I've taken a different approach in composing IPSC Videos this month.
Rather than to present individual performances, I've combined several shooters in a stage-video so you can compare the ways each person addresses the shooting problem. That seems a lot easier than to view a dozen videos, when only four will serve the same purpose.
These videos were taken at the annual Classifier Match at Albany Rifle & Pistol Club, on Saturday, January 12, 2007.
If you're only interested in the videos, you can view them here.
I know we're backward in Oregon, but this photo proves that we're WAY behind the Euro-Trash in our concept of Global Warming.
Click on the photo to see the full-size version, then look carefully under the SUV. See the shine? That, my friends, is 12 hours of freezing rain. On top of it (other than under the cars) is a half-inch of soft, SLICK powdery snow.
Oregon State University (the 'cottage industry' of my home town) was shut down until 11am today. At 5pm they closed it again in anticipation of more-of-the-same. Full pay to faculty and staff for the snow-day hours, so you know it had to be serious.
(The temperature at 5:15 was 36 degrees, but dropping fast.)
How slick was it?
It was so slick that SWMBO stepped out her front door at 7am this morning, slipped on her front step, and fell hard enough to hurt her back and put a big ol' goose-egg on her head. Guess who didn't go to work at all today.
It was difficult to put in a full day's work for a day's pay. I guess when the Global Warming thingie hits Oregon (my guess: sometime in mid-August) we'll all be working to make up the time lost.
After taking Martin Luther King day off, and half a snow day, we have three days to do five day's work.
In a decided turn from IPSC and RKBA content, I draw your attention from the recent post by Little Green Footballs (see the link on the sidebar). It consists primarily of islamofascist ("Wahibist") statements (available via YouTube) where the Imams in England reveal their agenda ... which is decidedly contrary to their 'public' statements.
I've viewed these three videos, which last for ten minutes each.
I have also viewed the expanded 6 videos, which are available here.
I found them to be disturbing. Inflamatory. And, considering that the statements are being made by immigrants who have supposedly move to England to embrace moral values common in that land ... treasonous, in that the call for Jihad is a major theme. The speakers adamantly reject tolerance of opposing views, consider non-muslims 'Kaffars", and call for the killing of Kaffars and other peoples.
I think they reveal much about the Islamofascist agenda and the way they convert other Muslims with their statements which may seem reasonable; until you consider that they openly proselytize mayhem, mass murder, and intolerance.
In retrospect, I must fall back on the mantra I learned from my friend, Earthworm George, who says:
I received an email from Rhino, a member of The Unofficial IPSC List, warning us that NOW is the time to tell your USPSA Area Director what you like and what you don't like about them.
Here's the full text of his email.
To all people with interest in the future if (sic) the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), especially members:
Some of you may be unaware that a new set of proposed USPSA rules have been released for comment and feedback from the membership. The new rules are intended to go into effect in 2008 and will completely replace the USPSA/IPSC rules for USPSA matches. All IPSC matches will be held under IPSC rules.
There are currently some lively discussions happening on the forums in the members' area at www.uspsa.org. If you care about the future of our sport, whether you like the new rules or hate them or somewhere in between, you owe it to yourself to go and participate there.
The board of directors can't know how you feel unless you tell them.
Along those lines, you should also contact your Area Director directly with your opinions!
Download the document providing a list of changes and new rules.
Read the changes and new rules.
Go back to www.uspsa.org and enter the members' area.
Go to the Forums and register if you have not done so already.
Read and Participate! Repeat as necessary.
Contact your Area Director at least once before the Board votes on the rules.
(H/T: Horney-Nosed One)
You don't have to be a USPSA member to access these rules changes. (The "Members" function was temporarily unavailable when I looked there, so that's a good thing.) Instead, from the main page click on the "Match Rules" tab in the side-frame. All of the downloads mentioned will be available on the resulting page.
Note, however, that the USPSA Forum IS in the Members Area. I think.
...
I expect to be reviewing these changes for the next week or so, and I'll be writing my own "Geek Yay or Nay" evaluation for submittal to my Area Director. I did that with the 2004 "Green" handbook on December 15, 2003, and it was a fairly lengthy document. Rather than full up a single blog article with escruciating detail (as is my usual practice), I'll put it in a MSWord file and make it available for downloading on this site.
As a courtesy, I'm including a link here to the Ohio Section Classifier Percentage Calculator. (The same link is available in the Columbia Cascade website. Look for the link to the "Classifier Calculator" in the left-hand frame.)
This very sophisticated webpage allows you to select your division, and the classifier, enter your hit-factor on that classifier stage, and determine what your percentage of the highest score will be registered when your scores are turned in to USPSA ... ON THIS DATE. Remember, a higher 100% score may be turned in before your scores are registered, so the actual percentage score may differ from the results returned from this function.
Hit Factor: Not sure how to calculate your Hit Factor for that classifier stage which looked pretty darned fast to you?
Your hit factor is the number of points earned, less penalties, divided by the time.
The 'stage points' awarded to you for that match is the result of comparing your hit factor with the hit factor of whomever won the stage in that match. Pay no attention to this number, which will be found on the match results.
Thanks to the Ohio Section, and to "Barsoom" Bill for pointing us toward this link.
NOTE: this link has also been added to the sidebar, right under the box which allows you to check your USPSA classification by adding your USPSA member number.
Yes, we do shoot IPSC in the winter. In Oregon, there's an advantage shooting when it's sub-zero and snowy; at least you're not trying to shoot in slanting rain, with wet targets and wet shooters.
People at work can't believe that we deliberately choose to spend four hours in the coldest part of the year at a shooting range. But when you've spent all week watching winter outside the window, and especially when the Holiday season has cancelled the regularly scheduled matches. it's a joy to get out and experience the change of season.
Spring and Fall are essentially identical. Everyone is wet, the wind is blowing, the targets are at best encased in plastic bags in a failed attempt to keep them dry enough that the tape over the old bullet-holes will stay in place.
But imagine a cold, calm day dimly lit by the weak rays of the Winter sun filtering through an overcast. It may be cold, but it's a dry cold. (Credit to our friend AJ, who cannot get through entire summer match without explaining how 100 degree August is a good time to shoot because" it's a dry heat.")
Most folks prepare for the cold weather. We wear layers of warm clothing, including gloves and hats and boots with two pairs of socks . Some people bring propane heaters with them, which helps to thaw cold-stiffened fingers before it's their turn to shoot. (People who bring heaters are VERY popular!)
When I got to the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club range at 8am last Saturday, the thermometer in my truck read 23 degrees. When I left at 1pm, after the end of the match, that same thermometer read 22 degrees. The "Action Range" at ARPC is on the North side of Saddle Butte, and no sun reaches the shooting bays from November through February. When there's no wind, as this weekend, nothing replaces the frigid air with that warmed by the sun.
Properly clothed and prepared, it's possible to not only function at a snow-day IPSC match, but to enjoy it. I bundled up with four layers of shirts (t-shirt, mock-turtle neck shirt, golf shirt and collared sweat shirt) PLUS a winter-weight jacket. I had a wind-and-rain resistant pants shell over my denim pants. I had a thin pair of socks inside heavy wool socks tucked into six-inch height waterproof boots. I wore a cap, and gloves except when shooting. (In this picture, I'm the Range Officer; the shooter is The Hobo Brasser, who chose to dress much more lightly.)
When it was my turn to shoot, I removed the jacket and gloves. There was full availability to my pistol and reload magazines, and there was no restriction in movement.
Here's what it looked during shooting. Note that the only sign of impaired movement was a slight clumsiness in running with boots on. Give more practice, I would still be clumsy. This has nothing to do with either the weather or the footwear; I'm a Geek, I'm expected to be clumsy.
see the original here Note: Yes, the white-painted steel targets are difficult to see against a background of snow. In IPSC, no shooting problem may be protested as being "too difficult". It's in the rules. Look it up.
There's more to keeping warm than what you wear, though. This picture shows the 'stuff' I brought to the range to help keep warm.
The red Range Bag and green ammo box (and the camera on top of the ammo box), along with the supply of water are in the truck at every match.
This day, I included the following:
a case of hand warmers ... I only used two, but I had more in case somebody needed them
a thermos of hot coffee. Tea, hot chocolate, or other hot drinks are equally welcome
a box of chocolate chip cookies. Energy bars, etc., may be your choice but I love Famous Amos cookies.
A 'lunch' consisting of a frozen "Hot Pockets". The range has a microwave; two minutes nuking the sandwich gives me solid food to mellow out the Sugar High I can get from the cookies. I didn't need it today, but I might have.
In a purple box (not shown in this photo) I have rain gear and a change of shoes and socks in the event that my feet get wet during the day. Also, a couple of towels and a full change of clothes. Driving home 'wet' is the best way I know to ruin an otherwise ideal shooting day.
The big black box holds spare gun parts, a cleaning kit, and the usual tools and emergency supplies I carry in the truck all the time.
The bottom line is, it's possible to spend the day in the snow and still have fun, even if you expect to spend a lot of the time just standing around waiting for your turn to shoot. I don't spend a lot of time spending around, usually. When I'm not taking pictures I'm working the range. I RO, tape targets, reset moving targets and steel targets. Sure, I spend some time BS-ing with the guys. But when you only have 7 people on the squad (as was the case this day), we all manage to stay busy.
One other point.
I've spent a lot of your time on this blog bragging about the three-sided metal buildings which ARPC has erected to make the range 'bad-weather friendly". When you have enough people on the bay, and the doors are closed, the buildings actually allow the body-heat to accumulate so that the perceived temperature is much higher than the outside. .
I've taken a different approach in composing IPSC Videos this month.
