Running an IHMSA match

Our IMSHA match director is layed up in the hospital so I've volunteered to fill in for awhile. I think my only stumbling block might be filling in the report, I've never studied one closely. Other than that I think I can handle it....Take the fees, hand out the scorecards, holler "go and whoa" etc..Already got me an egg timer I can set for 2 minutes! :roll:

Does anyone involved in IMHSA happen to have an official match report sheet they could email me so I can have a look at one?

Anyone got any advice?

Much obliged,

Dennis :Fire:

Hat Creek Rifle Pistol Club

BTW, anyone who knows Dave Pitt could send him a good thought or two...

Lots of people here to conract that can help you:
http://www.ihmsa.org/

and more information here than you'll know what to do with it:
http://www.lasc.us/

Forearmed is probably one of the best resources on this. One of my suggestions would be to go to orchid software and download the match software. http://www.orchidsoftware.com/MatchMain.html This will make life considerably easier.

My second suggestion would be to relax. Nobody is getting paid, so go with the flow and have a good time. Keep the line safe.

Not much to the official sheet. Before the orchid software, I would type it up in word, print it out, and mail it to headquarters.

Much obliged guys. I think the "public speaking" is what has me buffaloed...

I think you nailed it 7br, thanks

Dennis

Just an update, Hat Creek Rifle Pistol Club has decided to cancel this event rather than let someone host it who isn't yet a member of IMHSA.....
(I paid out $65 last month to join HCRPC and figured to send IMSHA their $40 this month...)

Since no "genuine" IMSHA members volunteered....No shoot! :roll:

Dennis

(Who may just shoot "Hunter Pistol" instead of IMHSA!)

Lack of a IHSMA membership was key to why the local club (in WA) I am involved in stopped shooting IHSMA. We typically had few entires (~20) at a monthly match so those wanting to shoot did not want to run the match at the same time.

We had a club member who was not interested in handguns who was willing to run the match, we thought we had the magic combination. If there were any questions, it went to the other Club officers present who were IHSMA members for resolution. Remember, we were shooting for FUN.

National gave us a very hard time about the Match Director not being a member so those participating decided that was the end of IHSMA at this club. Then National had second thoughts but we had lost the remaining interest and had a bad taste for the management of the time.

Too bad, the Club had 250 entries for a match in its heyday of the early 80s. But that is just one of the reasons this sport has become primarily an East Coast sport with some support from the South.

I used to burn 1,500+ rounds a month at this game, almost all with home cast bullets........

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Explorer1

Lack of a IHSMA membership was key to why the local club (in WA) I am involved in stopped shooting IHSMA. We typically had few entires (~20) at a monthly match so those wanting to shoot did not want to run the match at the same time.

We had a club member who was not interested in handguns who was willing to run the match, we thought we had the magic combination. If there were any questions, it went to the other Club officers present who were IHSMA members for resolution. Remember, we were shooting for FUN.

National gave us a very hard time about the Match Director not being a member so those participating decided that was the end of IHSMA at this club. Then National had second thoughts but we had lost the remaining interest and had a bad taste for the management of the time.

Too bad, the Club had 250 entries for a match in its heyday of the early 80s. But that is just one of the reasons this sport has become primarily an East Coast sport with some support from the South.

I used to burn 1,500+ rounds a month at this game, almost all with home cast bullets........

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I couldn't make it to this month's shoot. The match director (who is out of the hospital now) called me up wondering where I was. He want's to "train" me to be the full time IHMSA director now....

I feel kinda insulted in a way, especially after finding out that a club in Oregon has had a volunteer "non IHMSA member" run their matchs before. Apparently, there is no "law" against it...

It's a 2 hr round trip drive for me to the range to "direct" about a half dozen "genuine" IHMSA shooters. I'm leaning towards shooting the NRA Hunter's Pistol matches instead. There are more matches and less "snootiness" if you get my drift....

FWIW,

Dennis :Fire:

The easiest thing is to have the club pony up the $35 for a membership for a non member. As far as being snooty, I have from time to time let my membership lapse with no one calling me on it.

When I started as a match director, I had spent a few years driving from Gt. Bend to matches across KS on my weekends off. Got laid off, went back to school and got hired on in Wichita. The former match director took on some more land farming and if I didn't take over, the match was over. I have bumbled, stumbled and screwed up more than once. Very rarely, have I gotten crosswise with anyone.

Truth be told, you are much more likely to have trouble with your local club than with the IHMSA organization. Getting volunteer help is like pulling teeth. I would bet that in any volunteer organization, less than 10% of the members do 80% of the work.

Rant over, foaming at the mouth decreasing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 7br

Truth be told, you are much more likely to have trouble with your local club than with the IHMSA organization. Getting volunteer help is like pulling teeth. I would bet that in any volunteer organization, less than 10% of the members do 80% of the work.

Rant over, foaming at the mouth decreasing.

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Oh, I absolutely agree, the "problem" I have isn't with IHMSA. They've been very helpful and friendly at their website and IHMSA seems like a fine organization...

I guess my hackles are raised over the current MD. To volunteer to show up at the club and be appreciated for keeping a match from being cancelled, and then have the IHMSA MD call me and say "The match is off, you aren't yet an IHMSA member". I wouldn't have minded if I'd been told "Well, you can't shoot the match but thanks for keeping it from being cancelled in my absense"....

(Even though I was told at a previous match that prospective IHMSA members were allowed to shoot two matches before having to join, which I intended to do)

Maybe the 90% who don't volonteer have had a similar experience?

FWIW,

Dennis

Dennis I'm sorry this has been any difficulty for you at all. Shame on everyone that gave you a hard time. I am the Match Director from Oregon that has had non-IHMSA members run the match. All I asked them to do was take the money and run the match. I do all of the paperwork after the match. They just provide me with the scorecards and the funds.

It does not have to be difficult and it does not have to be painful for anyone. Like was said above, it is a volunteer organization, and we all need to appreciate each other cause no one else will.

We have people that have shot for years without joining IHMSA, some because they shoot cast bullet rifle and some because they just don't want to join. That is all fine and dandy with me and anyone that doesn't like it, is welcome to come and run my club. Then I could just show up after the targets are set, shoot and go home with no match reports to fill out. The truth is, we appreciate all of our shooters, IHMSA members or not, and I gently encourage them to join but I never force the issue. Most of the time they come around and join on their own.
No matter what, they are participating in the shooting sports and we all benefit.

Anytime you like, move on up to Bend Oregon, I guarantee we will treat you well.
Keep your spirits up, some of us do appreciate your interest and willingness to volunteer. The fact that you have discussed it this much shows you are really interested. I hope someone else recognizes that and starts to apperciate your enthusiasm.

Joe

Explorer 1, if you are interested, there is a hard working guy trying to get a range going in Central Washington, Yakima area. If you are interested please e-mail me and I'll give you his contact information, I'm sure he would love to hear from you.
I dearly love IHMSA and I do everything I can to promote the sport and to encourage people to try it out. I hope everyone can find something to be passionate about and even better if it involves busting steel.
Thanks
Joe
jcunclejoe@aol.com
541-317-8801

'preciate your thoughts Joe, thanks....

Dennis :Fire:

Thanks Joe, that is a great idea.

I would be very willing to support the development of more ranges, for any reason. I have doubt our local club has many members interested in IHSMA anymore but as we do do get the question about yearly the idea is not dead. And Yakima is only ~1 hr drive so maybe we could send some folks his way.

I am the Chair of the local Friends of the NRA events and the State Chapter is VERY interested in supporting growth in the state. So I should be able to find some resources for the effort.

Bob
bob@pnwsolutions.com

Like Joe says, there are lots of us who just want to show up, shoot, and go home. Just too busy to get any more involved, we say. We need those people, or there wouldn't be any money to keep things going, but somebody has to do the work. Unfortunately, it is usually the most dedicated shooter who winds up with the MD job, because he (or she) doesn't want to see the game go down the tubes. Then, of course, that person finds he doesn't have time to shoot in the matches. When that happens, burnout is not far behind. I would guess that I am one of the longest-tenured IHMSA MDs around at 16 years, and I would have been gone long ago if it weren't for the volunteer help I have had. If you want to have the opportunity to shoot, be sure to give the MD a call and see if he needs any help the day before. Then, show up early once in a while and call the line for a couple of hours so he can get in a gun or two. Makes all the difference in the world.

Thanks fourarmed, everything you said rings true except for the not shooting part.
I am the match director at our range and the State director. Between the two my evenings are certainly full and match days are always first to arrive and last to leave.
I run the line all day and I almost always shoot the most guns. Then again 10 people for us is a huge crowd. I can bellow pretty well so there is no trouble hearing me even with double hearing protection. It takes a few seconds to watch the timer but I'm so used to it now I feel like I have way too much time on my hands if I'm not calling the line.

Match directors are the heart and soul of the organization but we need and appreciate every single person that shows up. Every person counts and every entry is good for the shooting sports. We had three new shooters on Saturday, I'm sure they will all be back and one said she would bring her son next time too.
Thanks
Joe

Yeah, I know some of those leather-lunged MDs shooting and calling at the same time. Like you say, it works best at smaller matches. Our firing line is 175 feet long with some 30 firing points and a PA system. We normally average in the neighborhood of 25 bodies and 70 guns, so I really feel better if somebody is up there watching what's happening all the time. Fortunately I have had enough volunteer help lately that I do get to shoot about all I want to. As long as I can do that, I'll run it gladly.

Incidentally, thanks for what you do in the "IHMSA NEWS" as well. I know that takes some time.

Thank you fourarmed, I do it because I love it and it feels good to be involved.
We wouldn't know what to do with 25 shooters or 70 guns. I sure would like to give it a try though.
We have a PA system and I'm sure we could manage and take turns running the line. We have a great bunch of people and nearly everyone is willing to help out.
Keep up the good work.
Joe