Category: Range Officer

Why Become a Range Officer

On By Tom LindsayIn Range Officer, USPSA

Last week I successfully completed my exam to renew my certification as a USPSA Range Officer. I passed it with a 100% score*, 20 of 20 questions, on my first try.

I mention (brag?) my score because this was the first time I had aced it, and one of the only times I passed it on the first try.

I think I know why I did better this time than before:

Experience.

I mean, it should make sense that the longer you do something, the better you get at it, provided you work on improving your understanding of it.

Which leads me to the point of this post – why become a range officer.

I have been a USPSA Range Officer since 2013, and I have taken the RO class twice**. I started shooting USPSA in 2008, and after two years, I decided to take the class so I could add to the number of ROs that were available to referee the matches.

Taking the class was an eye opener. And working as an RO in the USPSA State Championships and National Championships really expanded my knowledge of match workings, how to set my strategies, and got me a lot more engaged with other shooters.

But in all that time, I have found that the real advantage of being an RO is it has helped me improve my shooting. I have moved up a level since becoming an RO.

How did that happen? For me, it was all about focus.

Learning the rules in class, and why they were added, sharpens my focus. Focusing on safety helps me focus on where to move, and how to act.

On a day to day basis, reading the newsletters, and taking the exams help me focus.

So, why become a Range Officer? It will help you shoot better in the long run, and you will be safer, and know more good people. It worked for me.

* Ok, not perfect. On one question I got the answer right, but it said I got the rule number wrong. It turns out the rule I referred to also included the working in the other rule. So to me, I was right.

** I had to take the class again because I let my certification lapse due to The Late Unpleasantness.

Review – Hunters HD Gold Shooting Glasses

On By Tom LindsayIn Eye Protection, Range Officer, Review, Safety, USPSA1 Comment

In 2021, I got the honor to serve as Range Officer for the USPSA Georgia State Championships. As they do in many higher level matches, I got to choose from an awards table, and I got awarded a pair of Hunters HD Gold shooting glasses, and I must say, they have been the best pair of safety glasses, shooting or otherwise, that I have ever had the pleasure of wearing.

First, what makes them so usable is the glasses designed so that no matter how bright the day is, or how dark, I see the same view through the lenses. This is a wonderful feature that lets me wear them in the brightest day, or in stormy weather.

Second, the frames are very comfortable, with side shields. They are very sturdy, and easily cleanable.

Third, they adhere fully to ANSI standards, making them the safest glasses I own. For those who may not know, I am a degreed chemical engineer, who spent over 20 years in the petroleum and specialty chemicals industry, before moving into engineering recruiting. One of the earliest things I learned in industry is the first thing that new shooters should be taught – SAFETY COMES FIRST. Never enter an operating area with wearing the appropriate safety gear – eyewear, hearing protection, safety boots, hard hats, and the like.

Likewise, in shooting, we have safety rules we follow, the most well known being Jeff Cooper’s Rules. To the Four classic rules, I added Rule Zero: Eyes and ears! In other words, always wear safety glasses and hearing protection.

The American National Safety Institute – ANSI – sets the standard for safety glasses under code Z87.1.

So, when I got my glasses, I noted they are code Z87-2+, meaning they are specified as impact resistant.

As a side note, I reached out to the safety manager at the company where I work, and he agreed that in addition to being shooting glasses, these would be very good for me to wear as working safety glasses, were I to go into an industrial environment that required safety glasses.

Also, I must say that working with Brian Conley at Hunters HD Gold was one of the easiest order processes I have had the pleasure of having.

In summary, I have found my Hunters HD Gold shooting glasses to be the safest, most visually appealing, and most comfortable shooting glasses I have ever used, and I highly recommend them to my fellow shooters, and to those who need eye protection.

Taking it to the Next Level

On By Tom LindsayIn Competition, Range Officer, USPSA

Having been a USPSA Certified Range Office since 2013, for many years I have acted as RO in local matches. After some time, I felt like I wanted to do more, and when the USPSA Georgia State Championships came to River Bend Gun Club in 2020 and 2021, I took the opportunity to act as RO for those matches.

ROing the State matches was a wonderful experience, as it gave me the opportunity to engage with other excellent competitors, as well as see the top tier shooters in a very close fashion.

Then, in 2023, I got the opportunity to act as RO at the USPSA Open / PCC National Championships, over at the Talladega CMP Range, and wow, was that an awesome experience. While the ROs and shooters at the State matches were a great experience, working with the next levels at the Nationals was something else.

So, this year, I am planning to do both the State Championships in Savannah in October, and the Handgun Nationals in Talladega in September. And, since I shoot Limited, I will get to shoot in the Nationals, something I didn’t do last year, since I don’t shoot Open or PCC.

On the next tier of this, I got to watching some Steel Challenge videos, and it occurred to me that this would be a wonderful next step for me, shooting my 10/22 Captain America. So, look for this next step in my shooting travels.

Stay tuned!

If Clear, Hammer Down, Holster, and Mask Up

On By Tom LindsayIn Competition, Range Officer, USPSA

I finally got my USPSA RO certification renewed, the week before the governor closed down Georgia. So, the matched for the last two months have been cancelled, leaving me to have to settle for dry fire practice in the office.

But finally, the River Bend Gun Club, where I shoot most often, has decided to re-open, and I have volunteered to RO this new match. And given the Most Recent Unpleasantness, we will be subject to a few new rules, which will certainly make things a lot more interesting.

First, squads will be limited to ten people, made up of 8 shooters and 2 ROs. Since RBGC normally has 125 plus shooters, this means there will be a morning run and an evening run, and I and set to shoot in the morning and RO in the afternoon.

Now, at first, all competitors were going to be required to bring and wear a mask, but this requirement has since been relaxed to an encouragement. As a cancer survivor, I wear one all the time when I go out, so I will then, too. We will also be limited to social distancing to no less than 6 feet, and because of this, only two competitors will paste targets and reset the stage, and this will rotate. This minimizes the chance of getting too close to others.

I welcome the return to shooting and I will keep you updated.