NRL Hunter Skills Division Benefits

[125 Straight]

I’m planning to start shooting NRL Hunter next year and I’m curious about the benefits of entering my first match, or first few matches, in the Skills division. I understand it’s a discounted match fee, not for points/prize table, and I don’t have to meet the rifle or PF requirements of the other divisions. My question is around the statement “Skills Division hunters may be coached on the clock after they have had the opportunity to try the stage on their own.”

Does that mean that I shoot the stage twice? Once as normal and then again with coaching. That seems like a match flow killer if the Skills Division hunters are in the normal match rotation.
Who does the coaching? Is it the RO of each stage, or are Skills Division hunters “squadded” with experienced hunters by the MDs for coaching?

If someone can give me a basic rundown of Skills Division and some tips on how to maximize the learning opportunities it provides, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[R_A_W]

Does that mean that I shoot the stage twice?

No, just once. ROs will generally let you try to find & range the targets without initial assistance, and then build positions without corrections. When you get to each stage you should state you’re a Skills Division (ROs sometimes miss this) and specify how you want to be helped. Ask experienced shooters for tips while you’re standing around at each stage & even see if one will shoot in front of you, then hang around to watch you shoot so they can give you feedback.

Who does the coaching? Is it the RO of each stage, or are Skills Division hunters “squadded” with experienced hunters by the MDs for coaching?

Typically the ROs, but I’ve seen other shooters coach as well (usually a parent)

There aren’t any hard & fast rules on how Skills shooters are to be coached. What makes the most sense will vary from match to match, stage to stage, & shooter to shooter

 

[Sheldon N]

I've RO'd several NRL Hunter matches, here's how a typical skills shooter stage goes:

"Hey man, how's your day going?"
Shooter: "It's been fun, challenging though!"
<I look at their handwritten scorecard, see that the shooter has not been hitting that many targets>
"So I see you're a skills shooter, how much help do you want me to give you?"
Shooter: "I want to give it a try on my own, you can help if things start to go bad"
<smiles and nod, knowing that I'm going to help them a bit sooner so they don't crash and burn>
"Sure thing, we'll get you some hits. Reminder this stage is two Bear targets, left to right, two positions will be two blue dots on the rocks.
Time starts now!"

<shooter takes slightly longer than average to get on glass and start searching>
"You might want to search more on the left side of that far hill"
<clock ticking>
"See that open patch of grass? Look at the left edge of it."
<Shooter finds targets, starts to get into position>
"Give yourself a tiny bit more bipod height so you can see over that rock and grass in front of you. Now move a tiny bit right so you can see the target."
<Bang!>
"Re-engage! That miss was just off the right, hold to the left side of the bear"
<Bang!>
"Impact! Next Target!"
<Bang!>
"Impact! Next Position!"
<Beeeeep!>
"And TIME! Unload and show clear!
Great shooting man, nice work! I've got you for a 3. "
<Help them gather their gear and clear the stage area for the next shooter>

Basically it's all at the RO's discretion, but usually ROs are experienced shooters and know what it takes to help a person have fun. The biggest hurdle is a shooter running out of time, so anything I can do to help a shooter find the targets and then get into position and start shooting is the goal. The last thing anyone wants is for people to time out and not get any shots off. The main challenge is that it can be time consuming to find/range targets, switch to the rifle, build a position, and then re-find targets in the scope so a lot of people burn time and don't get all their shots off no matter how much help is given.