I wish it was, but it's not original to me. This time of year it's advice worth repeating. Any more rules to add? Rule #1: Obey the Rules Rule #2: Lead by example. No matter how good you think your reason is to knowingly breach The Rules, it is never good enough. Rule #3: Guide the uninitiated. It is forbidden for someone familiar with The Rules to knowingly assist another in breaching them. Rule #4: It’s all about the shooting. It is, absolutely, without question, unequivocally, about the shooting. Anyone who says otherwise is obviously a twatwaffle. Rule #5: Harden the "fudge" up. Rule #6: Free your mind and your rifle will follow. Your mind is your worst enemy. Do all your thinking before you start shooting. Once the match starts wrap yourself in the sensations of shooting – the perfection of your NPA, the feel of the rifle in your shoulder, the crispness of the front sight, the push of the recoil, the feeling of power that comes with projecting your will on an object several hundred yards away. Rule #7: Attention to equipment matching will be casually indifferent. Equipment is chosen for function, period. While occasional allowances for appearance can be made, such allowances must never, ever, interfere with function in any way. For example, when choosing a new shooting glove, any effort, however slight, to match glove color to coat color will be met with ridicule and derision. The odder the color scheme the more likely the shooter to purely focused on the shooting (see Rule 4). Mixtures of old, badly worn and weathered gear with spanking gear, all chosen for function are highly encouraged. Rule #8: Practice is no place to get your gear wet. Any apparent contradictions with Rule #9 show only your lack of understanding of the subtleties involved. Rule #9: If the weather during a match never ever causes you to consider not shooting that day, you are a bad-***, period. (See Rule #5) If a course of fire is being conducted, we will be shooting, period. Rule #10: It never gets easier, you just shoot better. (See Rule #5) Training is hard work. Training is like fighting a gorilla. You don’t stop when you get tired. You stop when the gorilla gets tired. Rule #11: Family does not come first, the shooting does. (See Rule #5) Rule #12: The correct number of any piece of Highpower gear to own is n+1 with “n” being the number you currently own. Rule #13: If you badger the match director with special requests for particular relays or firing points you are a douchebag. (See Rule #5) Certain allowances can be made here when a particular assignment will facilitate helping or sharing gear with a new shooter or an inexperienced junior in need of coaching. Rule #14: Certain camo patterns are earned not purchased. For example, an adult, not currently in, or a veteran of, the armed services should never wear camo patterns currently issued to any branch. Allowances can be made for packs, stools, boonie hats, or hydration systems as long as the particular pattern was on sale and cheaper than other colors at the time of purchase. Law enforcement officers can wear whatever camo pattern was issued by their department, but it is discouraged and never both top and bottom at the same time. Surplus out of date camo patterns can be worn by anyone when it was purchased cheaply, for function, and again, never top and bottom together. Junior shooters, appropriately in awe of the military personnel conducting shooting clinics, are allowed to wear whatever camo patterns they desire. Rule #15: If you weren’t there, you can’t wear it. If you are wearing apparel from a particular match, you better have been there and competed in said match. Year-marked apparel from the Nationals can only be worn if you were there that year. Rule #16: Be ready to start before the posted start time. ‘Nuff said. Rule #17: Good pit service will be provided at all times, period. Receiving lousy pit service is quite simply never a valid excuse to provide lousy service in return to “teach someone a lesson.” Instead, be a man and talk to them face to face during pit change and ask for better service. If witnessing lousy service by another shooter while in the pits, man up and tell them how to do better. If they still provide lousy service the douchebaggery is then on them and not you. Ignoring it only means you own part of it. Rule #18: Good scoring service will be provided at all times, period. The only thing that is possibly more important than the shooting is scoring for another shooter. You will pay attention. You will know how many shots were fired in rapids. You will know when a target was pulled from under your shooter. You will be his/her staunch advocate in matters dealing with the rules and match officials. Choosing to take a hit on your own score in a dispute or a mistake may well be an honorable thing, but allowing or causing the same for another shooter when scoring due to a lack of focus on your part is simply unforgivable. Rule #19: Introduce yourself. When squadded with shooters you don’t know introduce yourself before shooting starts. Rule #20: Shorts and sandals are frowned upon. They are permitted, but expect to take some abuse. (See Rule #5) Further, any and all brass burns in places protected by normal shooting gear (long pants and boots) must be suffered in complete silence. (See Rule #5) If you have properly attired yourself and receive brass burns you are allowed to complain about them, but only in moderation. Rule #21: Semi-auto rifles eject hot brass. It is entirely appropriate to position stools, trim ejectors and springs, etc to prevent showering your neighbor with hot brass. It is entirely inappropriate to expect such actions from your neighbor. (See Rules 4 and 5) Rule #22: Sometimes you just have to man-up in the pits. When you have a visible impact area, count 10 hits in a small portion of it, count 9 holes in the middle of the target, and the line verifies 10 shots fired, one of those holes IS a double. Find it. Rule #23: Don’t be a jackass.If you absolutely have to be a jackass, make damn sure you are a funny jackass. Rule #24: Be self sufficient. Bring all the stuff you need to every match. If you do, someday, when you do forget something, everyone will be glad to help you out; even if they are helping you beat them. If you consistently forget your stuff and beg it off others, you are a non-funny jackass. Shooters will still help you out but they will resent every second of it. Whenever possible bring extra good gear to loan to the former and corresponding crappy gear to loan to the latter.
