Rpope423 Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 So this past weekend I shot the tier 3 Virginia state match. When I got there I geared up, got my equipment checked ate my banana and drank my Red Bull. went to the safe area gonna draw a couple times double check that everything felt fine. Here’s the part that really stumped me: i had a staff worker come over to me and tell me to holster my gun that dry fire was not aloud in the safe area that it’s only to work on your equipment. Me being mind blown I gave a smartass “ok bud” he said that it’s in the rule book that your not aloud to dry fire in the safe area. has anybody else heard of this? I couldn’t find it in rule book good possibility I overlooked it but I find it hard to believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balakay Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 The BOC was wrong: 2.10 Safe Areas Safe Areas must be provided for all local and Sanctioned matches, in convenient locations and in numbers adequate to handle the volume of expected shooters. A Safe Area is defined as a designated area where the following rules apply: 2017 IDPA Rulebook 7 rev 2017.3 A. Each Safe Area must be clearly identified by visible signage, and include a table with the safe direction and boundaries clearly shown. B. Unloaded firearms may be handled at any time. This area is used for bagging or un-bagging a firearm, holstering, drawing, dry firing, or equipment adjustment. C. A Safe Area may also be used for inspections, stripping, cleaning, repairs, and maintenance of firearms, ammunition feeding devices, or related equipment. D. The muzzle of the firearm must be pointed in a safe direction. E. Handling of ammunition, loaded ammunition feeding devices, loose rounds, dummy ammunition, snap caps, simunitions, training rounds, or loaded firearms is not permitted in safe areas. F. A Safe Area may also be used, while accompanied by a SO, to render safe a firearm that has locked up and contains a live round or rounds. G. Reload practice within the Safe Area is not allowed. An empty magazine may be inserted into a firearm to test functionality or to drop the hammer on a firearm with a magazine disconnect, but reload practice is prohibited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 27, 2019 Author Share Posted June 27, 2019 That’s what I figured, every time someone went over to the safe area he’d go over there and tap the them on the shoulder and stop them. Seems like he let the power go to his head. Luckily he’s a local and I’ll see him in a couple weeks to argue his nonsense. Really threw me off my morning match routine and kinda sent me for a whirl on the first stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elguapo Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 I would have told him to go away and come back with the rule book. Until then he could STFU. I absolutely cannot stand ROs/SOs who make up rules and will go toe to toe with them every time. Why? Because when I do something I am positive I am in the right based on the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 I didn’t wanna smart off terribly with him cause I knew he was RO on a stage that had a lot of fault lines and I wasn’t bout to get PE out the arse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 (edited) tell him to STFU till he comes back with rule book and really seriously rethink touching me. Where was this,,, but FYI, fault was as much yours for playing a game and not knowing the rule book. Shooters that dont know the rules are as much at fault for this stuff as match officials that dont know the rules. Edited June 28, 2019 by Joe4d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacomandood Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Shooters that dont know the rules are as much at fault for this stuff as match officials that dont know the rules.Definitely this. All you need is to put the rule book in front of his face one time for some BS made-up rule like that and he’ll probably knock it off... for a little while at least. I think I’m more surprised that you say he did the same thing to a couple others and none of them told him off either. Now there’s at least a handful of others out there that are gonna go around spreading his BS and thinking he was in the right. Definitely address this with him next time, but try and do so tactfully and privately; some of these BOCs don’t like being told they’re wrong like that lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elguapo Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 10 minutes ago, tacomandood said: Now there’s at least a handful of others out there that are gonna go around spreading his BS and thinking he was in the right. That's the real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 6 hours ago, Joe4d said: but FYI, fault was as much yours for playing a game and not knowing the rule book. I knew it was bull because not once have I ever heard of that. Only reason I didn’t really go off cause 1.) I didn’t wanna get worked up and pissed of 2.) i wasn’t tryin to cause a scene cause with that guy that’s where it would’ve went. trust me when I say I’m gonna make sure he’s fully aware that he was in the wrong at the next local Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 Not only that but some of the guys he ran out of the safe area have been shooting major matches for a very long time and they didn’t tell him to “stfu” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 It's because if you compete often you get used to officials being ummm, misinformed. You pick and choose when to make it an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racinready300ex Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 It's really pretty typical for a IDPA match, I've been to level 3's and had rules being enforced differently from one bay to the next. Like Rowdyb said you have to pick your battles. 10 hours ago, tacomandood said: Now there’s at least a handful of others out there that are gonna go around spreading his BS and thinking he was in the right. I was at a match last year and a shooter on my squad got a PE. The SO said he knew it was a PE because he got one for the same thing the year before at a major. And the SO that gave him that PE said she knew it was a rule because she had previously gotten the same PE at a major. As a squad we thought it was BS and told him to call the MD, who is also the AC. The MD overturned the PE and explained the current wording of the rule to the SO. Good example of how this stuff just spreads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 It was just hard for me to pick a fight at 730AM and completely throw me off track for the day. I left it alone to deal with later. I was just happy to win ESP/SS at the end of the day, but I know now to be a little less lenient with SO/RO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racinready300ex Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 12 minutes ago, Rpope423 said: It was just hard for me to pick a fight at 730AM and completely throw me off track for the day. I left it alone to deal with later. I was just happy to win ESP/SS at the end of the day, but I know now to be a little less lenient with SO/RO I'm not sure what I would of done. I probably would of looked at him funny at least. It wouldn't be worth getting worked up over. I typically just try to roll with what ever they are trying to tell me to do it's just not worth the hassle. I try to relax and have fun. But, if they give me to much s#!t I know the rule book pretty well to push back when needed. And I'm not afraid to take it to go over the CSO's head. Same goes for USPSA, but I've only run into a situation where I felt I was getting hosed by the CRO once and had to call the RM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elguapo Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 The confrontation doesn't need to be angry. A calm "you're wrong about that, please go read a rule book" then going back to dry firing would work just fine. Don't lay hands on me tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacomandood Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 I can understand the feeling of not wanting to argue. Still, it's important to know the rules yourself when it could be the difference between winning and losing at a major match. I'd hate to get burned by some stupid, misinterpreted technicality that would cost me a win. That's why I'm always quick to try and correct others if I think/know something is wrong. If I'm the one that's wrong then that's fine and I'll shut my dumb mouth lol. The recent determination about start positions for "hands relaxed at sides" has been a big point of contention with people lately, and I tell them about having to specifically specify in the WSB. Still, there's almost always that one fudd that hits you with the "well that's now how we've been doing it for the last 25 years". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 If I were on my toes I'd open the rule book and point to sentence 4 of 2.10 and ask him to read it out loud while I continued dry firing (we always think of the best stuff when we're not in the moment). But at 7:30 AM with a lot of other stuff on your mind, yeah, I get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 I mean I definitely didn’t just let it fly I argued with him that there was no such thing and that we dry fired before last year state match and even pointed out where. Threw in a little smart laugh and said okay bud whatever you say and went on with my day. As far as rules go I know pretty much everything else for when I step up to the line. But that one just threw me for a twist of a bunch of WTF moments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) Dry fire at home before you leave for the match. In other competitive things I've done wonderful advice I've been given was "NEVER leave it to the officials." As far as pick your battles, at times I've just said quietly "yeah whatever" and gave in. Other times I've said very sternly "NO" and refused to leave the stage until the item was redressed. There spectrum of jerk to a hole to maniac is pretty long, lot's of places both sides can occupy on it at any given time. ps-most, definitely not all, but most match officiants are not in the top 10 of a match if ya know what i mean. Edited June 29, 2019 by rowdyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elguapo Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 1 hour ago, rowdyb said: ps-most, definitely not all, but most match officiants are not in the top 10 of a match if ya know what i mean. But you'll get good cookies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 1 hour ago, rowdyb said: As far as pick your battles, at times I've just said quietly "yeah whatever" and gave in. Other times I've said very sternly "NO" and refused to leave the stage until the item was redressed. There spectrum of jerk to a hole to maniac is pretty long, lot's of places both sides can occupy on it at any given time. If the RM/MD wants to, they can find a "something" to support their position when backed into a corner. A while back I actually wasted my time taking something to arbitration. The MD/RM (who had no RO or CRO credentials) advised he was the final say in the matter. He spent 15+ minutes going through the rulebook unsuccessfully trying to justify his position. I on the other hand quickly found the relevant portion of the book that supported my side. The bottom line he decided that if I wanted to push the issue I would be DQ'd with USPSA Rule 10.6.1 (Unsportsmanlike Conduct). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt1 Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 As Ben Stoeger says, you are your own jailer. You can choose to put up with it... or not.For lesser mortals though, sometimes it’s better to smile & nod than be “Range lawyer” that all the RO’s hate.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rpope423 Posted June 29, 2019 Author Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, rowdyb said: ps-most, definitely not all, but most match officiants are not in the top 10 of a match if ya know what i mean. Edited 17 hours ago by rowdyb This dude definitely didn’t end up in top 10... 113th out of 175 Edited June 29, 2019 by Rpope423 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Maybe try running or working a few matches before bad mouthing staff with a blanket statement like that. Without said staff you wouldnt have a match.. Yep nothing like working all day building stages, and tweaking stuff then rushing through the "staff" shoot before it gets dark to contribute to a great finish. That or running a squad all day, while all the other shooters smoke and joke in the shade, then getting up to shoot... Repeat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Being a volunteer doesn't make you a victim. 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