The following is a recounting of the events (to the best of my recollection) that took place on stage 6 during the 2015 Carolina Cup. The chain of events is presented in chronological order to illustrate how the initial information provided to me during the walkthrough, and unfortunate acceptance by me, of the incorrect target information on stage 6 snowballed into an officiating decision that took more than four (4) hours to resolve. It resulted in a reshoot awarded by an SO (Daren Kirtz), a reshoot approved by the MD (Frank Glover), instructions by the MD to file an appeal, a reshoot denied and then a reshoot awarded – all when a reshoot was never originally requested or demanded by me.

Please note that the quoted statements are not verbatim quotes but are paraphrased as accurately as possible and do reflect the tone, context and content intended.

1) During the stage briefing and walkthrough on stage 6 of the Carolina Cup, the SO giving the briefing was interrupted by another SO (Daren Kirts) who proceeded to address breaking cover while engaging T5 on the move for those shooters that chose to shoot it on the move. The point of cover being discussed was a refrigerator in the shoot house. I was positioned at the very back of the group during the stage briefing and walkthrough and was unable to see where the SO’s were indicating the various cover or target locations. When I reached the last shooting position during the walkthrough (which was at the refrigerator) I asked the same SO (Daren) who had interrupted the briefing, “is this the last target?” as I pointed to what turned out to be T6, not T7. He replied, “Yes, this is the last target.” So to clarify I understood correctly, I repeated my question and the SO reconfirmed that this (T6) was the final target on the stage. In this case, T7 was located behind the last shooting position – located up range – to the shooter’s right and could not be seen unless the shooters turned/pivoted to the right and leaned to the left. The target was located outside of the shoot house, through a window.

It is important to note that this stage took place in a shoot house and due the limited space down range and safety concerns, the shooters could not watch or see competitors engage the last part of the stage, including targets T6 and T7. If shooters had been able to advance or see competitors shoot the final targets on the stage I would have been able to observe that there was another target and that I had been incorrectly instructed by the SO about the final target on the stage.

2) Upon completing the stage, and after holstering, the SO called out the time and one procedural, (at this point scoring immediately started before I could even ask what the procedural was for). After I was informed that I failed to engage T7, I walked directly to Daren Kirts, the SO who had twice informed me, incorrectly, during the stage briefing and walk through that T6 was the last target on the stage. I said to Daren, “I’m not asking for a reshoot, because it’s still on me, but you told me during the walk through that was the last target. I’m just letting you know what you told me.” He thought for a moment and stated, “Yes, I did. I screwed up.” At that point I was handed my score sheet’s yellow copy and he (Daren) took my yellow copy out of my hand. I again stated, “I did not ask for a reshoot.” Daren replied, “No, you did not, but this is my fault, I know what I told you and I should fix it.” During the entire conversation I never broke the Shooter’s Code of Conduct. I did not raise my voice nor did I use any profanity in my communication with Daren.

Please Note:
A). I was later informed by other competitors, though I have not confirmed this, that the SO, Daren Kirts, who provided me the answer during the stage briefing and walk through may or may not have been the SO for stage 6. I was also told he was the Range Master, but again I have not confirmed his official role. I only know that he participated in an official capacity during the stage briefing and answered shooters’ questions about the COF, during the walkthrough including mine.
B) I did not walk off the stage and then come back 5 or 10 minutes later and ask the SO (Daren) what he said. I addressed him regarding the incorrect information he provided to my target question directly while still on the stage and as my targets were being scored.

3) Daren Kirts informed me after talking to other SO’s he had to have the Match Director (Frank Glover) approve the reshoot. Daren left and returned shortly with the MD.

4) Frank, the Match Director, spoke to who I believe was the CSO (Tammy) in private and then walked over to Daren and I, paused and declared, “Reshoot.” Frank then inquired about needing another score sheet and Daren, indicating my already marked up stage 6 score sheet, replied, “I can make this one work”. The Match Director watched as Daren Kirts took my score sheet and scribbled out both my time and points down. The Match Director then asked for the score sheet and walked out of the bay. Daren and I were left standing on stage 6 and waiting, under the impression that the MD went to get another score sheet. At this point we were now holding up the next squad and my squad had moved on to the next bay. After approximately 5 minutes the MD still had not returned with a score sheet and I ask the CSO (Tammy) what was going on and was told they did not know, and that nothing has been told to her. We (the CSO and I) agree that I should come back as we were holding up the match.

5) Walking to the next bay the MD approached me and said, “I can’t give you a reshoot and under new rules you have to protest.” At this point I’m totally confused by the conflicting information regarding the awarding of a reshoot and asked the MD directly if he was instructing me to file a protest. The MD replied, “Yes.”

6) Following the MD’s instructions, I informed him I wanted to appeal (protest) and that I needed to find paper, a pen and a rulebook. The MD offered and provided me all three to facilitate the appeal/protest he instructed me to file. I wrote up the appeal and submitted it to the MD within the 30 minutes allotted per the rulebook. At the time of submission I attempted to submit the $100 appeal fee required and the MD refused to accept it stating, “I don’t collect the money the AC does and the money’s going to stay in your pocket anyway.” The time I submitted the appeal was approximately 10:30am.

7) In accordance with the current rulebook, appeals are supposed to be ruled on within 1 hour of filing. The time I filed the appeal (approximately 10:30am) was not officially noted on the appeal by the MD when submitted. The MD did confirm that the appeal was filed around 10:30am when later questioned by the AC’s delegate.

8) After we finished shooting, which was around 11:30am, I asked the MD about the decision of the appeal. He stated he didn’t know and they were still working on it and to just hang out. At 12:30pm I inquired again and was again told to wait. I asked if I needed to continue to wait for a final decision or if I was permitted to go to lunch. I was told, yes, I could leave for lunch. I arrived back at the range around 2:30pm and was told by the Match Director that the decision of the arbitration team was no reshoot would be allowed and I was instructed to give him the $100 appeal fee.

9) I then requested my original score sheet (the yellow copy that had been taken by Daren Kirts) be returned. When provided, someone from the match staff had rewritten my points down and time despite the fact all the scoring information had been scribbled out and could not be clearly read. I asked how they could be sure of my time as I myself could not clearly read the time. I stated that the time newly written down did not look correct. The match staff pulled the white copy of my stage 6 score sheet, held it up to the light and stated, “I think it is ……” (I do not remember the time they stated, only that it was different and conflicted with the time they had rewritten on the yellow copy). I informed them that the time they just called out after reviewing the white copy of my score sheet was not the time rewritten on my yellow copy. Concerned by the ambiguity of the scoring, and seeking exact confirmation of the correct time, I also stated that you cannot “think” that is the time. I was then told by the Match Director, “That’s the time.” The combination of the incorrect information I was provided during the walk through, the reversal of the ruling on a reshoot, and the conflicting scoring of my official time left me very frustrated and at this point and requested to speak to the AC or his delegate.

10) The delegate was pulled off the range (he was shooting the match) and I met with him and the Match Director. The delegate immediately starting asking me questions involving the appeal I had submitted, which I answered. The delegate proceeded to explain to my why my appeal was not accepted based on the information provided on the written appeal. I stated that I understood the decision but was inquiring with him about the timeline for the protest and the issue concerning how the information on my score sheets had been scribbled out and rewritten. Both the white and yellow score sheets were present for him to review. The delegate looked at the written appeal that I had filed and stated that there was no time written on the appeal. The Match Director stated that he was given the appeal around 10:30am. The delegate then asked where in the rulebook it was written that a decision was required to be made within 1 hour. I referred him to 10.6.6 on page 57 of the rulebook. At that point the Match Director was visible upset and left the room. Upon reviewing 10.6.6 the delegate then proceeded to explain that he was an attorney. He used his phone to pull up the definition of the word “render” and stated that there are two definitions for the word “render.” If he applied the first definition, then the arbitration team had only one hour to give me an answer. If he applied the second definition, then they did not. I am completely stunned by his answer and the set of circumstances that have occurred to get to this point. I asked the delegate “how do you think the spirit of the rule was written.” His reply was that he could only go strictly by how the rules are written with no interpretation. I replied “then refer to the rulebook about the benefit of the doubt shall be in the favor of the shooter.” “And the real issue here is that my score sheets were scribbled out.” The delegate took a few moments to think and review my score sheets and then ruled that a reshoot was indeed in order.

11) The AC’s delegate then walked outside and informed the Match Director that he had ruled for a reshoot.

It is important to note that this was a horrible situation for the delegate. He was in the process of shooting the match himself and understandably concerned about getting back to his squad which he stated to me verbally.

There were several contributing factors that led up to this situation. The first one was my fault. The reason I asked for confirmation on my final target on stage 6 was because the round count did not come out right. In other words, standing at the last shooting position, I had only accounted for 12 of the 14 rounds required. After being told twice by the SO that T6 was the last target, I thought I had simply miscounted. I failed to go back and recount the shots to verify I had found all 14. It did not occur to me to “double check” or “verify” that the SO gave me the correct information. Because I relied on the information provided by the SO during the stage briefing and walk through and failed to take the time to reconfirm the shot count, I accepted the fact that the missed target was my own fault and did not request a reshoot when I addressed Daren on the misinformation he provided to me during the walkthrough.

Because this was on a small, confined stage of the shoot house, and I happened to be in the back of a 15 person squad, I could not see where the SO’s were indicating points of cover and target locations.

As mentioned earlier, because I could not see competitors shooting the last section of the stage, and because all taping and resetting of the stage was done by match personnel, I was unaware that there was another target beyond the one (T6) confirmed for me by the SO as the final target on the stage.

I was the fifth shooter on the stage. Perhaps if further down in the shooting order, I would have realized too many shots (more than two) were being fired at the last shooting position.

All of this brings us to the point where the request for reshoot (in this case by the SO, Daren Kirts) started. Unfortunately, this incident and the subsequent miscommunication through the ruling process has resulted in the appearance of controversy and, most importantly to me, a questioning of my own integrity, and therefore the integrity of the sponsors I shoot for, by those unfamiliar with the facts and details of how this situation progressed.

In addition it is understandable how other competitors affected by the overall results could have ill will over these events. It is my intention with giving my side of the story, they can better understand why the outcome of the ruling went the way it did.