Michael, I'll take a shot at offering my general thoughts/observations/pointers for whatever they're worth (and apologize now for the length). This was my first competitive match. I've attended several indoor shooting events, but none outdoors and for official results in USPSA. Some of these observations are, quite frankly, embarrassing. I'll mention them and take the ego hit in hopes that other new shooters can learn from my mistakes:
1. Pre-event planning...know and understand as best you can the rules. There's a reason those of us that are new have plenty of room to learn. I didn't chrono my loads before the match. Hell, I'm shooting .45 with a 230gr bullet...it has to make Power Factor (PF), right? Stupid. I loaded Universal Clays, 4.6gr (max load), 230gr TMJ. Do the math (wait, a good start is to stop and learn the math) and that load hits 155 PF. I failed the chrono and dropped to Minor. This should have been a foundational process prior to the match and for some reason I really took this hard. It's such a basic thing.
2. Watch the one's that know what they're doing. Anytime I've participated in something new, I try to keep my mouth shut, watch, participate, and learn. I can't stress this enough...the only way you will learn is by watching, asking questions, then doing what you've learned. You'll see this one over and over in what follows.
3. Slow down, take a deep breath, and focus on having fun in the process. I set my three main objectives for this first match as follows...1) be safe at all times, 2) go slow, and 3) do not get DQ'ed. I know these sound rather elementary, but all I wanted on this first one was to get through the day and not do anything massively stupid. That meant internal discussion with myself from the point I heard, "Shooter make ready", to, "Show clear, hammer down, and holster". Go slow. Take that deep breath after you place your feet at the marks. It's okay, really, because nobody wants to rush you. I know on most of my stages that the other shooters would have been totally justified in mentioning it might be good to stop taking 4 minutes to complete the stage...but they didn't (okay, maybe I didn't take quite that long, but it had to feel like 4 minutes after a while).
4. Learn from your mistakes. I came within one inch of being DQ'ed in the first stage I shot (that was the RO's quote). Why? 180 rule. I'm still wondering what stopped me from continuing the turn. Our squad had two very good RO's (see the following point #4). After I finished that stage, they both took the effort to warn and talk with me, not only for safety, but so that I could learn. Trust me, that one lesson stayed with me the rest of the day and I can only pray it's at the forefront of my mind during every match.
5. Ask questions of your RO's and other shooters that have the experience. As mentioned above, and while I guess they aren't supposed to comment in the form of "helping" due to being non-partial, it's very, very helpful for the new shooter to learn from the RO's direction. I think I may have crossed the line into annoying-ville with all my questions, but I didn't know some of the terms and processes used. Ask, ask, ask. Every single person, from the shooters to the RO's to the Range Master, stopped and explained in detail when I had questions. I can't even begin to tell you how helpful everyone was, and that not only helped me learn, but made me understand that these people truly care about helping someone ease into the sport. That's a big deal with me and I sincerely appreciate everyones help.
6. No matter how tired you are, try and go the extra mile in helping the squad. To be honest, by the 7th stage, I admit I was totally exhausted. I had no idea it would be so tiring shooting 10 stages (see #1 above). I know I slacked off a little towards the end, but I tried to be out patching every time both before and after I finished my stage. I also tried to learn more at the time about the rules and setup of different targets (and the only way to do that is being out there). I had never set-up poppers nor any other of the multi-faceted targets. Oh, here's one... the time to realize the star moves as you shoot the "tips" off is NOT during the time you're shooting it. Hopefully the look on my face after that recognition and mumbling about somehow missing that fact provided some levity for the rest of the squad...
7. Tip those that are working so hard to feed the participants. Had I not heard someone mention a tip jar, I probably wouldn't have thought to look for one. I travel a tremendous amount and always try and respect the folks providing the service, but if you don't know the process for doing this at a match, ask. For that matter, it doesn't even always have to be monetary...take the time to swing by the grill and say thank you. The smile you receive will go miles.
8. If you are new (and some will say regardless of this), respect the match organizers by staying until the end. Believe me, I know what hectic schedules are all about. Most of us do. However, after such a long day of shooting, it doesn't hurt anything to stay an extra 30 or 45 minutes and support the organizers and participants fortunate enough to place and get an award. I believe it was mentioned by the Match Director that this was his first match as a Director. While I don't know enough to tell a difference on the finer points, both the Director and Range Master busted their asses to accommodate everyone that I could see. I had some VERY good shooters in my squad. They requested a number of rulings that required the Range Master to come to the stage, whether concerning a target ruling or calibration request. Regardless of how your day turned out, they deserve the respect that after-shooting attendance provides.
There are probably 20 other points I'm not thinking about yet, but they all stem from the categories above. Plan for the elements, stay hydrated, make sure your batteries work for your electronic ear protection, don't use a gun bag you were given in a golf tournament 20 years ago (because the handles will break), take the snacks out of the car BEFORE you start, etc. Recognition of these and others I think of as time goes by will hopefully not only make me a better shooter, but a better participant. One day, maybe I will learn enough so I can help others like I was helped yesterday.
I truly enjoyed everything about the day and, because of the excellent experience every one provided, I can't wait to get out there again and fix some of the mistakes I made.