Dave Wilson Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 My son Alden got his RO card, and patch, in the mail last week. He just turned 12 and ended up with a 94% on his test. The main reason he wanted to go through the course was to learn more, and he got that in spades. We knew going in that he wouldn't be running his own squad any time soon. The bad part is that with my days off, it will be a while before I will be off to shoot USPSA at our club. He had a question for me.... How old is the youngest USPSA RO? Anybody?? Dave Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 That is too cool! You should be proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtr Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I thought I was pretty young for an RO (27), but your kid has me beat by a longshot, you should be proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidball Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 (edited) My son Alden got his RO card, and patch, in the mail last week. He just turned 12 and ended up with a 94% on his test. The main reason he wanted to go through the course was to learn more, and he got that in spades. We knew going in that he wouldn't be running his own squad any time soon. My son (age 13) completed the Level I training in March. We let him run shooters when we are practicing or having a casual match. I think he would be capable of running and scoring shooters at a club match but I would hate to have him have to make a DQ decision. He's good on the clipboard so we let him do that. I'm not sure what the youngest RO is. I suppose it depends on how you define it. Do you mean youngest to be certified? Youngest to actually RO at a club match? Youngest to RO at a Level II match (or higher)? Interesting question. Maybe someone from Sedro Wooley can enlighten us. Edited May 25, 2006 by davidball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Good for him! No reason for him not to run a squad its a learn by doing job. Just team him up with more experienced 'score keeper' and go shoot. Way to go Alden! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hey QuicksDraw! Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Great new Dave! You must be very proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgary Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I think Bryan Jones was 14 or so when he worked as an RO (not CRO, but RO) at the 2000 LimNats in Pennsylvania. If the person is competent, cool under pressure, and knows his stuff, I don't think age matters.... Bryan did a phenomenal job, even with the Super Squad. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 We knew going in that he wouldn't be running his own squad any time soon. First, congrats and thank you for getting him involved early in the shooting sports, and especially in USPSA! Second, feel free to have him apply to any of the Area or National matches (that I work), and state on the staff application that 'I requested him'. I have taken several 'young RO's' under my wing (although most were young to USPSA, not necessarily in age), and I haven't heard any complaints. In fact, one of my BIGGEST joys is having a 'new RO' at either a club, Sectional, Area, or National match tell me that 'they cannot run shooters' (or especially, the Super Squad at big matches). At least so far, I have successfully taken every one of them through their first big match, and by the end of the match, I am usually FIGHTING THEM for the timer with them telling me.... 'I WANT TO RUN THIS SQUAD'!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardschennberg Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Ironically, the only restrictions may be against being the timer RO for competitors under 18 or 21. Check with the supervision requirements in the state where the match is held. In some states a parent or guardian present might allow both the shooter and RO to be under 18. Always comply with local club rules as well, and I would not recomment trying this in NY state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mactiger Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 He's the youngest that I've ever heard of. Congratulations! Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 He might be the youngest NROI RO ever. FWIW, I went through the IROA course when I was 12 or 13 back 1989 or 1990. However, my IROA certification has long since expired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Wilson Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks for all the kind words for the kid. He thinks it's pretty cool to be the youngest (so far) and better to have beat his dads score on the RO test. Alden has run shooters at steel matches and some ICORE static stages in the past at club matches. It's great seeing him gain confidence in himself as an RO as he does it more often. At the monthly indoor match that I put on he also RO's there with some of the more seasoned shooters. I haven't heard from anyone yet that had a problem with the way he has ran them. I have noticed that there are usually 2 different views on Alden shooting and ROing. There are those that are very suportive and glad that he is there , as juniors in any sport are that sports future. There are also those that have had bad experiences with juniors and automaticly believe that a meltdown will happen with him, just give him time. So far the latter have been proven wrong at every turn. I somehow ended up with a great kid that hasn't totaly lost his cool in the face of adversity yet, manages to keep having fun pulling trigger, and listens. I will continue to make sure he has the oportunity to RO when we can, and get him around those with a lot of experience to share and learn from. Dave Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 That's awesome. Its always good to hear about a junior who is so involved in the sport! Hopefully, he'll keep running into more folks that have positive attitudes about juniors shooting IPSC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbmd Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Excellant! another junior on the rise. I do believe Troy is correct. I know BJ Norris was around 12 or 13 when he became a certified RO and was a local match director at 14 I believe. Don't let folks deter you, stay focused on the task at hand. Some will try to intimidate you into changing a penalty or an miss to a scoring hit. Know the rules but apply them fairly. It will take time to gain respect but once you have it, most all probelms will fall by the wayside. Looking for staff for the 2007 Summer Blast, want to help? Just remember "Juniors are the Future" Larry USPSA Junior Coordinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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