i read the ibo rules again today, but could not find anything dealing with weather while on the ranges. would it be possible for the ibo to define conditions under which we could/would/should leave a range due to weather? in bedford we werent notified to leave the range, but did due to lightning. under rule 4 we could have been disqualified, but it was very evident we didnt need to be on the ranges. i know you cannot always hear the bell, whistle, siren, pa system or whatever method is being used to notify shooters to exit, and i know the host clubs will send a rider on a 4 wheeler onto the ranges to clear them. usually this does not happen until severe weather hits. that is too late in my opinion. removing shooters during a storm usually results in all shooters trying to get under the range tents. again, not the safest place to be. getting shooters to their vehicles or a building before the weather hits needs to be the goal of the ibo and host clubs. i know clearing the ranges is a huge undertaking, getting the cards initialed by the range officials again is a huge job, but a 30 minute warning prior to bad weather would be great.

a central notification system, defined in the rules for a rally point after the ranges have been cleared for notification to resume shooting would also be a huge help. just a few thoughts, i would like to know opinions of the ibo and shooters to get a better system in place and working.

if notification to exit the range occurs while the shooters are already in the storms, in my opinion it is too late. the ibo has been very lucky in years past, with the exception i think of 1994 when a strike did occur to a shooter. most shooters are carrying lightning rods with them. aluminum riser bows, aluminum arrows, aluminum shooting chair, umbrella.....not a good combination. i feel an established set of guidelines or rules needs to be in the rules section of the ibo page and in the handbook.

at this point there have been 67 people read the above post. either all are in agreement, or just dont have an opinion. either way, changes need to be made.

we are up to 147 views now, and no response, guess we are waiting for the storm to hit before we reply.....lol

just for the record, this post is not a stab at the ibo. is there anyone out there who has a knowledge of weather, and weather detection. the best available to the average person is the local news and weather. possibly the weather channel. it would be hit and miss at best to be able to make the call to clear ranges based on speculation that the weather would hit the ranges. i would rather be wrong than have anyone hurt. jmho.

a safety tip i might give to anyone caught in severe weather, ground your equipment. what i mean by this is put your bow, umbrella, quiver, and stool on the ground a safe distance away from you. do not sit on your stool with your umbrella over you. you may stay dry that way, but if lightning does strike in your area, you will be in real trouble. stay away from open high ground, and do not get under the tallest tree in your area. if you are in a low lying area, or on a hillside where storm waters may drain, stay out of any low spots. flash flooding can occur with heavy downpours even if they only last a few minutes. this is especially true in hilly or mountainous terrain.

Keith

The weather is one of the variables that no one can do anything about. Publishing rules for what to do would work for one place but not for another possibly due to terrain and many other factors. Common sense is one of the things that the organizations should believe in and to disqualify someone that walks off should only be done when it is very clear that there were many other alternatives that could have done. Walking past other groups that are still shooting should be one of the things that indicate that everyone should stop and talk about the safe way to handle the problem if there is one. Shooting in the rain when there is no threat of lightning (if there is such a thing) can be hazardous under certain conditions for people in some terrain. Rain alone can be a hazzard to some people with physical problems in some terrain. If the weather is less than perfect each person should be able to make a decision wheather he or she wants to continue or wait until conditions are better. Being able to continue may mean that the Host club shall decide wheather of not to allow archers to finish that ten tarbgets or not.

There is no answer that is going to make everyone happy. If the host club is able to, they should make every effort to assist people that have problems real or imagined when a storm with threatning conditions approaches or becomes evident. A couorse with 30 to 40 people on it can not be communicated with entirely in a way that every one will feel safe. If a person feels threatend he should have the right to move to where he feels safe and then contact the range people that are in charge of safety and state their case for consideration of possibly finishing. Until the range safety officer communicates with all persons shooting during a storm common sense on the part of all persons must be the determining factor. Safety is everyone's responsibility.



The best thing that we all can do is say an extra prayer for good weather.

fastfletch ole buddy, i knew i could count on you for a response. i agree that variables are huge. there is no easy solution, but to do nothing and rely on a person or group of people to use common sense, well just doesnt make sense.

my reason for that comment is this. too many times have i exited a range when conditions were not safe. common sense tells me to do so. in bedford, because of the way you are drawn out when groups are busted, means you may be in a group where one or more shooters in the group needs only 10 targets to finish, and you may need 40. if you are on the 7th target of 10, you have 33 to go, the others have 3. if they opt to shoot the last 3 and take the chance, then what do you do. i am uning my common sense, but the others are not. unsafe to me may be acceptable to others. the two shooters in my group shot arrows at a target after i stated i felt is was time to leave. i know they were close to completing the range, and i was far from it. the used common sense that they didnt want to walk all the way out, and back the following day, just to shoot 3 targets. maybe i was wrong, maybe they were wrong. either way, an established set of guidelines, coupled with a valid notification system would eleminate me or them making a mistake.

as for interpreting the rules, according to the ibo, there is no rule, or guideline to go by. the ibo states if you leave a range without the direction of an ibo official, you could be disqualified. what if i think the weather is too bad, and the ibo does not? what if they think its too bad and i do not?

at nelsonville 2 years ago we were cleared from a range due to weather. after a break of about 25 minutes we were told all clear. up the hill we go. after the 30 minute hike back onto the range, another storm, worse than the first hits. again we are directed off the range without shooting an arrow. some opted to stay on the range, not wanting to get run off and on again. i opted to leave for the day and try again on saturday. with as many as 2000 shooters on a set of ranges, do you really think you can leave it up to common sense?

"EVEN A DOG KNOWS WHEN TO GET OUT OF THE RAIN"!!!!! So the saying goes.

I think the IBO is doing a great job.

Just my opinion.

Weather is a very difficult call. Each site must be handled on an individual basis. Weather procedures are on the handouts given to you when you arrive. In Bedford it was given out at the gate when you arrived.
In Gem City it will also be at the gate.
Generally, weather warnings are the sounding of a siren. In Gem City it is a train horn. It is kept at the check station at the top of the hill so it can be heard throughout the ranges.
We monitor live radar and respond from that.
I will try and get a more detailed explanation for weather direction put together as soon as we can. But I can and will say that it is our individual responsibility to use common sense at all times.
ken