IBS Changes the Flag Rule

[Pete Wass]

Generally Speaking

Any Body that has been around Benchrest for a while knows why this rule was passed.

There are several well known shooters who believe that they own the range. Other shooters tried to be polite, not complain, and hope that the term "gentlemen" would prevail. It did not.

So, the IBS solved the problem. The NBRSA has done the same..........jackie

The fact is there are some folks participating who tend to be THE PROBLEM with this or any sport and they are almost always present regardless of the event.

The British use the expression, "He is not a Sportsman" to discribe people who are not gentlemen. I believe this is one situation where they have it exactly right.

The people who cause most of the problems are people who will take every oportunity to give themselves a competative advantage , regardless of what it is or who it harms. Blood Sport folks

 

[Dick Grosbier]

Should have gone even further and only allowed one set of flags per bench.

Interesting thought but who gets to pick the one set of flags with as many as 5 different people sharing a bench ?

Dick

 

[Pete Wass]

As a suggestion

Interesting thought but who gets to pick the one set of flags with as many as 5 different people sharing a bench ?

Dick

The same way benches are assigned. Choose from those on a particular rotation and assign a line of flags to some of them until there is one line of flags for every bench to be shot at. Limit the flags to that. Makes it more fair for everyone that way as rotating benches does.


Of course provisions will have to be made for the Lefties but they are only 10% of the population.

 

[Dick Grosbier]

The same way benches are assigned. Choose from those on a particular rotation and assign a line of flags to some of them until there is one line of flags for every bench to be shot at. Limit the flags to that. Makes it more fair for everyone that way as rotating benches does.

Pete,
You surprise me. I always thought you were of the "Nobody is going to dictate to me what flags I can use" school.

Also I am one of that 10%

Dick

 

[glp]

Geez....here we go again. I am pretty tired of hearing "what the IBS wants" as if there is some "star chamber" that foists new rules on unsuspecting and defenseless competitors. This agenda item was promulgated by a shooter and he collected 25+ signatures from other shooters, AND the shooters at the meeting overwhelmingly passed it with only a couple of "nay" votes. It was written in response to a couple of isolated incidents.

The intent of the rule is crystal clear: to prevent a #$#$^&*^$# idiot who shoots a few benches away from putting his flag in front of you. Pretty simple. Let's not get into a bunch of semantics about the tails!

If someone's flag or tail that is covering any part of the target for the shooter next to him then the guy who can't see tells the range officer or referee who directs that the offending flag to be laid down. That has been practice for decades. The rule does NOT change that.

As I wrote earlier, there should not even be a need for such a rule. Unfortunately, many of benchrest's rules are written to deal with the 1% who are the offenders while the other 99% argue how many bullets can be balanced on the end of a decapping rod.

Jeff Stover
IBS President

Exactly my point when I said what the IBS wants. 25 members sign a petition and then the members at the Winter meeting vote provisionally then the entire membership in a year later...what the IBS wants.

In actuality what prompted this rule happened at the Maine State Shoot in 2009. A couple of competitors had their flags blown over or collapsed in a heavy wind Sunday at 200 yards. Very sandy soil in Augusta. The refs reset the flags during a target change. Mind you they did not engage in any kind of wholesale tweaking of flags, just 2 once during the entire agg. Two competitors flipped out about this as they said they should stay down. Nothing in the rules prevented the refs from doing this. This precipitated the agenda item and now it is prohibited. I guess this comes from the long standing practice in other areas of not helping a shooter in a fortuitous situation like this.

Is this too much different from a competitor having a gun malfunction and being helped with a loaner gun from another shooter? Again I have never seen ref tinkering with flags to suite lots of shooters but we here always have felt that a competitor suffering a blown over or collapsed flag deserved to be returned to the competitive position he/she was in before the flag blew over. Now that has changed. For the better?

 

[Bob Kingsbury]

There will always be an offending flag or tail up in the air. Just
wondering why this could not be handled under the rule as it was
allowing it to be laid down

 

[Pete Wass]

No Dick

Pete,
You surprise me. I always thought you were of the "Nobody is going to dictate to me what flags I can use" school.

Also I am one of that 10%

Dick

I have been advocating for limiting flag numbers for some time now as well as a standardization of color placement.

I knew you were a 10%er Dick; why I wanted to include you in my thoughts

 

[David Apple]

Exactly my point when I said what the IBS wants. 25 members sign a petition and then the members at the Winter meeting vote provisionally then the entire membership in a year later...what the IBS wants.

In actuality what prompted this rule happened at the Maine State Shoot in 2009. A couple of competitors had their flags blown over or collapsed in a heavy wind Sunday at 200 yards. Very sandy soil in Augusta. The refs reset the flags during a target change. Mind you they did not engage in any kind of wholesale tweaking of flags, just 2 once during the entire agg. Two competitors flipped out about this as they said they should stay down. Nothing in the rules prevented the refs from doing this. This precipitated the agenda item and now it is prohibited. I guess this comes from the long standing practice in other areas of not helping a shooter in a fortuitous situation like this.

Is this too much different from a competitor having a gun malfunction and being helped with a loaner gun from another shooter? Again I have never seen ref tinkering with flags to suite lots of shooters but we here always have felt that a competitor suffering a blown over or collapsed flag deserved to be returned to the competitive position he/she was in before the flag blew over. Now that has changed. For the better?

Greg,
With all respect, this issue came up from a situation at the Score Nationals in Ohio where one competitor wanted to string his flags across several "shooting lanes."
David

 

[glp]

Dave...

Greg,
With all respect, this issue came up from a situation at the Score Nationals in Ohio where one competitor wanted to string his flags across several "shooting lanes."
David

Thanks for the clarification. But, you could have fooled me after talking with Wayne last year at the Maine State Shoot. I just think its too bad that a fortuitous flag collapse/fall over can't be addressed by the refs because of this change, but I've expressed that ad nauseum in the past and am done with it.

More snow today, 10 more overnight. Big money, you should start an operation up here!

 

[pbike]

Greg when was the Maine states in 2009? The reason I ask is I saw this Proposal early in the year, Actually I signed the proposal and brought some signatures to the Annual meeting last year. This was after Rod Morton's incedent in Ohio at the Score Nationals 2008. And there is no way to get an item on the agenda for this years meeting after July 1 2009. Was the Maine states after July 1?

Paul

 

[glp]

Paul...

Greg when was the Maine states in 2009? The reason I ask is I saw this Proposal early in the year, Actually I signed the proposal and brought some signatures to the Annual meeting last year. This was after Rod Morton's incedent in Ohio at the Score Nationals 2008. And there is no way to get an item on the agenda for this years meeting after July 1 2009. Was the Maine states after July 1?

Paul

Maine State Shoot in 2009 was August 1 and 2. --Greg