took the next step

[mattman23]

I passed my so tests yesterday.I was a hell of alot more nervous than I thought I was going to be on running my stages! I hope to so the newbies since all my mistakes and nerves are still fresh in my mind.Hopefully i can help them with their nerves to keep them coming back.On to the classifier...
                                                                  Later,Matt 

[Chris]

Matt,
I was a serious competitor before I became an SO. I was asked to become a SO by the club MD. I wasn't sure that I wanted to do it because I felt it would take away from my "competing". Now, I'm glad I did become an SO.

Couple of quick thoughts on SOing:
(1) The more time you spend on the timer running the shooters, the easier it gets. It does become comfortable and the jitters go away.
(2) Know the Rule Book.
(3) But, don't be a "hard ass" looking to call penalties. You don't get paid by the number of penalties you call. It is your responsibility to call obvious violations of the Rules, but you don't have to nitpick to find them.
(4) Keep a smile on your face when dealing with shooters. Make them like you instead of fear you.
(5) Be vigilent with new shooters.... especially for FINGER and MUZZLE infractions. Those who haven't shot in this type of environment before can be a bit sloppy. Be firm on safety... but understand that we were all "new shooters" once.
(6) Don't hesitate to "motivate" your squad to help paste. YOU run that show...
take charge. If only half your squad is actually helping past... tell the other half to get off their butts.... Terri Strayer is REAL GOOD and getting slackards o assist. I normally say... "This is not an amusement park, everybody participates. The point is, you are in charge. Lead and delegate. The shooters will follow.

SOing isn't as bad as I thought it would be. You should enjoy it.
Chris Christian