Should I RO or Not?

[runawaygun762]

The Missouri Fall Classic USPSA match is coming up in October at my range, and they are looking for ROs. The entry fee is 100 dollars, and ROs shoot for free, which would eliminate my having to convince the wife to let me pay for that and the Area 3 MG match in November. More importantly than that, however, is the potential for me to learn more about the nuances of the game, both from watching shooters of all skill and experience levels, as well as from the officiating side.

My concern is being an RO for a match of this size without having been through any real training or certification. From what I understand, there will be a certified RO at each stage to keep control, but I don't want to go overboard or be too lax at a match of this size. My question is, for those of you who have shot matches like these with new ROs or those who have RO'd under similar circumstances, is this something I should stay away from until I've become trained and certified, or is the on the job training I'd get be worth the stress of getting it right for the shooters?

 

[Matt1911]

If you're not certified as an R.O., they may not let you do it anyways.

 

[jtischauser]

Work it as a score keeper if you're not a certified RO.

Get certified ASAP!

 

[LoganbillJ]

RO, keep your head on straight and don't make any judgement calls. Let the CRO handle it. Watch, listen and learn. Very rarely do things go south. If they do the RM is there to take care of things. Your job as an RO is to ensure things go smoothly and make sure the shooters have a good time.

 

[technetium-99m]

If it's a level 2 they shouldn't let you RO. No offense but there are rules for how calls are made and you probably don't know them all. Depending on how long you've been shooting you might not have even caught onto how to stay out of a fast shooters way.

Take the class (great info and experience btw) and get some time under your belt running shooters at locals before you work a level 2 or above.

 

[technetium-99m]

don't make any judgement calls. Let the CRO handle it

That's not the RO's job. They are there to make calls, run the timer, and generally officiate fairly. This takes time and experience.

 

[mike cyrwus]

most matches need ROs and theyll take anyone to help, even untrained ones who dont do a good job. Get some experience under your belt and volunteer in a few years, or as Jesse said, help in other ways.

 

[Wall]

score keeper, mr. fixit, Lot's of ways to help & all essential.

 

[runawaygun762]

Thanks for the feedback. It's not what I wanted to read, so I'm going to ignore you all. Yes, I'm very clever, thank you. I was actually thinking the same thing, that I should RO more at local levels so I don't screw up and do a disservice to shooters who travel a long way and pay a bunch of money to shoot it. I would love to go to an RO class, but it doesn't look like my club will be hosting one any time soon. I'll look around in Missouri or neighboring states and see if there are any scheduled classes that I can make, probably. I'm still focused on the competitive portion, but if it's true that I can learn how to play the game by being an RO, then I'll do that. Thanks for all the quick replies.

Damn, I hope this post didn't have too many words in it.

 

[technetium-99m]

You seem to have the good attitude down. That's a good portion of it.

 

[runawaygun762]

Aww, that was nice. "You're not really good enough to run with the in crowd, but at least you have a good personality." Now I know what the nice, fat chick feels like.

 

[technetium-99m]

Never mind.

 

[45recoil]

Aww, that was nice. "You're not really good enough to run with the in crowd, but at least you have a good personality." Now I know what the nice, fat chick feels like.

we found our Duff!

 

[Travis Colford]

Aww, that was nice. "You're not really good enough to run with the in crowd, but at least you have a good personality." Now I know what the nice, fat chick feels like.

Don't lie this aint the first time or last time you felt/feel like a fat chick.

 

[runawaygun762]

Don't lie this aint the first time or last time you felt/feel like a fat chick.

This is the first time I personally have felt that way, but a couple of the others in my head are used to it.

 

[Tuflehundon]

I'd say the fact that you asked this question, answers your question. If you aren't fully comfertable doing it, don't. I RO local matches all the time, but have not RO'd the big matches. Have kept scoreat them. And most times that will get you in for free as well. That's actually a good place to get started. I learned a lot by keeping score and running with good RO's.