Random Shots – latest news
The 2024 season has come to an end with a bang with the last national match hosted by Empire Shooting Sport Club in Barnsley. A great time was had by all with a challenging course of fire delivered by the club who were hosting their first ever national match. Empire recently provided the range for the last level one (range officer) seminar of the year, where eleven UKPSA members went through the training programme.
The NROI have delivered four seminars for range officers in 2024, with 33 people trained, and 31 progressing to supervised matches. Some have already completed their training and become fully qualified NROI members and we have a healthy crop of supervised ROs to put through their paces next year.
We also ran an IROA Level 2 Shotgun seminar last month with 11 experienced range officers learning all about the work of Chief Range Officers, as well as taking an in-depth look at course design and build, and arbitration. Congratulations to all those who took part, and I’m pleased to report that the NROI Committee has already promoted a number of qualifying participants to CRO.
As you are probably aware, all NROI officials and UKPSA trainers are being asked to complete Safeguarding training (with two levels of training for Range Masters and Instructors) and have DBS (or Scottish equivalent) checks done. This is due to be completed by 13th December.
I know we are all volunteers with limited time but completing this is really important and I would ask you to take the time to do so as soon as possible if you haven’t done so already. As a national shooting sport with an absolute focus on safety, we need to demonstrate we are complying with UK legislation and are showing best practice in looking after the most vulnerable in society. It is also useful knowledge if you are working with juniors or vulnerable adults in your own shooting clubs. If you haven’t received an email about the training and the checks, please can you look in your spam folder (for the training it will be from the training provider and not the UKPSA) and if they aren’t there contact us at NROI@UKPSA.ORG
Don’t forget that you need to work at least one Level 2 or 3 match a year in Great Britain to maintain your NROI membership. We will identify your GB matches worked from Range Master reports but if you want the NROI Committee to record any Level 1 or overseas IPSC matches (for promotional purposes only) then please do complete and send us your match points record card at NROI@UKPSA.ORG
Take care and stay safe.
Martyn Spence, NROI President
On the range
UKPSA Matches for 2025
The calendar for next year is shaping up well, with the good work of the NROI Secretary Jason Clarke, working closely with our Regional Director, Kev Strowger, clearly paying dividends. I know it has certainly been a big challenge to organise, especially in a year with four IPSC World Championships and the European Shotgun Championship.
The following matches now have confirmed dates and are looking for match officials, so please do get in touch with them to secure your place.
22-23/2/25 – 36DD Recoil L2 Action Air Glasgow (RM Milan Koria)
28/2-1/3/25 – Ham and Petersham L2 Mini Rifle (RM Ken Trail)
28/3-29/3/25 – Humberside Dynamic Shooting Club L2 Mini Rifle (RM Milan Koria)
5/4-6/4/25 – XPSC L2 Action Air (A/RM Tim Wyborn)
25/4-27/4/25 – Home Countries L3 Shotgun North Cotes (RM Ken Trail)
30/5-1/6/25 – Scottish Masters Recoil L3 Shotgun Shotts (RM Martyn Spence)
6/9-7/9/25 – North Cotes L3 Mini Rifle (RM Russ Hicks)
13/9-14/9/25 – North Cotes L2 Long Barrelled Pistol/Revolver (RM Milan Koria)
There are many other matches in the pipeline, but we are not able to confirm final dates just yet and hope to have the full calendar published by the end of the year.
Overseas Opportunities
Ever thought about working as a match official at a major overseas match? There are two chances to do this in Europe next year, with the Mini Rifle/PCC World Shoot being held in Czechia from 11-24 May and the European Shotgun Championships in Hungary from 18-28 June. Both matches have asked for any NROI members that are interested to register via the links below:
There are no guarantees as it’ll be down to the organisers to decide how many NROI ROs they require and who they select, but both matches will be a great opportunity to build your knowledge, skills and experience.
Remember if you are working or shooting overseas you must be signed off by the Regional Director beforehand via the form on the UKPSA website.
NROI Merchandise
Want to look sharp on the range? From match official shirts and jackets, to beanie hats and bags a whole range of UKPSA NROI merchandise is available to NROI members to order online. Please note NROI branded items are only available to current NROI members.
We also have a stock of Ball Caps which are available free to NROI members. Please contact russell.hicks@ukpsa.org to arrange delivery.
Developing you and your Institute
The NROI committee is planning a series of training seminars for delivery in 2025, both for new officials and to support the development and promotion of our members.
Our plans for training next year are likely to involve two Level 1 (Range Officer) Seminars, on 5/6 April and the second on 25/26 October. There will be an IROA Level 2 (CRO) Seminar on 15/16 November. These are all subject to funding being approved by the UKPSA Council.
If you know any members who would make a great Range Officer please encourage them to contact us and we can add them to our mailing list for the upcoming seminars. Any clubs wanting to host a seminar are also very welcome to get in touch. Just email us at nroi@ukpsa.org
Want to progress as a match official?
Been an RO for a while and feel you have the necessary experience to move to the next level? Well, we are currently planning the 2025 UKPSA level II (CRO) and level III (Range Master) seminar. To attend you need to be an experienced match official and you can find out more about eligibility on the UKPSA website. The seminars are free to members and the UKPSA will meet reasonable expenses for qualified people attending the training. To find out more and book a place contact nroi@ukpsa.org
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