At the 2016 Marshall's Muster shoot at World the format was last man standing Hateful Eight (now Nevada Eight). As the Comish will tell you it is hard to get gunslingers to do something new. When the match got down to two, an influential black badge and an opponent who was significantly slower, the black badge opined that hateful eight would not work because if they were tied at eight shots both would get an X and there would be no winner. The black badge talked his slower opponent into changing the format to three winning shots format. Ultimately, the opponent won, but not in five shots as would have been the case if the format had not been changed. I do not impute bad faith to the black badge although the change clearly benefited him, the important point is that bad faith was possible because the participants did not know the rule, nor follow the rule.
Later when I discussed this with Quick Cal he expressed considerable consternation because the specific circumstances are cover in the rule book. The Comish opined that it is hard to herd cats to which I responded it is the "can't factor" as in "you can't do that!"
I tell this little story, true in every detail, because it illustrates two separate issues. First, is that we should know the rule and follow the rule. Secondly, matches can be and routinely are manipulated, mostly with good intention but sometimes in perceived bad faith, when we don't know the rule and follow the rule.
This blog is about Rule IV, 6, (see page 20 of rule book) which states:
Each contestant must have an opponent. If the opponent does not show up, the present contestant will win by default and will not be allowed to shoot uncontested.
This rule is very simple, very clear and very easy to apply. If it would be followed, we would avoid much of the delay and turmoil that has occurred in recent years. There have been significant problems at 2017 and 2018 Nationals, at the 2016 and 2017 World, and at the Southern this year because this rule was not followed. The "cats" or "can't fraction" simply do not know or follow the rule.
The clearest illustration comes from the Southern this year. Because the match director was trying to fit a large number of shooters into a small time slot he directed that the first round be drawn on the second day without a roll call. This saves about 30 to 45 minutes and gets the shoot started on time. I was in the gunslinger bracket and will tell you what happened there. The score sheets come and there are three missing shooters. The powers that be (I am describing those running the posse whomever that may be) do not know the rule or follow the rule and decide that the way to handle the situation is to shoot byes. So we shoot three byes. The confusion and byes squander all to the time that the match director was trying to save and cause the whole event to be manipulated (maybe in good faith or bad faith) because 9 shooters, almost a third of the bracket, got the benefit of shooting a bye. I do not know how the powers decided who the bye shooters would be, they either went up or down on score sheet, or right or left on the range. In any event the draw was manipulated at the range, either in good faith or bad faith. I elect to believe in good faith.
All of this delay and confusion is easily avoid if we simply know the rule and follow the rule. Draw the round in advance without roll call, if a shooter fails to appear, it is a "win by default" pursuant to the rule. There is no delay, no confusion, no manipulation of the draw at the range.
I know the sage from the mountains is going to cry that it is unfair that some get to advance because of a "win by default", but that is simply the luck of the draw. It is no more unfair than drawing me when I can't find the target, some would say that is a win by default. It is much better to simply accept the luck of the draw than to open the door to draw or format manipulation. Perceived manipulation should be avoided if possible which following the rule does.
I will tell you that there are some who are quite bitter over perceived format manipulation in a side match at this years nationals. It serves no purpose to disclose the details, what is important that the bitterness is there, and results from the powers (again those at range level) not following the announced format. Specifics are not important but I will give you the specific of an ancient feud. The first time I ever did well at an event was the 2013 Winter Range. I was also shooting SASS and had gotten a 11:00 posse thinking I would be eliminated from the fast draw event before the SASS posse. Eleven o'clock comes and I'm still clean, off I go to shoot SASS. When I come back I am chastised by that horse punching fella from the springs who tells me I should have withdrawn from the fast draw event and he had withdrew me from the event. I did not know any better and said "that is fine, that is what I intend." Of course, if I had known the rule and the rule had been followed I would still have been shooting. The next year, 2014, we did follow the rule and a SASS competitor won the fast draw event after forfeiting three matches to shoot his SASS event.
There has been much effort and consideration put into the rule book. We should know the rule and follow the rule. I urge Quick Cal to continue to start side matches without roll calls. Bring me a shooter, I am ready to go, I don't need to wait another hour to get started in a side match. "Let's dance." The rule works well if only we follow the rule.
