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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS THE PLOT THICKENS....UPDATE

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NATION,

Here is what is going to happen for the rest of the World Championships.



PCP shooters will continue to shoot their remaining lanes from today, tomorrow morning. The 3RD day of PCP competition will go on as normal.

3 rd day of Springer shooting is CANCELLED.

THESE 2 COMPETITORS WILL HAVE A SHOOTOFF AT 11:30 AM TO DETERMINE THE WORLD LADIES SPRINGER CHAMPION.

HELI JALAKAS ESTONIA

REGINA BURVIENE LITHUANIA



THESE TWO GENTLEMEN WILL HAVE A SHOOTOFF FOR 5TH PLACE SPRINGER

JAN HENRIK HOMANN GERMANY 

MATT BRACKETT USA



These are the decisions of WFTF, NOT the organizers of the WC's



More info will be given when available 



Tom Holland 


 
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Mother Nature sometimes creates absolute nightmares for the organizers, leaving no win-win options; only lose-lose choices. Such was the case when our club hosted the 2013 U.S. FT National Championships and we suffered a rain deluge on day 3. By the time we'd lost a couple hours waiting-out the deluge, it turned into a lightning storm. That sealed cancellation of all shooting on day 3, as it wasn't worth risking the LIVES of the competitors!

We suffered a lot of criticism over that decision then, that continues to this day (5 years later). I don't mind; I'd rather hear belly-aching than deal with fall-out of a catastrophe. We made the right decision.
 
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Storms are beyond control. But - I followed the reports and this is what I came out of it with: The 1st day delays that initially threw everything off was caused by the snowball of overzealous target protestors (I've seen that before). The results of the delays from the 1st round of PCP shooters was that Springer shooters did not complete their first course until day 2. Then they shot their second course. That delayed the start of the PCP shooters who could not finish before the storms came.

Before day 2, the organization decided that they would not address any further protests during the match. They announced that all targets would be checked at the end of competition and thrown out if defective.

No targets were thrown out, so apparently, all targets worked fine. Lucky that none were thrown out because throwing out targets after scores are turned in is the worst possible solution.

All that the 1st day protests did was add delays and did nothing for the game. If it were up to me, there would be no target protests.

Or, maybe a bad protest should result in losing the next point. That would eliminate the strategic protests as there would be no advantage protesting targets unless half the targets were actually bad.
 
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Scotchmo,

In a communication from an official in the organizing body of WFTF, one target was removed from the competition.

They had well over 20+ cold lines, protesting target function. They (the WFTF) took pictures and video of the targets in question, 95% were proved to be splits, or total misses. What made things more difficult, the targets were on such a steep incline, they had ropes going up the berm to where the targets were mounted, just to gain access. Not an easy proposition just to get up there, much less than doing it 20+ times.

WFTF has to do one of several things, one that you have suggested. Any false claim of a target malfunction, a point is deducted.

In the international world of crossbow competition, which I actively still participate in, every protest or inquiry must be accompanied with a $50 payment. If the claim is upheld, you get the money back. If it is not, you lose it.

Another solution is to have the World Championships over 4 days, not 3. It seems, time and time again, there has been this exact same problem of not finishing a course on the day it's supposed to be completed. If there is dangerous weather, as there was, safety is the one thing that you have to consider. Having a possible 4th day as the "cleanup" day, so to speak, probably wouldn't be a bad idea. It has to be disheartening to a lot of competitors to travel halfway around the globe, only to shoot 2/3rds of the scheduled competition.

Maybe one day, I will be worthy of attending a world championships, maybe by then, with constructive conversations such as this, issues like these, will no longer be a problem 

Tom Holland 


 
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We suffered a lot of criticism over that decision then, that continues to this day (5 years later). I don't mind; I'd rather hear belly-aching than deal with fall-out of a catastrophe. We made the right decision.
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You're right Ron, there are still ill feelings to this day. Without rehashing all the details my recollection is a bit different than yours. The rains and lightening had stopped by mid morning but the heavy rains had left the course a mess. A vote was taken and over half the competitors voted to shoot the course as it was. A decision was made by the match directors to cancel the match anyway due to safety issues, they were afraid that if a target malfunctioned and a course marshal had to go out and inspect the target they might slip and hurt themselves. So you had the National Championship and National Grand Prix decided by a one day match where people within the same class didn't even shoot the same courses. What was worse about the situation was that the weather forecast had been calling for severe weather for a week before the match but no contingency plans had been made. There were lots of options that could have been used had some planing been done in advance.

So what does this have to do with Poland? Some prior planning and thinking about worst case scenarios might have helped. But you have a similar situation as you had in TX people you were competing against did not shoot the same courses as others in their class did and the match was cut short. This match will always be remembered for the same reasons as the TX Nats.

Scott brings up some very good points, protest procedures and delays in the match brought on by such are some of the most contentious aspects of FT. If you are not prepared to deal with this issue in a big match you will have problems (as was the case in OR in 2012). As it turns out after all the protests in Poland only a very small number of targets (1 or 2) were removed as defective. There is an interesting thread on the Shooting the Breeze forum about the targets used in the match. It appears there is a significant bias against some targets types and just the fact that they were used in the match was going to result in a large number of protests, deserved or not. 

Weather is an unpredictable part of a FT match. Often times there are actions that could be taken to minimize the impact of weather or decisions made that magnify the impact of weather. I feel sorry for the competitors that work so hard and travel so far to compete in these events only to have them cut short by events out of their control. My hats off to everyone who competed, without you the sport would not be what it is today!

Jim in Sacramento


 
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Scotchmo,

The target that was pulled was from the blue course. You are correct, statistically they had an advantage, but in this instance, they had no choice. The target checker showed that the target failed the test when struck on the bottom of the paddle.

It also seems that an improvement, or a modification from the typical field target style design needs to be investigated. I would think that if an engineer minded individual would put their thinking cap on,a similar but superior design can be invented. The way that I look at it, is, there has to be a better way. I ran a local Long Island match today, and after everyone shot the match, several people questioned the functionality of one particular target. After some investigation, we deemed it a faulty target, and everyone was awarded those points. Not fair to everyone, but fair to MOST everyone. No matter what situation, someone will not be happy, no matter what, it's the law of averages.

I'm sure after the fiasco of the first day's shooting, this issue will be addressed by WFTF. It will be a decision that most people will accept, and I'm sure that some will not, it's just the way it is.



Tom Holland 
 
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Tom,

Our bench tests are now done at 3fpe equivalent. All target are adjusted to meet this test before they will be allowed in a match. During the match, protested targets are checked with the 4.5fpe equivalent.

I have modified all of our Gamo targets so that they can be fine tuned to any reasonable FPE level. I have also replaced all hardware, and used nylock nuts and lock washers on all
fasteners. They work exceptionally well. Four protests at our last GP match and no failures as the targets easily passed every time.

If you use the same FPE level for qualifying as you do for protests, you are going to have some failures. It does not really mean the target is bad. The threshold may just be set too low. The field test threshold should always be greater than the bench test.

The target designs are fine. The protest procedures are flawed. If we want to base it on the law of averages, no protests allowed would best maintain the integrity of the scores.

Giving out a free point makes the value of an earned point slightly less than it would be otherwise. Trying to be fair to one person's protest at the expense of the many is hardly fair. And I'm not just talking about delays.


 
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Scotchmo,

I agree, I have done the same, taking all rivets off and replacing them with bolts with nylock nuts. I also check all targets after they are installed on the course, with a low power pistol as well. The target that failed in the match today, had an epoxied spacer fall off, jamming the paddle.

Allowing no protests is a thought, but still unfair, particularly in a Grand Prix match. Grand Prix standings are based on total score, and in relation to the highest score for ranking. Up until a year or two ago, WFTF PCP scores were higher than Open PCP scores. It was not unusual, and in some Grand Prix events, this still holds true. If a target is faulty, and can be dropped with an Open PCP shooter, but not the 12 Ft. Lb. WFTF guys, then there is a big issue on what is fair, and what is not. The WFTF shooter would be at a Grand Prix points disadvantage. 

I do agree that something needs to be addressed, in the case of the first day of the worlds, 20+ times is ridiculous. Something, as I said above, will probably come of this, WFTF will most likely amend and update any protest procedures.

Tom Holland 
 
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Scotchmo,

I agree, I have done the same, taking all rivets off and replacing them with bolts with nylock nuts.....

Tom Holland
Click to expand...

That's the minimum that should be done. I also replaced all linkages with adjustable items. The linkage has spherical bearings on each end, and they can be set to various lengths to change the overcenter threshold.

Here is some early tests of the linkage. I have since replaced the wing nuts as well.

Normal setting:

100_3603.jpg


Very low FPE setting:
100_3607.jpg



 
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Hey guys. I have shot the match and know the targets function as well. The issue being the paddle "floated" when the target is standing. ANY split will cause the paddle to move back and then return. That is the cause of the protests. They didn't stop being called after day 1 either. 

There is a need to make protests cost something. Points, money, or time off the clock. Another idea was to limit the number of protests to 3 per shooter. If your protest turns out to be unfounded then you loose the rest. 

As for the amount of P's called on day 1 it was done mostly one team calling them. Feel free to ask any other questions so we don't start slinging mud or rumors ok.

John


 
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John, 

I'm cool with that, but if 1 team was calling all the protests, then some form of action should have been implemented then. Then, we wouldn't be talking about it now.

You are correct when you say something has to be done to curb excessive protest inquiries. I have a couple of solutions in my above posts, as do you. No mud slinging, just something that needs to be addressed to make future Worlds some of the best Worlds. 

Tom Holland 
 
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And not to forget the other side of the coin. If you feel that you scored a hit but the target didnt fall then yes yout going to protest. I realize that it sounds one team was abusing the privilege but with question of target functionality trown in I guess you cant blame them. Yes changes need to be made.
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What question of target functionality? I believe only 1 target was deemed bad with 600 shooters shooting over 2 days. I believe we might have had an issue of target snobbery. It appears the targets worked as they should have, why would only one team feel that they had to protest. Every type of target can be made to function reliably with the correct maintenance and care. It appears the targets at this years WFTC worked as they should have. The problem was not the targets but a small group of people shooting at them. 

Jim in Sacramento
 
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