Pay Attention

[Nik Habicht]

A few months ago I got to a match late and only had time to help with the set-up on one of the stages.  I started on a different stage and was busy loading magazines and adjusting my gear during the walkthrough.  The stage was pretty simple.  Start in a box, shoot a few target, move to a barricade and shoot a few more.  In between the box and the barricade were two pepper poppers in a row with barrels and no-shoots creating a tunnel surrounding them so that you couldn't see them from either the box or the barricade.  The idea was that you would have to stop, crouch or kneel to shoot the two poppers through the tunnel, and then move to the barricade.  I'm the first shooteron the squad. I noticed when I stepped into the box, that I could see the very top of one of the poppers if I stood on tip-toe.  So I shot the popper from the box, hustle down the fault line, drop into a quick crouch, hit the other popper and hustle to the barricade to finish, congragulating myself all the way on my effective gamesmanship in eliminating the wait for the first popper to fall.  As soon as my gun is back in the holster, the R.O. asks " Why didn't you shoot the mini-popper?"

"What mini-popper?," I reply.  The course designer put a mini-popper between the two pepper poppers ---- so if you're gonna try to game a stage, I recommend making sure you know where all the targets are........

[eerw]

Definitely so...even after I help set up stages..The first thing I look for is the round count on a stage and then account for every one of them before I even begin to do a walk through..its just too easy to miss a plate or small popper..

[bobtorre]

good point

[jaymitch]

This is a very good point. Helping with setup does help a great deal. Normally when I have helped with setup I shot better, it just gives you a better perspective on the course of fire. I have also got into the habit of personally reading the course description even if someone else has already red it out loud. More than once I have caught mistakes in the first persons reading. This way if I run short on rounds or have a FTE I can't blame anyone but myself.

[dsmw5142]

I understand totally. I shoot IDPA and USPSA both. Last month, in a IDPA match, I was called out to work the night before, showed up late and missed the walk through. My squad was on the last of six stages and I was feeling pretty good about my match and got to jaw jacking with some new shooter about reloading. When it came to my turn, I stepped up on line and felt like I burned it down. When I was done, the SO for the squad dinged me with a procedural for not shooting the first two targets from retention like the first five (and every other shooter) shooters who did it the right way

From now on, I'm definitely going to look at the stage AND read the stage design plan.

Edited July 5, 2010 by dsmw5142

[FN fan]

Yup, I know what your talking about, made a few mistakes not paying attention to round count that came down hard on a few sessions.

[gohuskers]

I think the buzzer causes a loss of IQ. At least it does for me.

[Flexmoney]

I think the buzzer causes a loss of IQ. At least it does for me.

I think it's your avatar!

[OpenDot]

Nothing like hearing the following after a stage... 2 Aplha's, 2 Aplha's, 2 Aplha's, 2 Mikes, 2 Aplha's,2 Aplha's...

Edited September 20, 2010 by G17G4

[Strick]

Helping to set up and missing a target is not as bad as being the MD and forgetting one......Duh!