Marshal Phil DeGrave SASS #55202 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Would you please give some advice to a fellow Cowboy who will be a Match Director for the first time? He's looking for do and don'ts and any other items of concern. Thanks in advance, MPDG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Would you please give some advice to a fellow Cowboy who will be a Match Director for the first time? He's looking for do and don'ts and any other items of concern. Thanks in advance, MPDG HERE's a good place to start lookin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Dan Troop 70448 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Keep things simple and fun. Use SASS guidelines, also matches were you have been and what made them succesfull for you and the shooters. MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 HERE's a good place to start lookin'. THEN, contact the MD of the funnest match you've attended and ask for HIS/HER advice. Oh, and don't try and do it in the immediate 3 months before the planned match date. Been there, done that... and while it did come together successfully... in hindsight, it weren't real pretty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Big Al #3195 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Keep it simple and fun and always listen to your fellow shooters. Don't get caught up in EGO trips( yours or others) and don't be afraid to ask for help when needed......... CBA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJT Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Don't be afraid to try something new. Don't change too much too fast. Listen to feedback. Use YOUR best judgement. Always remember that any one decision may only please about half the shooters. Good Luck, BJT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassalong Hopidy Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Keep things simple and fun. Use SASS guidelines, also matches were you have been and what made them succesfull for you and the shooters. MT I would second Marshal Troop's sage suggestions, especially the "simple" part. Shooters like hitting the targets and are especially put off by stages that they think invite Ps. You aren't likely to hear the complaint that things were too simple or that the speaker's shooting times were too fast. And other matches are a great source of inspiration. BTW, Marshall--hope to see you at Fort White this weekend. Cassalong Hopidy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowdy Yates, SASS #141 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Delegate everything possible. You'll still have plenty to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakey Merlot Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Grow a thick skin. You'll always hear some jackass talking about how bad something is and he could do it better, until you ask him to do it. Shakey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fillmore Coffins, SASS #7884 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Make sure the stages have targets that are big and close. Make sure the stage shooting and reset times are about equal. Make sure the stages will produce an adequate amount of clean shooters. Make sure there are plenty of shooting opportunites throughout the day. Try to avoid long or difficult walks to the stages. A short awards ceremony, folks want to go home. Feelmore-DAMMIT "I've been to the river Reverend, I've been baptized." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Been nice knowin' ya... and hope you come back to SASS one day. t(joshin')s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Kiowa Jones #6765 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Being an MD is much like running a small business. Your objective should be to see that your customers have a good experience so they want to come back. You do that by keeping in mind the majority of the folks that come to this game are there for the fun first and could care less about the high level of competition. Keep in mind that least 80% of the 80 something thousand SASS members have never competed in any kind of gun game before. Many have never even owned a handgun before. As new shooters the big close targets instill confidence and enthusiasm. So, always make it as easy as possible for the newest least skilled shooters. They will have fun and will come back and your club will grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dang It Dan 13202 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Make sure the stages have targets that are big and close. Make sure the stage shooting and reset times are about equal. Make sure the stages will produce an adequate amount of clean shooters. Make sure there are plenty of shooting opportunites throughout the day. Try to avoid long or difficult walks to the stages. A short awards ceremony, folks want to go home. Feelmore-DAMMIT "I've been to the river Reverend, I've been baptized." This is a good short list. #2 is especially helpful when doing the stage planning. If you have one complicated stage in front of a short stage, then things get backed up. Additionally, based on the range layout you may want to either consider a short stage for Stage #10 so there is additional time to have shooters walk to Stage #1, or you may want to have shooters shoot the bottom half (1-5) one day and the upper half (6-10) the second day to avoid losing time traveling. A short opening ceremony is helpful and appreciated. You can take the time to thank everyone at the awards dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 No particular order: - Delegate authority. - Listen to suggestions, they might not be all that bad, expecially amoung your committee. - Don't take criticism personally, it happens, it's really not an affront to you. - Respond to your e-mails and phone calls quickly. - Strive to make your match "the best it can be" and realize that you are only a part of the equasion, your TO's, score keeper(s), food vendor, awards maker, etc., etc., are all part of the match. - If it all becomes too much, ask for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Make a list of what you want accomplished. Set deadlines for each item to be completed. Select people for each item. Have monthly meetings if practical for updates and changes. Not on an match days. Too many things cause distractions. As Match Director you will take the flack for things that don't work out. There will also be praise for a good match. But usually not as loud as the complaints. Your job is to manage the overall event. Keep everyone that volunteers to help on track. Get the stages written early so you can go over them and still have time to make changes and get them printed in to a hand book. This takes longer than you think and you have to stay after this to get it all together. Start NOW! Don't let it turn in to a hated job. Have fun. EXAMPLE: Last Stand at Chimney Rock, SASS Western Regional. 3 or 4 weeks after the match is over,at the regular club monthly meeting it is announced that the Regional Committee will meet on next month to start organizing for the next year. 2 months after the match the committee has their first meeting and goes over the match outline. Second meeting people are assigned to all the individual items to be done. Time table is set up. Work as hard as you want but remember to assign others to tasks. You can NOT do it by yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yazoo City Gal Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 MPDG, With my experience.... I was asked in December to be the match director for the Georgia State Match which we just had last weekend. I had never even written a stage before that other than to practice. I knew people were in place for food,vendors,parking and such so I first had to get the match written. 10 stages with a mid-Feb. deadline. One thing I kept in mind was " We are in the entertainment business."(I have heard this many times from a couple of friends). Once the match was written I sent it to several pards who have been a part of some very big matches for any kind of comments. I received some ideas to fine tune the stages and sent them back. I had them all in mind and ready enough for my club to shoot them at our March and April matches, even though they were shot on different bays. If you have seen the wire lately, you know we must have done something right. The responses on here have been GREAT!!! I have been keeping a notebook the last couple of month's and writing down things that we missed or need to improve on for next year. I have already started planning and recruiting for 2012. Being a match director was a great SASS experience and i look forward to doing it again. Just remember"WE ARE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS!!!" If they leave smiling then you have done your job. This is from Judge'm All Duncan (I did not realize Yazoo had signed on) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickamauga Charlie, SASS #47963 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 lots of good advice above but i strongly recommend you read THIS book http://sassnet.com/Downloads/MatchDir/MDSDvH.pdf the link PWB gve you is for administration and thats important but if you want them coming back follow the expert advice SASS has put together for match design paying special attention to do's and dont's. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hud McCoy Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Grow a thick skin. You'll always hear some jackass talking about how bad something is and he could do it better, until you ask him to do it. Shakey Thick skin is definitely a priority. I started running the Westshore Posse in 2010 and soon realized that that what makes 1/2 the crowd happy, also makes the other half not so happy. I advocate big hittable targets, simple stages and try like hell not to design a P trap for the shooters. Most of the time you will get the guy or gal who is a top notch shooter and they do most of the bitching. I hear them out, but most of the opinions I really pay mind to are from the one's who show up and help out all the time. I consider myself a good shooter and for the most part give people a run for the money, so when the top gun bitches about something trival, I just go out and shoot circles around them. I am working on a cure for cart ass syndrome, you the type. Hud McCoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy Junky Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 RUN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 RUN! +1 and I would add, very fast as if your life depended on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Above all, remember that you are in the entertainment business. Make sure you put on a match where folks will have fun! And take all that other stuff above into strong consideration too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Summing up the comments above, with some of my own: -Keep it simple and fun, but throw in a more difficult stage occasionally, otherwise you will bore a segment of your shooters. -Follow SASS guidelines. It is not fair to other shooters if you aren’t calling penalties that the shooter earned – you didn’t give it to them, they earned it. -Look, listen, learn, and interact. Pick 3 or 4 shooters after the match and ask them the pros and cons of the match. Adapt accordingly. -Get a thick skin. You will NOT please every single shooter. Try your best to please the majority of shooters. -Big, close and fast is fun – every stage that way is monotonous for a lot of shooters. Mix it up a little bit. -Non-shooting activities can be fun, but most people prefer these to be off of the clock. “When the shooter is ready, throw the dynamite into the barrel and I’ll give you the beep.” -Bonus targets can be fun, but keep them to a minimum. -Stages will depend on your physical setup. Lots of clubs shoot six stages, two scenarios on three bays. Try your best to even out the times. If you shoot two fast stages on Bay 1, and shoot two complicated stages on Bay 2, then the Bay 1 folks will be standing around grinching, waiting on Bay 2 to finish. -Communication is important. Answer emails; phone people back; get your scores posted in a timely manner; keep your web site updated. -Throw your ego to the wind. Ask for advice and help if you feel the need. No one will think less of you to ask for a hand. -Delegate as much as you can or you will burn out. -Not only read the Match Director’s Handbook, but have a good working knowledge of all of the handbooks. Keep current copies on site for referral. -Don’t let people bully you. You are responsible for your match. You have to do what YOU believe is the right thing to do if it isn’t spelled out in one of the handbooks. As difficult as it sometimes is, take the high road. Remember, the pig likes to roll in the mud. -Keep the awards ceremony short and sweet. If possible, have some food or snacks around for shooters to munch on while scores are tallied and awards are handed out. -Although you are pulled many directions during the match, don’t forget to have fun yerownself. -Finally, strive to keep your range clean and safe. Add improvements as time and money allows. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it won’t happen at all without some goals and leadership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goliath, SASS #41359 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 MPDG, With my experience.... I was asked in December to be the match director for the Georgia State Match which we just had last weekend. I had never even written a stage before that other than to practice. I knew people were in place for food,vendors,parking and such so I first had to get the match written. 10 stages with a mid-Feb. deadline. One thing I kept in mind was " We are in the entertainment business."(I have heard this many times from a couple of friends). Once the match was written I sent it to several pards who have been a part of some very big matches for any kind of comments. I received some ideas to fine tune the stages and sent them back. I had them all in mind and ready enough for my club to shoot them at our March and April matches, even though they were shot on different bays. If you have seen the wire lately, you know we must have done something right. The responses on here have been GREAT!!! I have been keeping a notebook the last couple of month's and writing down things that we missed or need to improve on for next year. I have already started planning and recruiting for 2012. Being a match director was a great SASS experience and i look forward to doing it again. Just remember"WE ARE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS!!!" If they leave smiling then you have done your job. This is from Judge'm All Duncan (I did not realize Yazoo had signed on) You did a fantastic job directing the GA match Keep them well fed and they will forgive glitches - And did you keep us well fed at the match - good food vendors, good bar-b-q at the range on Friday night and good food at the banquet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madd Mike #8595 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 kevlar hearing aids folks often times done say many good things, even iff it was good folks will most often let ya know what they think ya did wrong tally-hoe carry on have fun it aint really all that badd someone has ta do it thanks for stepping up to the plate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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