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Random Shots – latest news

Congratulations to those who braved the hot weather and occasional light showers (who would have guessed!) to enjoy an outstanding 14 stages at the Scottish Shotgun Championship. Certainly, a massive difference to last year when the ‘Beast from the East’ made it very much an endurance event for all – especially the folks with the timers braving the blizzard! But of course, that is what the Red Shirts do, get the job done in sun, rain and even snow!

We’re now seeing a number of trainee ROs complete their supervised matches and becoming fully qualified UKPSA match officials. And of course, we’ve also seen some welcome old faces returning to our sport after a number of years away. I was touched by the comment from one of our newest ‘Red Shirts’ which sums up for me one of the key benefits of being a UKPSA match official and why we are such an important part of our sport:

Thanks for everything. I still feel very much like a newbie but the more I get out and RO the more confident I’ll get. It’s a very, very different experience from being a competitor. You definitely get a better understanding of what goes on “behind the scenes” and a true respect for all those that work to host and run the competitions.

The NROI is planning another level 1 IROA seminar in October in Dartford (see details below) with more being planned for early 2020 and if you think a friend or club member would make a great RO why not suggest they attend?

As I write this, I’ve just returned from leading a level 3 seminar designed for more experienced UKPSA officials who aspire to become a Range Master in the longer term. As ever I was impressed by the dedication of our people and their willingness to give up two days in a classroom to share and learn from our collective experience.

Coming up we still have many level 2 and 3 matches this season and I know a number of UK officials have volunteered to work at matches abroad (don’t forget that IPSC rules require this to be signed off in advance by our RD and it is essential if you want any match points recognised by the UK NROI). Working at matches overseas is a great way to build experience and a global network of life-long friends! I myself am looking forward to being part of the IROA team at the upcoming IPSC European and South American Handgun Championships, where I plan to meet friends old and new!

Take care and stay safe!

Martyn Spence
NROI Chairman

 

Lessons from the line

Watch that time!
On any stage after safety, scoring and getting an accurate time for every competitor is one of the most important things we do as a match official.

It is important that in your peripheral vision you take note of the recorded time especially as the competitor is completing the stage. In particular, you must as part of your standard procedure note the time as the competitor fires their last shot. That way if the timer fails to pick up the last shot or it picks up noise from another range adding to the recorded time you can take immediate action.

Testing times
IPSC have released the latest version of the process for testing handguns and equipment, for mechanical operation and as part of division checks. To see the latest best practice see IPSC Handgun Equipment Handbook.

Stand out on the range – for all the right reasons!

New red shirts available
We have a great new match official shirt available to purchase at £35 per shirt (see attached info) for fully qualified UK match officials. These shirts are high quality and are customised to the individual match official. If you would like to buy shirts, please can you let me know how many you would like with relevant details (size, name for the shirt etc). by 30th August latest at nroi@ukpsa.org 

ESA Empire Shirts Size Chart

Developing as a match official

Want to upskill or go international – why not attend a level 2 UKPSA/IROA seminar?
I still hope to run a seminar on 10/11 August if we can get enough people interested in building on their experience and who want to progress to the role of Chief Range Officer, the official charged with running a large stage or a number of stages at an international match.

To be eligible for promotion to Chief Range Officer you must normally be:

  • A member of the UKPSA and a certified UKPSA Range Officer
  • Have a minimum of 28 (total accumulated) UKPSA or IPSC match points of which at least 22 are gained at level 2 or 3 UKPSA/IPSC matches
  • successful in passing an IROA Level II or UKPSA level III seminar
  • recommended in writing by a certified Chief Range Officer or Range Master
  • Promotion to Chief Range Officer is not automatic and has to be approved by the NROI committee who will assess your knowledge, experience and ability to manage a team/multiple stages before promotion.If you are interested in attending a level 2 seminar in August or in the longer term, please contact me at nroi@ukpsa.org.

Range Master Seminar – give us your feedback
Congratulations to UKPSA members, David Peacock, Milan Koria and Tim Wyborn who recently successfully completed the level 3 seminar. Depending on their experience and in due course they may be considered for promotion and the NROI committee is keen to hear any feedback on their performance as match officials and how they conduct themselves in line with the Range Master Creed (see the June 2019 edition of the Red Shirt News).

Please can you let me have any feedback at nroi@ukpsa.org by Friday 19th July latest.

Help us build the NROI membership – next Range Officer seminar

The next IROA/IPSC level 1 seminar will be led by Ken Trail at Dartford on 26th/27th October. If you know someone who would be a good RO, why not suggest they attend? Anyone interested in finding out more should contact Ken Trail at vp@ukpsa.org or can contact me at nroi@ukpsa.org.

 

 

Communication Officer

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