Lbart said:
More to the point read rule 19.17 (a). A score based on 120 shots does not guarantee you an upgrade. All the scores shot and recorded from the last time a card was issued to said person are counted in the average. If you only shot one match of 120 or more shots your are golden. If you have shot more than one match since your scores were last averaged they all count towards you getting an upgrade or not. At least that is what the rule deciphers to.
• 19.17 Reclassification—A competitor who has been classified by the NRA will be reclassified as follows:
(a) NRA Headquarters will record all scores which qualify for classification purposes according to Rule 19.4.
(b) A competitor will be considered for reclassification upward when his most recently reported scores, for not less than 120 shots, fired subsequent to the tournament date at which he earned his current classification, have been recorded prescribed, except that such consideration will not include tournament or league scores until after all scores for the tournament or league competition concerned have been recorded. If his average score so justifies, he will be reclassified upward accordingly.
19.17 (b) seems to me the most critical part here. I would interpret the intent of the above to mean that if you already hold a classification, you'd only need to fire an additional 120 shots for record at the necessary percentage to be reclassified upward when/if the changes go into effect. To me, the wording of this in no way implies the
average of all shots fired since the last classification, only the average of the most recent 120 shots, or tournament/league aggregate. In the type of matches many of us shoot, as soon as you had recorded at least 120 shots in the most recent matches at or above the level required for classification upwards, it wouldn't matter if you shot scores previously that were much lower, or if you shot below the cutoff for the next ten matches afterward, you'd still be reclassified upwards as long as you had at least 120 shots contiguous at or above the next level up. This is the same as the current system.
Regardless of the
intention of 19.17 (b), the wording of this rule could also be interpreted to indicate that anyone whose
most recent 120 shots were at or above one of the new cutoffs since they were last classified would be reclassified automatically when/if the changes go into effect, without having to fire any additional shots. For example, a total of 36/49 F-TR shooters classified as MK, SS, or EX in the 2014 FCNC shot at or above 94%. That tournament is completed and the scores presumably have been recorded, so wouldn't they all immediately be up for reclassification to "Master" if the new system was implemented before they record any additional scores? I'm fully aware there are more subtleties to the system than shown in that example, but it's a good illustration of what such a change in the scoring system is likely to initiate. I can only imagine this will be a nightmare during its inception and will greatly increase the burden on the staff of the NRA Competitive Shooting Programs Office.
