Thanks Jon, for the input. I'll give some thought to the 100, 90, 80 thing... but we'd probably do 100, 80, 60, with the third shooter being given the 20 second/one shot chance to get that 60 points. This stage needs to move pretty fast, as we're cycling 45 shooters through it. The objective in the Q&D stage is to get a very quickly executed shot on a long range target. You of course did that well, and topped your stage. Then the second shooter receives 80 points for getting a hit before the 3rd person on the line does... and the 3rd person can then take a moment and get settled and get a hit for 60 points--if they can do it with one final shot. We believe, considering the theme and the objective, offering the 20 second/one shot option is fair. Several shooters who were 3rd in their particular set were able to get a hit in the 20 second allotted time--and so they held onto most of the points for that stage.
Some shooters who did not score any points in the Q&D stage did expend several shots trying--it's just that none of them hit. The same thing happened to several shooters in the Sniper in the Rocks stage, when they missed all 5 shots at the 10" plate at 680 yards, and got zero points for that stage.
I realize that most shooters will not take a 70 point "play it safe" option. You guys come to shoot--not to simply watch. But if we go forward with the 70 point opt out option, we will give shooters the opportunity to see who they will be shooting against in the Q&D stage before making their decision. That'll make things even more interesting, for sure.
Admittedly, watching the Q&D run is super exciting for those of us who are merely watching it all happen--and not having to shoot. :-/ But even the match participants really get into the excitement of this stage. It's very intense, as the videos show.
In the Guardian genre, we are working to cultivate a survivalist theme, where there will be stages that simulate real world situations that could go very wrong if we don't act either quickly enough... or precisely enough... or both.
I do look forward to hearing from others regarding the format. We will likely begin this coming spring's match at 9:00am, so that we'll finish earlier. We have been offered new targets, donated to Guardian so that we won't be borrowing special targets in the future, and shooters in the future can be assured that our range personnel will be considerate and helpful to all shooters present. The Guardian Long Range Rifle Match is a charity match, where 100 percent of proceeds go to help orphaned children find permanent families. We truly appreciate the shooters who turn out and support these events.
Dan
