IDPA Rule Change

[JTH]

I think we need to get back to the important stuff here, guys.

With an FTDR on both stages, how fast and accurate would I need to be to still win?

I'm thinking that with a 40-second total penalty time----relativistic speeds might be necessary.   

...though it does depend on how long the stage is.  And how many other penalties you "acquire" along the way...

We all bringing trenchcoats to wear for concealment this time?   

[SeanN]

Time to engage ludicrous speed!

... I'm going plaid!!.....

Think I could get a plaid trench coat?

[bullit]

Epic Fail Sean .....  :p

[SeanN]

Story of my life.

[OnTheFly]

I think that having classes within divisions (and in some cases, categories) are actually good things.  But there is a point where "giving people goals and rewarding people other than the guys who always win" turns into "here's your participation ribbon for the event."

That's separate from whether or not everyone is driven to improve to the same extent.

My brother's step-daughters asked him if he wanted to join them when they "ran" in the Lincoln half marathon.  He declined because he didn't feel that he had time to train and run it in a time that he would be proud of.  His step-daughters continued with their plans, but barely did any training of significance.  When the day of the race came, they participated.  I say "participated" because they did not run the entire course.  They alternated between running and walking.  The funny thing is that when they would see the family on the side of the course, they would start running to make it look like they were running the entire time.  One sister drove the other crazy because she complained the whole time. 

Neither of them won any physical trophy or ribbon, but what they did get was the bragging rights that they "ran" the Lincoln half marathon.  My brother and I spoke about this and neither of us can understand what pride you could have unless you actually ran the race and met a reasonable goal.  Not necessarily win, but a respectable performance.  Let alone telling people with confidence that you "ran the Lincoln half marathon". 

If the Navy Seal training program was made into a sport, how many people would participate?  There are no smiley faces on your folder, or ribbons for almost becoming a Seal.  This means only the extremely devoted and committed will participate, and because of this the sport would not proliferate. 

I wish that we had a society where people did not settle for mediocre or good enough.  For myself, I don't look at how well I do at local (Lincoln) matches.  My sights are set higher.  It may never happen for me, but that is where I would want to be. 

I understand what you are saying.  However, this is where our world is going, and organizations like USPSA know it is a useful tool in furthering the sport.

Fly

[JTH]

And IDPA really doesn't like to make shooters feel bad (in some ways, it reminds me of the push in education for self-esteem, instead of self-respect), so by creating a division so that people who shoot their "real carry guns" won't have to shoot against the best guns for a division choice, those people can now brag that they are shooting "real IDPA" (you can see this happening, can't you?) as opposed to the rest of "those people who should just go shoot USPSA if they want to be gamers."  (You can see people saying that too, can't you?)

Good lord.  Here's a quote I just read about the IDPA match that several of us went down and shot in Kansas a couple of weeks ago:

"I take a disadvantage by shooting a G19 from under a hoody or T-shirt because that's what I carry...

...with ten stages running, with [sic] I went gamer holster, gun and vest and cut 2-3 seconds per stage I would have taken overall for the whole match."

Considering he would have had to cut four seconds from every single stage run he had, that seems kinda unlikely.  Not anything directly against him (he is a good shooter, with lots of non-competition shooting experience, plus a lot of competition-shooting experience) but that statement is either strongly wishful thinking, or bragging for effect.  (Literally, the match winner could have shot a quarter of the match again and still beaten his score.)

Oddly enough, his comment is both a combination of what I said about gear, AND a whine about how Real Shooters don't use gamer gear.

Anyway, I read that and had to comment about how there is already a section of people talking about the difference between IDPA shooters who are Real Shooters, and those who are gamers, based on their equipment choices for IDPA.  Having a CCP division for those folks will mean that they won't have to compare themselves to those gamers anymore.

You'd think that for a game with results in which people are comparing themselves to others, we wouldn't have issues with people arguing that comparing themselves to others isn't valid.

[sigh]

One of the things I like about local matches here.  Everyone applauds everyone, and everyone makes fun of everyone, and EVERYONE wants the other shooters to do their best.

Well, except for Sean.  Man, that guy has an attitude problem.*







*Kidding!

[SeanN]

Sigh. With friends like these...