Turbulent Turtle
F-TR competitor
I know we've talked about this in the past, but what I saw last weekend at TSRA prompted me to broach the subject again. I was unable to attend the first day of shooting but after I had concluded my other obligations, I drove to the range to observe and get into the spirit for the next day.
Most people think of scoring as a relaxing part of the match and they can just slack off and just scribble a few things because they have little to do. That is so wrong and on so many levels.
First and foremost, the scorer is acting as a safety officer. We had a situation last year where some yahoo was making "funny" comments about shooting during the prep period. I was a shooter on the line at that time and this was occurring several positions over on my right. Nobody told that jerk to shut up and sure enough we had someone next to him fire a round during the prep period. After a little bit of an argument, the shooter got off only losing 10 points, a miss on his first for record. His scorer let him down, and if I had been in charge of the line, I would have tracked down the comedian and sent him or her home.
This year, as usual, we had a few crossfires. When they occurred, everyone was screaming crossfire, crossfire but the interesting part is that in a least one case, the crossfire was not attributed to anyone. How could that be? Simple, the scorer was not doing his job and someone got away shooting on someone else's target without affecting his or her score. Not only that but the line, or at least a few shooters to the right or left of the target that was crossfired on were disrupted for a bit. All that because the scorer didn't do his or her job.
Observing the line, I noticed that most of the scorers have their eye glued to the spotting scope during the entire relay. Some of them had to be reminded by their shooter to call out the score at times or to call for a mark. That last one is too much. Not to worry though, I see this at many matches including Nationals and even Worlds.
We all drift off during scoring, especially if the pace is slow and it's hot and you're tired and old. I know, because I've done it.
As a scorer I want to be as unobtrusive as I can but give the proper feedback and stay alert. The first thing I do is position myself close to my shooter but far enough away as to not be in his or her way. I want to be able to announce the score and round count without having to scream it. We have people who bellow the score and round count for their shooter loud enough everyone on the line knows it. You don't want to do that; just loud enough for your shooter to hear, not the person in the pits.
Next, I try to get the score card way before the shooter gets on the mat; nothing like a quick jog back to the parking lot or a mad scramble through the equipment to get the shooter ready for the match.
I verify with the shooter as to what information he or she wants and I stick to that. Some people like to be reminded that their last shot is coming up, others do not. I have evolved to the point where I do not like to be reminded and that's my default position as a scorer. Unless my shooter is a tyro, I'm certain he or she will properly indicate to me when it's time for record. For a newbie, I will remind him or her to let me know.
Until we get to prep time, it is my duty as scorer to make sure my shooter has the ECI inserted at all times and safety rules are being observed.
When prep time starts, I remind my shooter that we are in prep time and add "No Ammo." I then keep an eye on him or her as many remove their ECI at that time and open up there box of ammunition. I have stopped a few people from putting a cartridge in the chamber during prep time; it's rare, but it has happened.
When prep time is over, I wish my shooter luck with something like: "Target 12. Good luck, Joe."
I keep an eye on my shooter all the time. When the bolt closes on a cartridge, I'll glance at the target line to make sure the target is up and I keep looking at the shooter. It's easy to see the target line and make sure the target is not going down before the shot. I can even do this looking through the spotting scope with my right eye and watching my shooter with my left eye.
When my shooter takes the shot, I wait for about 2 seconds and if the target it not going down, I am getting ready to call for a mark within a another second or two, I am calling for the mark, not my shooter. As scorer, that is my job. Every time my shooter fires, the target MUST come down and be scored. If my shooter crossfired, I will know and mark the score accordingly.
If I see the target has gone down and my shooter has not fired, I will so inform the shooter. Then if the target is not back up within a few seconds (scored or not,) I will call for the target to come back up. I will tell my shooter to disregard whatever score it may have. I do not announce to the world and demand to know who crossfired on the target. I don't care, it's not my business. All I know is that my shooter did not shoot and we continue. (Internally, I sure hope that the scorer of the person who crossfired is doing his or her job and calling for a mark on their target.)
If a cease fire is called I will so instruct my shooter and make sure he or she follows the directions from the match director. This could be anything from stop, to open bolt and insert ECI, to whatever. It is my job as a "safety officer" to make sure my shooter complies with the commands. The shooter may be in a state of confusion coming out of a total focus on a shot, I try to provide calm directions. The last thing I want to do is say something like "What's going on? Why the cease fire?" That's not important. What is important is that directions from the MD are followed. Then the shooter can relax.
During the relay, I provide value and shot count. I am ready to relay the time remaining and so on but I keep the talk to a bare minimum. I also will motion for others to shut their trap and go elsewhere if they want to talk. Some people like to discuss their just completed string with their scorers and others, and that's fine but do it elsewhere. I don't like people coming to talk to me while I am scoring; I try to focus on my shooter as much as possible but we are all human.
When the last shot is taken, I tell my shooter: "All out, insert your ECI," and I wait for him or her to do that. Some matches have the scorer and shooter sign that the ECI is in. If the shooter gets up and lifts his or her rifle without an ECI, you have failed as a scorer and in some venues you can be disqualified along with the shooter. I have seen ECIs fall after being inserted and the rifle lifted. Just tell the shooter and deal with it.
Make sure to get the last score and then add up the scores. Please do it correctly. I have had to ask my scorers several times over the years to re-add my score as they had made a mistake, I find the mistake is usually in my favor and it irks me to ask them to reduce my score; I can't remember when someone gave me a lower score than what I shot. On the other hand, I have been shorted Xs as many times and I have been given too many.
After the competitor has signed the card, I, as the scorer, must hand it to an official and then I may help the shooter remove his or her junk from the line, especially if I'm shooting next.
Most people think of scoring as a relaxing part of the match and they can just slack off and just scribble a few things because they have little to do. That is so wrong and on so many levels.
First and foremost, the scorer is acting as a safety officer. We had a situation last year where some yahoo was making "funny" comments about shooting during the prep period. I was a shooter on the line at that time and this was occurring several positions over on my right. Nobody told that jerk to shut up and sure enough we had someone next to him fire a round during the prep period. After a little bit of an argument, the shooter got off only losing 10 points, a miss on his first for record. His scorer let him down, and if I had been in charge of the line, I would have tracked down the comedian and sent him or her home.
This year, as usual, we had a few crossfires. When they occurred, everyone was screaming crossfire, crossfire but the interesting part is that in a least one case, the crossfire was not attributed to anyone. How could that be? Simple, the scorer was not doing his job and someone got away shooting on someone else's target without affecting his or her score. Not only that but the line, or at least a few shooters to the right or left of the target that was crossfired on were disrupted for a bit. All that because the scorer didn't do his or her job.
Observing the line, I noticed that most of the scorers have their eye glued to the spotting scope during the entire relay. Some of them had to be reminded by their shooter to call out the score at times or to call for a mark. That last one is too much. Not to worry though, I see this at many matches including Nationals and even Worlds.
We all drift off during scoring, especially if the pace is slow and it's hot and you're tired and old. I know, because I've done it.
As a scorer I want to be as unobtrusive as I can but give the proper feedback and stay alert. The first thing I do is position myself close to my shooter but far enough away as to not be in his or her way. I want to be able to announce the score and round count without having to scream it. We have people who bellow the score and round count for their shooter loud enough everyone on the line knows it. You don't want to do that; just loud enough for your shooter to hear, not the person in the pits.
Next, I try to get the score card way before the shooter gets on the mat; nothing like a quick jog back to the parking lot or a mad scramble through the equipment to get the shooter ready for the match.
I verify with the shooter as to what information he or she wants and I stick to that. Some people like to be reminded that their last shot is coming up, others do not. I have evolved to the point where I do not like to be reminded and that's my default position as a scorer. Unless my shooter is a tyro, I'm certain he or she will properly indicate to me when it's time for record. For a newbie, I will remind him or her to let me know.
Until we get to prep time, it is my duty as scorer to make sure my shooter has the ECI inserted at all times and safety rules are being observed.
When prep time starts, I remind my shooter that we are in prep time and add "No Ammo." I then keep an eye on him or her as many remove their ECI at that time and open up there box of ammunition. I have stopped a few people from putting a cartridge in the chamber during prep time; it's rare, but it has happened.
When prep time is over, I wish my shooter luck with something like: "Target 12. Good luck, Joe."
I keep an eye on my shooter all the time. When the bolt closes on a cartridge, I'll glance at the target line to make sure the target is up and I keep looking at the shooter. It's easy to see the target line and make sure the target is not going down before the shot. I can even do this looking through the spotting scope with my right eye and watching my shooter with my left eye.
When my shooter takes the shot, I wait for about 2 seconds and if the target it not going down, I am getting ready to call for a mark within a another second or two, I am calling for the mark, not my shooter. As scorer, that is my job. Every time my shooter fires, the target MUST come down and be scored. If my shooter crossfired, I will know and mark the score accordingly.
If I see the target has gone down and my shooter has not fired, I will so inform the shooter. Then if the target is not back up within a few seconds (scored or not,) I will call for the target to come back up. I will tell my shooter to disregard whatever score it may have. I do not announce to the world and demand to know who crossfired on the target. I don't care, it's not my business. All I know is that my shooter did not shoot and we continue. (Internally, I sure hope that the scorer of the person who crossfired is doing his or her job and calling for a mark on their target.)
If a cease fire is called I will so instruct my shooter and make sure he or she follows the directions from the match director. This could be anything from stop, to open bolt and insert ECI, to whatever. It is my job as a "safety officer" to make sure my shooter complies with the commands. The shooter may be in a state of confusion coming out of a total focus on a shot, I try to provide calm directions. The last thing I want to do is say something like "What's going on? Why the cease fire?" That's not important. What is important is that directions from the MD are followed. Then the shooter can relax.
During the relay, I provide value and shot count. I am ready to relay the time remaining and so on but I keep the talk to a bare minimum. I also will motion for others to shut their trap and go elsewhere if they want to talk. Some people like to discuss their just completed string with their scorers and others, and that's fine but do it elsewhere. I don't like people coming to talk to me while I am scoring; I try to focus on my shooter as much as possible but we are all human.
When the last shot is taken, I tell my shooter: "All out, insert your ECI," and I wait for him or her to do that. Some matches have the scorer and shooter sign that the ECI is in. If the shooter gets up and lifts his or her rifle without an ECI, you have failed as a scorer and in some venues you can be disqualified along with the shooter. I have seen ECIs fall after being inserted and the rifle lifted. Just tell the shooter and deal with it.
Make sure to get the last score and then add up the scores. Please do it correctly. I have had to ask my scorers several times over the years to re-add my score as they had made a mistake, I find the mistake is usually in my favor and it irks me to ask them to reduce my score; I can't remember when someone gave me a lower score than what I shot. On the other hand, I have been shorted Xs as many times and I have been given too many.
After the competitor has signed the card, I, as the scorer, must hand it to an official and then I may help the shooter remove his or her junk from the line, especially if I'm shooting next.
