Range Officer Class

This weekend I attended an RO class out in Grand Island, Nebraska at the Heartland Public Shooting Range, with Julie. The GI range is new, and it’s looking really nice out there. They have a lot of extra space to grow if they so choose, also. They have paved roads, lots of parking space, and some really nice ranges. The pistol bays are nice and close together (which will be really nice for Area). One of the best features is an onsite club house with central air and running water. That’s a big deal in this sport.

The course was run over two days, as it usually is. The first day was spent completely in the classroom and the second day, classroom with a little bit of range time. Our class was small at less than 15 people.

They provided us with donuts! Mmmm!

The teaching of the class itself was pretty good. It was run fairly smoothly, with enough chances for breaks (8-5 sitting in a chair makes for a long day). The PowerPoint had some neat videos in it. It was pretty interactive, and the instructor used an orange practice gun to simulate some of the things people do wrong. There was a lot of emphasis placed on scoring targets and using score sheets. Perhaps not TOO much because at the end of the day, I’m not sure some people got it. However, for me it was a bit monotonous.

I would have liked to see more videos of people doing things wrong. I think it would have been helpful if they showed a few videos and asked what procedurals the person would have incurred, or if they made a safety violation.

Perhaps there should have been some examples of what people will try to get away with that is illegal. What things will we likely run into as RO’s? I think most of these things apply to big matches with extremely competitive shooters and not to local matches, but I like to know what is likely.

The shooting part was fun. What was interesting is that other than scoring we didn’t have any hard calls to make. No one made a 180 breach (although it was close), no one dropped a gun or took extra shots… Every person was the shooter, the RO, and the assistant RO (scorer). Many people had a problem with the commands. If you shoot a lot, you hear them so much they become ingrained. (I personally have trouble not saying, “slide forward” because it is said a lot at my home range.)

Many of the people who shot with us are brand new to the sport, not even members of USPSA yet. Julie and I outshot most of them by getting all 12 of our alphas. I didn’t feel right offering them advice though; I myself am not a great shooter. I am consistent shooter an improving shooter and I have good solid basics, but I wasn’t sure if they would take offense. Usually, in the sport, help is usually appreciated if you’re new. I wasn’t sure how it would be received, however. It is interesting to me that there is a sort of “shooting culture” among people who do this sport.

Overall, I think the class was well done and I learned a lot. I knew a lot of things already, but it is nice to know exactly what your rights are as a shooter. I would recommend the class to anyone who is involved in the sport—but not necessarily to brand new people. I would recommend you shoot a bit in the sport before taking the class or some of the shooting “jargon” is lost. It isn’t fair if you have to figure out what the basic rules are while trying to learn the intricate ones. Being familiar with guns in general before you take the class is also a good idea. Knowing how different guns work (especially how the safeties/mag releases work) might be necessary as an RO, and is important as a shooter.