One of the RO's asked Saul Kirsch how fast he would shoot the stage. When he heard the time, he asked something like: "Oh yeah, well how many mikes are you going to shoot then?"

Meant as a joke but it would totally piss me off.

[cliffwalsh]

schoonie,

Your one to talk. Every time Jim RO's me, I have to pull his finger. No wonder I get so many mikes.

[schoonie]

Cliffy,

I'm surprised to here you say or admit that!

I didn't think that anything penetrated that calm , cool, rock steady demeanor of yours.

I can assure you that any thing I may have said was purely in self defense to your rapier quick wit, Einstein like observations, and Dennis Leary commentary.

I'm also surprised to hear that a shooter at your greatly admired and exhaulted level admit to a single miss!

Are you shooting this Saturday in Haines City?

[Rikarin]

Indeed. There's nothing I can do to control nice firendly people just joking around to me without malicious intent, I need to prepare myself and rely myself only. Tough to be have a lot of friend at range! Maybe I should bring my wrestler friend to the match to do the "bouncer" :D

[Religious Shooter]

What doesn't kill ya... makes you stronger. F' em.

Of course that's easier said than done.