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The safety issue being the main deterent to completing the shoot was very important. Some of the facts that have not been mentioned are as follows:

At 8:30 we arrived at the check in for the H range and were told that we could go to our course and start shooting. We then proceeded to the starting point and had a 20 minute walk. Upon ariving we found the target to be visable but the fog gave us some problem. We called out to insure that there were no other shooters in the area of the target and then procedded to shoot for score. As we went from target to target we had no delays and we expierenced some very bad footing due to the wet conditions and the rains we were expierenceing were making it more hazardous to walk from target to target. At one point one of the member of our group fell with both feet in a creek that we had to cross to retrieve our arrows and hurt his hip but after a few minutes was able to continue. There was no lightning visable where we were and only once did we hear distance thunder. After completing the first 10 targets the terain became less of a problem and the rain let up somewhat. As we were about to shoot the 18th target a messenger from Snowshoe approached us from the direction of the targets that we had just finished and gave us the word that the shoot had been cancelled for the day and that we were to proceed to the lift where a bus would pick us up. Upon arriving at the bottom of the hill there was a group of about 100 people standing around waiting for some kind of transportation. Within 5 minutes of arriving at the lift the lift which had not been running because of the threat of lightning started running again.

The main point here is that if the Red alert had been declared shortly after dawn and then lifted around 9:30 why were we allowed to walk to our targets and start shooting at 8:30 and we were not alone in the area that we were shooting in. If the safety issue is the most important than the next most important issue has to be communications. If lightning is a threat to a large number scattered throughout the mountain, a bigger threat is a large group of people standing within a few feet of oneanother if lightning hits in the middle of a group that size. The threat was over before it began for most of the people where I was shooting and a hazardous walk down mountain with muddy shooting conditions was all for nothing. For our group all of this could have been prevented with the proper communications.

No one can change what has happened, but we can avoid it from happening again by not allowing ourselves to be put in harms way. Cancelling a shoot because of darkness is something that the shooters can live with if they are unable to move fast enough to complete the course in the alloted time. Not having the chance to complete the course even at a later starting time is not acceptable. Less than 10% of the shooters will make the shoot off at any given shoot and may be upset. 100% fo the shooters could not shoot and that is what they came to The IBO World Championship to do.

Collecting all the facts is the first thing that the BOD has to do and then analyze where the real problems were and how to solve them in the furture at any location that they may be shooting.

The disappointment of many shooters is the first thing that must be addressed and the shooters participating are all potential champions until the end of the scheduled number targets. The man at the top is the person that has to answer for any failures and the BOD has no individual names or any known way to be challanged.

Time will tell if I will participate in future events of the IBO but for now I am more interested in seeing if they are a large enough organization to try to come up with a solution that will insure that the majority of the shooter will get complete satisfaction at future shoots that they sanction.