There have been lots of questions and some confusion about how Nationals are ran, etc. So I would like to see if I can answer some of the basic questions here.

Last year was the first year the national championship in Raton was ran by someone other than an NRA employee, so this is a work in progress. I'm not sure of all the arrangements last year, but the following is how it's being handled this year.

The NRA made the decision to not hire scorekeepers, to not have a championship ring, to change the awards, they chose the awards, and they set the fee schedule. I had no part in any of the above, nor was I consulted before the decision was made. On the contrary, I was just told that's the way it is and "upper management" made the decisions.

Also, for the first year, the NRA Competitions Division is responsible for soliciting for sponsors and items for the prize table. I was not involved in that in any way, other than to supply a list of vendors I wanted to be contacted. I have been told they have lots of things for the prize tables this year.

I'm unsure of the arrangement when the matches are held in PA, but have been told they are given a certain amount of money per match to run them however they see fit. That is NOT the case with me and the matches this year in Raton. I am working within the constraints placed upon me by the NRA Competitions Division. I will be a contract employee of the NRA but thus far have not received a dime and have put in many, many hours on this championship since December dealing with all aspects of the matches, to ensure a quality experience for all shooters.

I have worked closely withthe competitions division, and have found them to be a fine group of men and women who are dedicated to making matches be successful. It is not the case at all that they want to see silhouette fail, as many folks think. To the contrary, they want our numbers to grow and for our championship to be a success.

They have allowed me to have extra line officers this year, as well as a chief range officer, so there will be plenty of people on the line to handle any problems. I have selected some great people with experience in running matches and working the line, as well as an experienced tower man and statistician.

I said in a previous post, there will be name badges this year, and shirts and hats for sale.

There will also be a NRA rep at all matches.

I hope this clears up some confusion and answers some questions. I'm looking forward to seeing each of you in Raton.

Thank you very much for the information.

Do you know if they have are going to fix the speaker system at the Whittington Center's Small Bore Silhouette range?

I'll look into it.

Thanks for the information. I hope to be there ..schedule permitting. I will be available to help then if needed. Sadly at my first HP nationals in 1984 there were over 200 competitors and lots of prizes....silhouette was still peaking then. Remington Savage, Anschutz, Walther Leupold, Weaver and other manufacturers ALL made silhouette specific products. Over the intervening years they have abandoned the game....for a recent example look at Leupold....they no longer make what we use...the turret equipped fixed power scope. Part of the back story of this 'abandonment' was the lackluster NRA support, the insistence to hold smallbore and high power in the same venue (when we moved smallbore around the country more folks participated in silhouette ...proximity helps cultivate interest), the east-west conflict from years ago, and the rise of the wannabe tactical shooter. Moving 22 around the country will go a long way to bringing the regular club competitor into national competition...not just the regular national competitor

Jeanne, Thank You for all your doing. We do appreciate it.

I can only speak for myself but this has been an extremely unusual build up to Nationals for me.

To actually have a match director communicate with us has been mind blowing. To actually have one that is responsive is like finding a mythical animal like a unicorn.

This just doesn't happen.

Thank you very much. Jeanne.