Recent posts over the past few months have got me to thinking (always trouble)
It seems as though there are a few rules issues that arise frequently enough to merit an interpretation. One that immediately comes to my mind is the subject of correcting the scoring of a target.
ATA rules specifically state that "The referee/scorer's decision on whether a target is dead or lost is final, subject to review only by the shoot committee or other governing body"
Now, when a visible piece broken from a target and the scorer calls "Lost", It is "customary" for the other shooters on the squad to "assist" the scorer by affirming the presence of a "perceptible piece"....but I can find no mention of that procedure in the rules. Is the scorers decision final at that very moment, or are the shooter and the other squad members permitted to "assist" the scorer in his/her decision on the scoring of that target? How many other squad members are required to witness the broken target? Is the shooter himself counted towards that number?
The rules don't actually permit changing the scoring unless the "shoot committee or other governing body" reviews it. To further add to the confusion, Rule Section VII-10 states that "It is an error if the referre/scorer fails to properly mark the results of the shot in the section of the score sheet where the results should be recorded"......who decides whether it is properly marked?
Section VII-10 further states that.... "In such cases it is the duty of that contestant to have any error corrected before he/she has fired the first shot at the next post".....are we to interpret this as another opportunity to remedy a mis-scored target, or only referring to the actual location of the markings on the score sheet?....
Continuing with Sec VII-1..."If the shooter fails to have the score corrected, the recorded scores(s) shall remain unchanged and no valid protest will be entertained".....Now the dilemna...
Contestants have completed all 5 targets of a post, while changing posts, shooter # 3 hears the scorers call of " 5 - 3 - 4 - 4 - 4 "....shooter # 3 immediately states that he/she didn't miss any of those targets, the other shooters look somewhat puzzled, there were enough missed targets on that post that none of them can recall with any certainty whether he missed one or not. Is the scorers decision final at this moment or not? Can this score be changed by the scorer at this time? Or does it require the "shoot committee" to review the situation.
To make matters somewhat more confusing....Rule Section VII-12 states "Errors in the recorded details of the official score can only be corrected in strict accordance with the aforementioned Rules,"....
I would interpret the "details" to include whether or not a target was marked "lost" or "dead"
So, if we are bound by "strict accordance" of the rules regarding scoring, how is it that we can change any decision of the scorer/referee?
I have shot long enough to know how scoring is commonly done, and believe that scorers reasonably change their decision based on the other squad members input as well. I have also seen scorers change target scoring after completion of the post based on their desire to "please" the shooters.
The rules are unclear for several situations that do arise from time to time and seemingly have no "official" remedy or established procedure.
There are other anomalies in the scoring section as well, but that is for another day...perhaps some addtional language or clarification of our existing rules is in order.
A thoughful review by someone like Neil would be appreciated.
Bob
It seems as though there are a few rules issues that arise frequently enough to merit an interpretation. One that immediately comes to my mind is the subject of correcting the scoring of a target.
ATA rules specifically state that "The referee/scorer's decision on whether a target is dead or lost is final, subject to review only by the shoot committee or other governing body"
Now, when a visible piece broken from a target and the scorer calls "Lost", It is "customary" for the other shooters on the squad to "assist" the scorer by affirming the presence of a "perceptible piece"....but I can find no mention of that procedure in the rules. Is the scorers decision final at that very moment, or are the shooter and the other squad members permitted to "assist" the scorer in his/her decision on the scoring of that target? How many other squad members are required to witness the broken target? Is the shooter himself counted towards that number?
The rules don't actually permit changing the scoring unless the "shoot committee or other governing body" reviews it. To further add to the confusion, Rule Section VII-10 states that "It is an error if the referre/scorer fails to properly mark the results of the shot in the section of the score sheet where the results should be recorded"......who decides whether it is properly marked?
Section VII-10 further states that.... "In such cases it is the duty of that contestant to have any error corrected before he/she has fired the first shot at the next post".....are we to interpret this as another opportunity to remedy a mis-scored target, or only referring to the actual location of the markings on the score sheet?....
Continuing with Sec VII-1..."If the shooter fails to have the score corrected, the recorded scores(s) shall remain unchanged and no valid protest will be entertained".....Now the dilemna...
Contestants have completed all 5 targets of a post, while changing posts, shooter # 3 hears the scorers call of " 5 - 3 - 4 - 4 - 4 "....shooter # 3 immediately states that he/she didn't miss any of those targets, the other shooters look somewhat puzzled, there were enough missed targets on that post that none of them can recall with any certainty whether he missed one or not. Is the scorers decision final at this moment or not? Can this score be changed by the scorer at this time? Or does it require the "shoot committee" to review the situation.
To make matters somewhat more confusing....Rule Section VII-12 states "Errors in the recorded details of the official score can only be corrected in strict accordance with the aforementioned Rules,"....
I would interpret the "details" to include whether or not a target was marked "lost" or "dead"
So, if we are bound by "strict accordance" of the rules regarding scoring, how is it that we can change any decision of the scorer/referee?
I have shot long enough to know how scoring is commonly done, and believe that scorers reasonably change their decision based on the other squad members input as well. I have also seen scorers change target scoring after completion of the post based on their desire to "please" the shooters.
The rules are unclear for several situations that do arise from time to time and seemingly have no "official" remedy or established procedure.
There are other anomalies in the scoring section as well, but that is for another day...perhaps some addtional language or clarification of our existing rules is in order.
A thoughful review by someone like Neil would be appreciated.
Bob