Junior Shooter Denied

[Exiledviking]

Alden is shooting the local Steel match tomorrow.

This nice young man is going to keep me on my toes! Good luck!

I hope to be as good of a father as Dave Wilson is.

Edited April 17, 2006 by Exiledviking

[para45]

Let me first say that I don't think any of the clubs I shoot at would have turned him away and I feel he should have made a better effort to see your son shoot. But there are procedures set up to let him shoot at that facility and they were not completed when you had arrived. Here is a suggestion (I think this is what I would have done).....When you arrived you had to go and talk to the MD. He was down on the range setting up a stage for the shoot that was going to happen in the next half hour?? My guess would be he could stop and make sure your boy could shoot (and delay the match) or finish setting up the match so the other XX number of shooters would be able to shoot. I would have said hey MD I can see your really busy trying to get the match going maybe me and my boy could help out (this may have freed up some time for him and you may have been the only help he got so he may be a little indebted to you). Then I went up and started to get ready to shoot the match talking to as many of the local top shooters as I could (not being pushy) and told them the situation. You maybe would have bumped into a ex MD or a GM that helps run the club that would have maybe went to bat for you and your son. They could have taken the burden off the MD that didn't have the time to check him out to say he is OK by squading with you and being responsible. If you shoot and your son helped out pasting resetting steel for the whole match I bet you would have had a whole squad asking the MD to let him join in with them ( I know I would have). I don't think it would have hurt (even worst case) that he only got to watch you shoot the match along with some others to get a taste even if only a spectator to see how the match is shot. Anyways thats what I would have done with those lemons.....tell your son to keep the faith I think he ran into someone having a busy day. Hope to shoot with you and your boy sometime down the road....DVC John

[wsimpso1]

I really don't see what his age has to do with it.

We have always welcomed newcomers regardless of age to local NRA High Power and Small Bore shoots. I go to IDPA and USPSA matches where there are adults who are unknown to the MD and RO's/SO's, and they are allowed to shoot. Who's to say that they are competent?

The whole purpose of the RO/SO is to watch every shooter like a hawk, and call 'em as they see 'em. If any shooter's gun handling or other behaviour pops a rule boundary, you gotta call it, and if it pops a DQ boundary, out they go. And if the shooter handles his or her self well, compliment them on it. Where does the fact that the shooter is a kid have anything to do with it?

I frequently hear the question during the shooter's meeting "Any new shooters here?". It is sometimes followed by asking to spread them around so as to not slow down any particular squad and then they recieve what extra attention is needed from as they flow through the match. Most acquit themselves fine as they figure out the new game.

At the EAA annual fly-in, we had a qualified individual rule, that restricted flight line passes to members of EAA, AOPA, Avaiation Medical Certificate Holders, and their families. Why did we do this? We did not want people handling rare or one-of-a-kind antiques, warbirds, and homebuilt airplanes without permission, much less doing anything untoward or unsafe, like sitting a squalling child on a fabric covered wing. The assumption was there that qualified parents would be pretty good guides, and I have only rarely seen that assumption violated.

Now for rules, we have Unclassified in USPSA and IDPA, which could be plenty for the shooter. I would think that a classification in any of USPSA, IPDA, ICORE, GSSF, NRA or gun associations from other countries in the parent's hand would be qualification enough for a child's first shoot IF the parent is attending the stages. Once a shooter has a classification in one of our sports, regardless of age, the club should not be allowed to say no.

Going further and requiring that a club qualify all walkups "now" is a bit much, but I have shot at clubs where, lacking a classification card in the discipline at hand, a qualified member would walk through the requirements briefly.

Just my piece on growing the sport wisely.

Billski

[Dave Wilson]

Long over due update:

We had gone back the next month and were able to shoot. Alden was run through a new shooter orientation, and he shot the match and had a great time!

After all was said and done, things worked out for us and we both were able to participate in a great venue. The Match direcor/s work their backsides off designing, setting up, and running a great match.

Dave Wilson