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Duties and Responsibilities of an ARA Match Director
The Official Rules will govern all ARA Matches. This section is
provided as a guide only. Especially for new Match Directors.
You,
as a Match Director, are one of the most important individual elements in ARA
competition. Your task is to organize and encourage local competition.
You
organize Clubs into Sanctioned Clubs, according to ARA guidelines; ready the
Range facility in such a manner so as to always provide adequate and safe target
backers; make certain that adequate berms exist so that all bullets passing
through each target will do so without ricochet; provide sturdy benches of
similar construction and design for all competitors; advertise your schedule to
as many interested competitors as possible in your locale; keep good, accurate
records of the names and equipment list of each registered competitor; select a
target scoring team capable of correctly and accurately scoring all targets in a
fair and unbiased manner; correctly and accurately calculate all aggregates and
points in order to determine place of finish for each competitor; diplomatically
settle any disagreements or misunderstandings; quickly send in each Match
Report, equipment list and appropriate fees to the Business Office following
each event; note complaints or praise from each competitor regarding the manner
that ARA events are conducted and report these to the Business Office if they
might improve the manner in which ARA events are conducted.
Specifically, your duties are to:
·
Affiliate your Club at the beginning of each competitive season
by sending in the appropriate Club Sanction Fee to the ARA Business Office.
·
Set schedules for ARA Club and Tournament events for each season.
·
Attempt to coordinate scheduling of events with Match Directors
of nearby Clubs so as to prevent conflicting schedules, thereby maximizing each
competitor’s opportunity to participate in as many events as possible in a
given region.
·
Attempt to standardize all operations and procedures so as to be
consistent with other ARA Sanctioned Clubs across the U.S. and Canada.
·
Study and maintain proficient knowledge of all ARA Rules for each
current season, and be capable of finding and/or explaining any Rule that comes
into question. Enforce all ARA Rules in a diplomatic and impartial manner.
·
Act as the liaison between all competitors and the governing
Board of Directors.
·
Watch for and be prepared to suggest improvements to the
operations of ARA events, the implementation of ARA Rules, and communicate with
other Match Directors and the Business Office on a regular basis.
·
Vote on any proposed Rule changes or procedures propounded by
other Match Directors or the Corporate Directors as may be appropriate, from
time to time.
Getting Started
Preparing the Range:
ARA
requires a minimum of 5 benches at each range. Benches must be of similar,
sturdy materials. This provides each competitor with an equal chance. It’s
unfair if you have four competitors shooting off sturdy concrete benches, and
the fifth shooting off a rickety wooden table.
Target
stands should also be sturdy. The backing should provide plenty of support for
the targets to be stapled onto.
Most
competitors carry their own shooting stools. However, you should provide a few
simple stools just in case. These can be simple stools made of wood, or even a
folding stool or chair.
Drawing for Benches:
Drawing
for benches is mandatory. This is a relatively easy process. Depending on the
number of benches you have, you should have a corresponding number of
"tokens." These tokens can be poker chips, round sale tags, or even
just little pieces of paper. The tokens are turned face down so the competitors
cannot see what number they are drawing. The number they draw is the bench they
will start on.
Signing In:
Sign-In
and Equipment List forms are available on the ARA website or from the Business
Office. You should make copies of these forms for use throughout the year.
Computer-generated reports are acceptable. However, it is imperative that you
follow the same order used on the official ARA forms. Please be sure to include
the name of the Club, name of the Match Director AND the date of the event.
After
a competitor has drawn for his/her bench, they will sign in on the corresponding
line on the Sign-In Sheet. For example, if a competitor draws the token that has
the number 5 on it, he will begin on bench 5 and sign in on line 5. The number 5
becomes the competitor’s number for that event and is marked on his targets.
Names are not used on the targets, only the number. Many Match Directors put the
competitor numbers on the back of the target. This is encouraged.
Each
competitor needs to accurately complete the Sign-In Sheet, including the last
four digits of his/her Social Security Number, plus the initials of his/her
name. (Example: 1234ph). This number becomes his/her official ARA statistical
number, which is needed for maintenance of ALL statistical computer database
records. It is imperative that competitors sign-in consistently with the same
numbers and initials each time or face the possibility that their scores may be
improperly entered into the ARA database. If
the competitor has never competed in an ARA event, their ARA ID number will be
the last 4 digits of their social security number and their initials (1234ph).
[This is the single greatest consumer of time that I have to deal
with. Entering scores is a snap, but having to find the right competitor to
match the numbers on the forms that are entered differently from match to match
REALLY slows me down.]
As
the competitors are signing in, they can easily indicate on the Sign-In form
whether or not they want to rotate benches. If a majority of the competitors
request bench rotation, then bench rotation shall be observed at that event.
Check Section 10 of the ARA Rules for more specifics on bench rotation.
Each
range is different. Some ranges may experience very different conditions at
various sections of the shooting line. At these ranges bench rotation evens out
the field for everyone. Other ranges may have consistent conditions across the
entire line. No one has an advantage or a disadvantage by remaining at one
bench.
If
your range fits into the first description and you know that bench rotation will
provide equal opportunity for all competitors, you can impose bench rotation. If
you choose to impose bench rotation please include that information with your
club schedule.
Choosing Your Scoring Team:
The
Scoring Team shall consist of at least three people. (Competitors MAY be on the
Scoring Team.) However, it is recommended that members of the scoring team
refrain from scoring their own personal targets, passing them instead to another
member of the team. You also need to appoint at least one person to be the
designated target retriever. These people are the only ones who should be
handling the completed targets. Only those on the Scoring Team are allowed in
the area where scoring is taking place. (Personal note: Coming from personal
experience, the scoring process is the most important part of each match. When
other competitors are "hovering" and asking questions, they are
distracting the scoring team. The team needs to be focusing on their task.
Competitors will have their opportunity for questions soon enough!)
You
should provide adequate supplies for your Scoring Team: pens/markers,
hi-lighters, the Rig Plug (available from the ARA Business Office), magnifier
and calculators, as well as plenty of copies of the required ARA forms AND a
copy of the ARA Rule Book. You may also want to have either a small knife or
screwdriver available for the target retriever to remove staples.
Refer
to Section 14 of the ARA Rules for guidelines on marking plugged shots. All
plugged shots should be marked with either a hi-lighter or with the letter
"P" and the pluggers initials to indicate that it was plugged. If a
shot is too close for one person to determine the score, a second member of the
Scoring Team should view the shot. The second person needs to initial the score
as well. Plugged scores that have two sets of initials will stand as marked.
Plugged scores that only have one set of initials can be challenged. READ
SECTION 14.
Following
completion of the event, the targets are to be handed out to the competitors for
review. Competitors are allowed two minutes per target to review their targets
for correct math calculations and that each shot is properly scored. Any
competitor finding an error should show it to the Match Director who will advise
the Scoring Team to recheck it. ONLY the Scoring Team, along with the Match
Director, can make a change or correction.
Filling out the Match Reports:
The
Match Reports are THE most important part of each event.
If you have a computer and Excel, please use the scoring program that is
available on the website. This
program will greatly simplify your work as well as mine.
Read the instructions thoroughly. This
will enable you to print out match reports for the competitors and to print out
certificates to be given to the winners. When
finished you may e-mail the ‘E-Mail File’ to me at dan@killoughshootingsports.com
instead of mailing in a written match report.
If
you do not use a computer then you must write out the match reports. Please
be sure to write in the name of the Club, name of the Match Director AND the
date of the event. Scores must be entered correctly and neatly. Math needs to be
double-checked for accuracy. There is no preference for what order the
competitors are listed on the Match Report form. Some Teams put them in the same
order of sign-in and some put them in finish order. Whatever is easiest for you
is fine. My computer program will put them in the correct order, but some folks
find it easier to award points and determine the winners when the order is by
finish.
Points
are figured by multiplying the number of targets by the number of competitors.
If you are having a 5-target match, and you have 14 competitors, multiply 5
times 14 to get 70 points. The first place finisher would get 70 points. Then
subtract the number of targets (5 in this example) to get 65 points, which would
go to the 2nd place finisher. And so on down to the 14th
place finisher who will get 5 points.
Refer
to Section 15 for more information on awarding points.
Record Targets:
Only
potential NATIONAL Record Targets need to be sent to the Business Office for
verification. The Match Director and the Scoring Team should verify any Club or
State Record Target.
Potential
National record targets must be signed ON THE FRONT of the target by the Match
Director, the three members of the Scoring Committee and the Competitor. Do so
on a non-record portion of the target. The Club name and date should be written
on the back. Targets that do not comply with this Rule will not be verified as a
record.
Refer
to Section 27 regarding mailing in record targets.
Mailing the Match Reports:
The
results of each match must be postmarked within 10 days of an event to be
considered an ARA-sanctioned event and counted toward the ARA standings. Both,
the Sign-In Sheet, the Equipment List and the Match Results forms need to be
sent to the ARA Business Office along with appropriate match fees. Match Fees
for both Club and Tournament matches are $1 per competitor per target shot. (In
the previous example, the match fees would be $70.) Remember, ARA waives THEIR
portion of any fees for eligible Junior competitors. Please indicate any Junior
with an asterisk (*) on the forms.
Anytime
you have questions, do not hesitate to contact Dan Killough (325) 212-0807. Good
luck and thanks for being part of ARA!
Polly
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