IDPA Southern Regional Championship 2000 - in the books

Mikey · May 30, 2000, 06:29 PM

The first Southern Regional IDPA Championship was completed Saturday May
27 at the Middle Tennessee Shooters Club in Manchester, Tennessee! The
weather was near perfect for the competitors on Saturday. The SO's had to
shoot part of the match in the rain (read FLOOD) on Friday and final
preparations were delayed until early Saturday morning due to the water
collected on the range.

There were contestants and spectators from eight states and nearly 70
shooters completed the course. There were no DQ's and very few procedurals.
The comments heard during the match were quite favorable and complaints
seemed virtually non-existant.

The match consisted of nine stages. Two stages had multiple strings of fire
and simulated dynamic unfolding events - a gang style home invasion and a
terrorist attack on an office building. The round count was less than 100 and
the stages were short, simple and to the point. We think this match
challenged everyone and the winners had to do it with shooting skill instead of
gamesmanship.

For those who attended, please post your comments and observations. With
good feedback we can make the next one better. For those who didn't attend,
mark your calendar for next Memorial Day weekend!

Mikey

NAD · May 31, 2000, 04:22 PM

"shooting skill instead of gamesmanship"

Give me a break. A typical IDPA snob remark.

If I drove out of town, spent money for the match fee, hotel, food, etc. for a 9 stage match requiring less than 100 rounds I would demand my money back.

Mikey · May 31, 2000, 06:24 PM

It's damn hard to be nice when somebody named "NAD" (I assume short for GONAD) posts crap like this as a response to a simple match report. I assume you weren't there. If you were, let me know and I'll consider this "constructive criticism".

As for being an IDPA snob, I hold membership cards in USPSA as well as IDPA and I will gladly shoot tactical or run-n-gun with equal enthusiasm.

I have found that most IDPA folks are not snobs at all. You, however, seem to lack any semblance of civility. I generally like most folks I meet and reserve character judgements until I've gotten to know them but I'll make an exception in your case...

Moderators, I had second thoughts and edited the content myself.

Mikey

[This message has been edited by Mikey (edited May 31, 2000).]

NAD · May 31, 2000, 10:40 PM

I wasn't criticising your match report just your choice of words which seemed to illustrate a bias against IPSC. If you think IPSC shooting is little skill and merely gamesmanship I will have to disagree with you.

No, I didn't attend this match, but I have attended hundreds of sub 100 round count matches similar to what you described during the several years I have been shooting IPSC. We call them local weekend matches not Regional Championships. Not trying to be an IPSC snob here, but what you described as a Regional Championship IMHO was a rip-off.

Mikey · June 1, 2000, 08:15 AM

Well, NAD, since I don't have much work to do today and no one else has posted so far, I'll just talk to you. Who knows, we may end up friends after all. Lets address your points...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>...your choice of words which seemed to illustrate a bias against IPSC.[/quote]

You read more between the lines than was printed on the paper! I have no bias against any shooting sport and have participated in quite a few over the years. Don't be so SENS-A-TIVE!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>If you think IPSC shooting is little skill and merely gamesmanship I will have to disagree with you.[/quote]

I think IPSC style shooting is a lot of fun! Sometimes I get tired of the restrictions imposed on IDPA shooters and I crave some hi-cap, high target count, speed reload, run-n-gun action. Coming up with a good srategy and running fast won't get you squat without shooting skill. But it will win a match for you if the other guy's shooting skill is about equal.

What makes you think that IPSC has the market cornered on gamesmanship? I'll do it in IDPA if the course design allows me to!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I have attended hundreds of sub 100 round count matches similar to what you described... We call them local weekend matches not Regional Championships.[/quote]

So do we. Until, of course, we call it a Championship. IDPA is not like IPSC. There are no true regions. You get a Regional Championship by applying to IDPA HQ and getting it sanctioned. Shooters don't have to "qualify" for a Championship match (including the big one) - it's first come, first serve.

So what is the difference between a "weekend" match and a Championship? Is it round count, distance traveled, hotel expense, aggrivation factor - what is it?

For IDPA HQ it means an application and approval, advance advertising and strict adherence to the rules. For us, it means the best stages we can design. Preferrably stages that can't be "gamed". High round counts are often just substitutes for poor stage design.

We had 9 stages but two of them had multiple strings of fire with independent starts. Due to this, the match shot like a 12 stage event (the 99 Nationals was 14 stages). The round count was irrelevant. The stages were designed to test the shooters skills and we counted the rounds afterwards. The current trend in IDPA is for stages to be simple, realistic and low round count - as close as possible to scenarios one might encounter in a defensive situation.

Sometimes complex stages with tricky props or positions can be gamed by those who are good at analyzing a stage and developing a strategy, or by those who have shot the stage before. To prevent any semblance of "home cookin'", we design stages that try to eliminate that type of gamesmanship advantage. You gotta shoot 'em!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Not trying to be an IPSC snob here, but what you described as a Regional Championship IMHO was a rip-off.[/quote]

All the competitors knew what they were signing up for - it didn't bother them so I don't see why it bothers you. We have hosted two State Championships in addition to this Regional and will host another State Championship this October. Judging by the number of repeat competitors we get, I would have to guess we are doing a pretty good job. In fact, the only complaint we had after our first State Championship was about the stages that were obviously designed to get a high round count. We haven't done that since.

Mikey

John Forsyth · June 1, 2000, 08:26 AM

I could not have said that better myself Mikey.

------------------
John

June 1, 2000, 08:15 AM	#5
Mikey Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1998 Location: Tennessee Posts: 885	Well, NAD, since I don't have much work to do today and no one else has posted so far, I'll just talk to you. Who knows, we may end up friends after all. Lets address your points... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>...your choice of words which seemed to illustrate a bias against IPSC.[/quote] You read more between the lines than was printed on the paper! I have no bias against any shooting sport and have participated in quite a few over the years. Don't be so SENS-A-TIVE! <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>If you think IPSC shooting is little skill and merely gamesmanship I will have to disagree with you.[/quote] I think IPSC style shooting is a lot of fun! Sometimes I get tired of the restrictions imposed on IDPA shooters and I crave some hi-cap, high target count, speed reload, run-n-gun action. Coming up with a good srategy and running fast won't get you squat without shooting skill. But it will win a match for you if the other guy's shooting skill is about equal. What makes you think that IPSC has the market cornered on gamesmanship? I'll do it in IDPA if the course design allows me to! <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I have attended hundreds of sub 100 round count matches similar to what you described... We call them local weekend matches not Regional Championships.[/quote] So do we. Until, of course, we call it a Championship. IDPA is not like IPSC. There are no true regions. You get a Regional Championship by applying to IDPA HQ and getting it sanctioned. Shooters don't have to "qualify" for a Championship match (including the big one) - it's first come, first serve. So what is the difference between a "weekend" match and a Championship? Is it round count, distance traveled, hotel expense, aggrivation factor - what is it? For IDPA HQ it means an application and approval, advance advertising and strict adherence to the rules. For us, it means the best stages we can design. Preferrably stages that can't be "gamed". High round counts are often just substitutes for poor stage design. We had 9 stages but two of them had multiple strings of fire with independent starts. Due to this, the match shot like a 12 stage event (the 99 Nationals was 14 stages). The round count was irrelevant. The stages were designed to test the shooters skills and we counted the rounds afterwards. The current trend in IDPA is for stages to be simple, realistic and low round count - as close as possible to scenarios one might encounter in a defensive situation. Sometimes complex stages with tricky props or positions can be gamed by those who are good at analyzing a stage and developing a strategy, or by those who have shot the stage before. To prevent any semblance of "home cookin'", we design stages that try to eliminate that type of gamesmanship advantage. You gotta shoot 'em! <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Not trying to be an IPSC snob here, but what you described as a Regional Championship IMHO was a rip-off.[/quote] All the competitors knew what they were signing up for - it didn't bother them so I don't see why it bothers you. We have hosted two State Championships in addition to this Regional and will host another State Championship this October. Judging by the number of repeat competitors we get, I would have to guess we are doing a pretty good job. In fact, the only complaint we had after our first State Championship was about the stages that were obviously designed to get a high round count. We haven't done that since. Mikey

May 30, 2000, 06:29 PM	#1
Mikey Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1998 Location: Tennessee Posts: 885	The first Southern Regional IDPA Championship was completed Saturday May 27 at the Middle Tennessee Shooters Club in Manchester, Tennessee! The weather was near perfect for the competitors on Saturday. The SO's had to shoot part of the match in the rain (read FLOOD) on Friday and final preparations were delayed until early Saturday morning due to the water collected on the range. There were contestants and spectators from eight states and nearly 70 shooters completed the course. There were no DQ's and very few procedurals. The comments heard during the match were quite favorable and complaints seemed virtually non-existant. The match consisted of nine stages. Two stages had multiple strings of fire and simulated dynamic unfolding events - a gang style home invasion and a terrorist attack on an office building. The round count was less than 100 and the stages were short, simple and to the point. We think this match challenged everyone and the winners had to do it with shooting skill instead of gamesmanship. For those who attended, please post your comments and observations. With good feedback we can make the next one better. For those who didn't attend, mark your calendar for next Memorial Day weekend! Mikey

May 31, 2000, 04:22 PM	#2
NAD Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Posts: 169	"shooting skill instead of gamesmanship" Give me a break. A typical IDPA snob remark. If I drove out of town, spent money for the match fee, hotel, food, etc. for a 9 stage match requiring less than 100 rounds I would demand my money back.

May 31, 2000, 06:24 PM	#3
Mikey Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1998 Location: Tennessee Posts: 885	It's damn hard to be nice when somebody named "NAD" (I assume short for GONAD) posts crap like this as a response to a simple match report. I assume you weren't there. If you were, let me know and I'll consider this "constructive criticism". As for being an IDPA snob, I hold membership cards in USPSA as well as IDPA and I will gladly shoot tactical or run-n-gun with equal enthusiasm. I have found that most IDPA folks are not snobs at all. You, however, seem to lack any semblance of civility. I generally like most folks I meet and reserve character judgements until I've gotten to know them but I'll make an exception in your case... Moderators, I had second thoughts and edited the content myself. Mikey [This message has been edited by Mikey (edited May 31, 2000).]

May 31, 2000, 10:40 PM	#4
NAD Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Posts: 169	I wasn't criticising your match report just your choice of words which seemed to illustrate a bias against IPSC. If you think IPSC shooting is little skill and merely gamesmanship I will have to disagree with you. No, I didn't attend this match, but I have attended hundreds of sub 100 round count matches similar to what you described during the several years I have been shooting IPSC. We call them local weekend matches not Regional Championships. Not trying to be an IPSC snob here, but what you described as a Regional Championship IMHO was a rip-off.

June 1, 2000, 08:26 AM	#6
John Forsyth Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 378	I could not have said that better myself Mikey. ------------------ John