JMIC Section X How To Organize Competitions

Why Shoot in Competitions? Competitions are the ultimate challenge in sports Competitions are the best test of how well your program trains its Cadets Trying to excel in competitions offers great experiences for Cadets: When winning and losing is kept in perspective Competitions offer travel, new friends and many special experiences

Types of Competitions Postal--all participating teams shoot on their home ranges Dual--two teams compete on one range League--three or more teams compete on rotating basis Open Invitational--one team or club hosts area teams CMP Cup Match--one team or club hosts area teams, follows Cup Match regulations (3x20 course of fire, minimum 10 firing points, minimum 50 competitors) State Championship--high school, JROTC, Junior Olympic National Championship--JROTC, Junior Olympic, USA Shooting

Competition Organization & Staff Sponsoring Organizationschool, JROTC unit, other organization Competition Directorperson in-charge Entry Officereceive and confirm entries Range Officersconduct firing, enforce rules Classification Officescore targets, compile results Jurydecisions on rules issues Equipment Controlinspect rifles and equipment Hospitalityspecial events, food & snack service

The Official Program Every competition should have an Official Program with this information: Invitationstatement inviting eligible teams and individuals to participate Date--when will match take place Location--directions to the range Sponsor--who is organizing the competition Course of Fire--individual and/or team events, will there be a final? Rulesconfirm that National Standard Three-Position Rules will apply Schedule--starting time for each relay Eligibility--who can participate Entry Feesfor individuals, for teams AwardsWhat awards will be given, how Entrieswhere, how to register Contact Informationphone number,

National Standard Rules All competitions must be governed by commonly-accepted rules National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules are the official rules for three-position air rifle National Standard Rules are recognized by all four Cadet Commands as official rules for JROTC competitions Download rules at or order printed copies from CMP

Competition Sanctioning What: Sanctioning is official recognition by the national governing body Why: Sanctioning assures participants that your competition will follow established standards, use National Standard Rules, provides national listing Sanctioning Body: 3PAR matches are sanctioned by the National 3PAR Council through the CMP How: Complete application, pay $20 or $10 fee, submit to CMP

Preparing the Match Schedule Time Allowances for 3x10/3x20 Matches Call to firing line: Minimum 5 min. before Sighting Time (rifle handling permitted) Preparation and Sighting: 10 min. Prone Record Firing: 10 min./20 min. Target Service:5 min. Changeover:5 min. Standing Sighting:5 min. or 10 min. Standing Record Firing:15 min./25 min. Target service:5 min. Changeover:5 min. Kneeling Sighting:5 min. Kneeling Record Firing:10 min./20 min. Clear the line5 min. 3x10 Total Time:1 hr., 30 min. 3x20 Total Time:2 hr., 10 min. A schedule should control the conduct of every match Relay start times are the times when firing starts The check-in desk should be open one hour before the first relay is scheduled to start Competitors should arrive minutes before their relay start time Allow 2 hours for each 3x10 relay Allow 3 hours for each 3x20 relay Finals cannot start until min. after the last relay ends Allow 30 min. to conduct a final

Entries and Squadding Create competitor database (Excel or Numbers) Name, school, DOB, category (if used) Record CMP competitor number (when possible) Take entries in advance if possible Confirm entries upon arrival, collect entry fees Squad competitors in relays Squadding should be random, by individual or team Prepare and post start list before competitors arrive Results Lists Enter scores in database Post results lists, run score protest times

CMP Competitor Numbers (CMP#) What: Unique number assigned to every person who participates in a CMP-sanctioned event (including postals) When to Use: CMP #s are required to post results from sanctioned match in the CMP system CMP #s are required to upload Orion scores into the CMP system What if you dont know your CMP#: CMP #s are listed in every CMP results list Look up at If left blank, CMP staff can do look up, but this delays processing

Venue (Range) Preparation Range Checks: Safety barrier, firing line, firing distance, target backstops (safety, proper target heights) Target Lighting: Is supplemental lighting required? Scoring Room: Space, light, equipment, computer Official Bulletin Board: To post squadding and results Check-In Desk: For entry confirmation, payment Competitor Staging Area: For gun cases, equipment bags, waiting area Equipment Control Area (if planned)

CO 2 and Air Cylinder Filling Competition sponsors should provide CO 2 and compressed air Competitors must bring their own adapters Filling station must be supervised Be sure supplies are adequate, emergency filling available

Equipment Control Optional, but recommended for large competitions Equipment Scale (to weight rifles) 1.5 lb. trigger weight (sporters) Overlap gauge (precision jackets) Major competitions will check clothing thickness and stiffness ISSF: Post-competition testing is replacing pre- competition testing

Range Officers Responsible for the safe, legal conduct of firing Required: One RO per 10 firing points

RO Equipment/Responsibilities RO Equipment: RO Script Rulebook Stop Watch Notebook (pocket size) Range Incident Report forms Start List RO Identification (vest or cap) A smile and a positive attitude RO Responsibilities: Chief RO: Give range commands and instructions according to schedule Confirm squadded shooters are present Check equipment control cards (if used) Check positions and equipment (rules) Constantly monitor safe gun handling Assist competitors with problems and malfunctions

Range Officer Operations Resolving Problems & Malfunctions Respond quickly Start stop watch Analyze problem Take corrective action Document in notebook or on Range Incident Report Form Document on target RO Guidelines Stay under controldo not yell at competitors! Give corrections and warnings during Preparation and Sighters Educational rolehelp shooters understand rules ROs cannot coach competitors

Rule Enforcement Challenges General Is shooter behind firing line? Is shooter touching any support? Visors or caps: Too low? Touching sight? Shooting stands: Does resting the rifle on the stand point the muzzle too close to other shooters? Prone Position 30 degree forearm (use carpenters angle finder) Standing Position Rifle cannot touch chest Kneeling Position Elbow on knee (6 back or 4 forward) Right foot (w/kneeling roll, not more than 45°)

Conducting Finals in Competitions Exciting conclusion to competition events Governed by Rule 10.0 Scoring in 10 th ring values recommended (EST or Orion) If electronic targets or single bull target changers are not available: Use 10-bull targets No one may go downrange when shooters are handling rifles Have spotters provide preliminary scores Do official scoring after final An international precision air rifle final with the top eight individuals on the line. In 3-position air rifle, the final is 10 additional shots fired on a shot-by-shot basis. Finals count in the total individual score.

Scoring Systems

Manual Scoring Supplies Air rifle outside gauge Air rifle/pistol inside gauge Air pistol outside gauge (for scoring inner tens) 4.5mm template or Eagle Eye Magnifying glass Light Scoring box

Manual Scoring Gauging Procedures Hold target horizontal Gauge all close shots Insert gauge carefully Read gaugeif doubtful have 2 nd scorer read gauge Mark gauged shots P+ or P- Challenges can only be made on non-gauged shots

Correct Use of Scoring Gauges

Orion VIS Scoring System VIS – Visual Image Scoring, uses computer software to analyze and score a scanned image of the target Orion is the only approved VIS system for USA shooting Orion also offers match management software Orion has scored all JROTC Postal targets since 2006 Orion information: e.aspx e.aspx

How Does Orion Work 1. Fired targets are scanned into images on your computer 3. Radial values are turned into scores and displayed for the user. 2. Orion finds the center of the aiming bull and the center of the shot hole.

Results Lists Separate ranking lists for Sporter and Precision Rank by score (break ties with inner tens) showing: Rank (place) Name (last name first) Hometown or school Position scores Total scores

Awards Find reasons to give as many legitimate awards as possible More important to give more awards than it is to give big awards Consider New Shooter awards (started shooting in current year) Participation or Shooter Recognition Awards: Pins, certificates, T-shirts Uniform National Awards: National Council Award Pins EIC Points and Junior Distinguished Badges Award Ceremonies: Adds to perceived quality of the match Awards given at match are more meaningful

National Council Award Pins Gold, Silver and Bronze Pins available Match sponsor orders inventory of pins with sanctioning application Pins are presented at match to shooters who fire award scores Award scores in NS Rules, p. 52

Junior Distinguished Badge Highest junior award for sustained excellence Awardees must earn 30 points in competitions Regulations in NS Rules Junior Distinguished Shooters listed at hp?do=reportDistinguishedShootersB yCriteria&filter=distinguished_type& filter_value=AIR hp?do=reportDistinguishedShootersB yCriteria&filter=distinguished_type& filter_value=AIR Badges may be worn on JROTC uniforms

Competitions are the ultimate challenge in sports--Enjoy the experience!