Rule 8.3.2

[DonT]

Maybe I haven't learned how to concentrate or fully get into the "zone" but I don't think I've ever blown a stage due to a polite reply of "yep".

Everyone does it different

edit cuz can't spell

Edited March 18, 2009 by DonT

[bwit]

Personally, I have a lot more important things to concern my self with at, "Shooter Ready?"

[Sarge]

Hey all. At a recent steel match...

I'm guessing it was not a USPSA match. Why would you expect them to hold to USPSA rules?

Well the guys who put it on are the USPSA guys. All other commands are the same as in the USPA matches I figure if they do it in steel they will do it there as well. Does that make my question more valid? Geeesh

[Sarge]

Gotta love it when the simplest question can get so much attention. The intent of the question was to see what was considered normal practice. For those of you that got it thanks for the replies. Remainder of my rant deleted.

[SharonAnne9x23]

I stand with my hand on the pistol grip. When ready I assume the designated start position. I have had ROs ask if I am ready when my hand is on the pistol. When I ask them if I can start with my hand on the pistol, they say NO, then I say, "guess I am not ready then".

At a USPSA match the RO told me to give him a nod when I was ready. I said NO. From behind the 'RO' we heard 'she is right, she does not have to nod'.

When shooters put up with sloppy ROs you will get sloppy ROs. When you, by your demeaner, demand the RO follow USPSA rules, then you get an RO who will do it right.

When I RO, people 20 feet away can hear my range commands. I have no doubt the shooter can hear me. I follow USPSA range commands at USPSA matches and at the local Paper and Steel shoots on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

As an RO do it right. As a shooter demand it be done right, not by words but by actions.

[VegasOPM]

I shoot for the fun of it- not the structure.

[goalie62]

+1 Vegas

I see no harm in a little nod to signify ready.

I'm not sponsored, I don't get paid for this, I do it for fun and stress relief.

[gino_aki]

I stand with my hand on the pistol grip. When ready I assume the designated start position. I have had ROs ask if I am ready when my hand is on the pistol. When I ask them if I can start with my hand on the pistol, they say NO, then I say, "guess I am not ready then".

At a USPSA match the RO told me to give him a nod when I was ready. I said NO. From behind the 'RO' we heard 'she is right, she does not have to nod'.

When shooters put up with sloppy ROs you will get sloppy ROs. When you, by your demeaner, demand the RO follow USPSA rules, then you get an RO who will do it right.

When I RO, people 20 feet away can hear my range commands. I have no doubt the shooter can hear me. I follow USPSA range commands at USPSA matches and at the local Paper and Steel shoots on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

As an RO do it right. As a shooter demand it be done right, not by words but by actions.

I agree with you in principle but perhaps not in execution...I got corrected in just such a manner in front of all our shooting buddies and the lesson took...but I still didn't appreciate being publicly embarrassed in front of the rest of our friends. Took me awhile to shake that off and look at my bud the same way again. I now look more closely for shooter "cues" as to how their "routine" goes and if I get it wrong, a word on the side afterwords, or at least politely explaining/reminding me of proper procedure goes a long way towards not getting feelings bent. When shooting, if I'm not ready when the RO asks the command I make sure to state clearly "Not Ready!" even if they have asked prematurely. I also nod when I AM ready because I've built it into my routine, it doesn't cost me anything and I believe it helps the RO out. You know how hard a job it is to RO properly, if I as a shooter can make his/her job easier I believe in the overall picture it's my part to do that.

[John Baier]

Use the correct range commands and follow the rulebook as intended. I know that we can get a little lax at the local level but we shouldn't. The same "local" people might have to run a major out of their own club someday. Using the phrase "well, it just a local match" isn't fair to the competitors or the sport.

~John

[Spray_N_Prey]

I stand with my hand on the pistol grip. When ready I assume the designated start position. I have had ROs ask if I am ready when my hand is on the pistol. When I ask them if I can start with my hand on the pistol, they say NO, then I say, "guess I am not ready then".

At a USPSA match the RO told me to give him a nod when I was ready. I said NO. From behind the 'RO' we heard 'she is right, she does not have to nod'.

When shooters put up with sloppy ROs you will get sloppy ROs. When you, by your demeaner, demand the RO follow USPSA rules, then you get an RO who will do it right.

When I RO, people 20 feet away can hear my range commands. I have no doubt the shooter can hear me. I follow USPSA range commands at USPSA matches and at the local Paper and Steel shoots on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

As an RO do it right. As a shooter demand it be done right, not by words but by actions.

+1 on that, and I have had RO's (local usually not certified) ask me "are you ready" while my hand is on the gun and I have to say not ready and it does kinda throw me off, because i'm trying to focus on transitions, proper grip, etc.. and I will NOT say a word nor will I get my hands in the ready position either, some times I have just stopped, turned and looked at the RO while i'm taking a sight picture and they say are you ready??? well it might be common courtesy for the RO to reply, but it's not common courtesy to the shooter if the RO doesn't know the rules. I always go by the book when i'm RO'ing. Don't even get me started on the "if finished" commands, most of the local RO's will screw that up so bad they will say something like "if finished, show slide, holster" or something like that, they won't even say "unload" it drives me nuts, but if you try to correct them, you get a dirty look.

[elynch2007]

I watch the shooter and wait on them to get into the start position and stop all movement before giving the ARE YOU READY, then I do not except a reply. If the shooter moves or take a deep breath then I will issue the ARE YOU READY again. Every shooter needs to be given his or her best opportunity on every stage of every match.

One thing that bugs me is the RO wanting to small talk while you are getting ready to shoot a stage.

If you get an RO that says IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE COURSE OF FIRE they will want an answer to ARE YOU READY.

[lugnut]

OK I have to chime in here. I does bug the crap out of me to get the wrong commands at a local or big match. I took the RO class a year or so ago with George Jones and he would repeatedly stop us if we gave the wrong commands. I have the commands written out on a sticky attached to my PC at work and see them every day. If I get a new shooter while I am RO'ing I always tell them what commands they will get from me and their reaction to those commands. After seeing them around for a while I always hear I really like it when you RO me. I know exactly what is expected and when so and so gives the command I get confused.

When some of the guys went to the Nationals lat year I tried to get them used to hearing just the commands no banter. They said that the RO's there were the same way nothing was said but the range commands.

What really gets in my crawl is when an RO says something like slow down get your points, or something other than MR. It really does throw me out of my routine.

I watch for the breath and hand coming off the gun and in the correct start position before Are you Ready.

I think this is one of the simplest rules that is totally abused in this game and should be one of the easiest to follow.

Thanks for letting me rant for a second.

I just finished the LONG RO course with George as well. He did the same thing to us in class. I was surprised how many regular USPSA shooters/ROs didn't get the commands correct. That being said many of us, myself included, "SO" IDPA matches- and have done so for a while. So commands like "Load and Make Ready" and "The Range is Safe" are hard to stop. Actually it makes me extremely pissed at IDPA for making so many unneccesary changes IMO. You can't imagine how difficult it was even saying "RO" and not "SO" everytime.

I truly understand the need for consistency, I do, and George emphasized that like crazy as he should have. That being said- shooters should also consider that that this sport is run by people that dedicate their free time to the sports we compete in. It's no fun getting ripped by a shooter, nor is it productive It's happened to me and for a while I wasn't sure I wanted to SO/RO anymore.... I have day job that is challenging enough. I do this for fun and to help other shooters in my free time. I understand you should expect more above local club matches (and at every match for that matter). Personally I try to stay mentally focused once I get into the start position and not let anything like that get to me. Further more... like other posters have said- to avoid confusion I always will say "READY" or nod after the RO asks "Are you ready", I think it helps. As an RO you, sometimes when you don't get a "response" your immediate thought is - CRAP! Did I say it loud enough or was he/she focused on something else and blocked it out??". And for the record... I don't have a voice like a mouse. I try to make it easy for me and the RO/SO.

SharonAnne9x23- when you get an RO that does a poor job, I suggest you take them aside after and EXPLAIN to them the importance of getting it "right" instead of ridiculing them at the start position. Personally, I think this is a better way of handling the situation.

[Gary Stevens]

Ego's are somewhat fragile things. If I am going to point out something to an RO that they have done wrong, it is done quietly and on an individual basis. And then I will thank them for volunteering their time and shake their hand as I leave.

One thing to remember is we all got into this sport because of the shooting. I don't know anyone who got into IPSC/USPSA because of the RO job. Those folks do it because someone has to, and it is their way to give back to the sport so that we can all continue with what we love so much.

Always try to treat people like you would like to be treated, up to the point they won't let you, and you won't go too far wrong.

I know RO staff who have worked for me have heard that speech more times than they would like to admit.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Gary Stevens

[pskys2]

As an RO I always look for a sign. For instance at the "Are You Ready" the competitor is looking around and not focused I'll wait. If they give no indications and look ready I'll give the "Stand By" command after 2 to 5 seconds, toward the quicker end if I'm sure, towards the longer if I'm not.

If they're not ready at the Stand By they'll usually stop you, if not it's on with the show.

The thing I hate is the RO who treats these commands and the actuation of the timer as a speed event. I've had a few who hit the timer almost before the Y is heard in Stand By. You should always wait between 2-4 seconds before the timer activates.

WHen I run into something like this, I usually just have a friendly talk to the RO. They're usually either new or haven't done it much, this includes some pretty seasoned competitors though.

If you feel the commands have become a distraction you can stop the whole thing and ask to be given a reset.

[AWLAZS]

I have often wondered about this and since I haven't been shooting that long, where did this "shooter, give me a nod if your ready" and "shooter, indicates that they are ready" stuff come from? I mean, I have read, the steel rules, idpa and uspsa rules, none of the current (within last 2 years) mention any phrases that I often hear. Sorry to drift.

I don't like it when the range commands are messed with like this. I bet they came from a club match. Sometimes people who don't have the RO training step up to help out. Its hard to get some people to understand they are supposed to do it a certain way.

I like to watch the ro run a few shooters. If they add something to the command I want to know before its my turn so I can be ready for it. I have been caught a few time thinking"what did he say " at the beep.

Edited March 24, 2009 by AWLAZS

[XRe]

I'll give the "Stand By" command after 2 to 5 seconds, toward the quicker end if I'm sure, towards the longer if I'm not.

...

You should always wait between 2-4 seconds before the timer activates.

Close... 8.3.3 says 1-4 seconds

I had a gent this weekend RO'ing who would consistently start the timer less than 1/2 second after saying Standby. If you weren't ready for it, you were caught off guard. After I realized how consistent he was with it.... advantage mine...

[lugnut]

I had a gent this weekend RO'ing who would consistently start the timer less than 1/2 second after saying Standby. If you weren't ready for it, you were caught off guard. After I realized how consistent he was with it.... advantage mine...

I guess that's why they tell us to vary the timer start.