NRA WHITINGTON CENTER SPORTING RIFLE MATCH

In her infinite wisdom, the governor of New Mexico has decided to continue mandatory quarantine order and various other public health orders through at least the 18th of September.  Thus, our final Sporting Rifle Match for 2020 is cancelled.

That said, we are planning a full calendar of matches for the 2021 season including a new Saturday .22 rimfire match.  We can’t say much about it yet except that it will be a field style match with most targets 50-200 yards or so with a few a bit longer just to make for a little more fun.  When we figure out the details we will post them here.  The AR match, which has not drawn enough interest, will be discontinued.  The Magnum Match is planned to continue at a new venue next year, but we and the Whittington Center staff are still working on finding a new site.  Of course, the Sunday Sporting Rifle Matches will continue in the same numbers and format.  And finally, the Team Match is planned for the middle of August in 2021.

Once the proposed schedule is approved by TWC, we will post it here as well.

Hopefully, we will get to shoot a bit more next year.

The various New Mexico public health orders are expiring on 8/28 and with any luck they will not extend them.  So, we are proceeding with registration for the match on Practiscore at 2:00 PM today.

If the health orders are extended again (particularly the quarantine order), it is very likely the match will be cancelled.  We expect to make a final decision on or about 8/29 (after we see what the NM governor decides to do).

 

 

All three of the August Sporting Rifle Matches are cancelled due to New Mexico’s various Public Health and Executive Orders pertaining to the Covid 19 virus.  New Mexico remains surrounded by pandemic “hot spots” and we anticipate that these orders will remain in effect for a while longer yet.

• August 1 Magnum Rifle Match – Cancelled
• August 2 Sporting Rifle Match – Cancelled
• August 22-23 Sporting Rifle Team Match – Cancelled

There is only the September SRM match remaining and we will try to get it in if we are allowed to do so.

FYI:  We are starting to work on the Schedule for 2021 and hopefully we will have better luck next year.

The governor of NM has issued a quarantine order for the state. Therefore we will be cancelling the July Match this weekend. Hopefully we will be able to shoot in August.

SRM Match Directors

• The July 5 Sporting Rifle Match is on and we have been given the go-ahead by the NRAWC to allow up to 60 shooters (squads of 6).  The balance of the special restrictions imposed for the June SRM will continue as needed (see prior update).
• The July 4 AR Match has been cancelled.
• The August 1 Magnum Match may or may not happen.  The South Flats venue where we shoot the Magnum Match has been closed indefinitely by the NRAWC Board of Directors due to a variety of logistic and safety issues.  We will be meeting with NRAWC staff during the July 4th weekend to discuss alternatives and this may result in a new venue for the Magnum Match.  And it may not, but we will continue to seek a new venue for this match in any case.
• The August 2 and September 6 Sporting Rifle Matches as well as the SRM Team Match are currently planned to occur as scheduled.
• It is important to note that we can only run the various Sporting Rifle Matches in accordance with the consent of the NRA Whittington Center and in accordance the laws/rules of the state of New Mexico.  With the spikes in the Wuhan virus that we are currently cropping up in places around the country, it is entirely possible that our matches might be shut down again at any time.  Always check back here before you leave for any last minute cancellations.

Good News!

The June 7, 2020 Sporting Rifle Match will be held with modified procedures as  required to comply with current New Mexico Public Health orders.  The June 6 AR match is cancelled.

The current NM Public Heath Order is in effect from May 15 to May 31, so it is possible that different rules may be in effect at the time of the match.  There could be either more or less restrictive rules in place at that time.

Key Information:

• Pregistration is required on Practiscore.  Squads will be limited to 5 people with a maximum of one new shooter per squad.  Visitors and other non-registered persons will not allowed at the match site.
• As always, be sure to check here before you leave home in case the match is cancelled at the last minute or we have additional information to share.
• If you plan to stay overnight in Raton, be aware that lodging and dining facilities in Raton are operating on a limited basis (if at all).  We recommend that you plan ahead and investigate your options for food and lodging before leaving home.
• The maximum gathering of people anywhere/anytime before, during and after the match will be 5 people and a minimum distance of 6 feet between people must be maintained at all times.  People who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified and asked to leave with no refund.
• The course will be modified to open up choke points for social distancing purposes.
• There will be no pre-match safety briefing and no post-match awards gathering.  As such, please take the time to refresh your knowledge of the match rules before you arrive.  If you have a new shooter in your squad, you will be required to help make sure they follow the rules and remain safe.
• When you arrive at the match, you must see the Match Director (Mike K.) immediately upon arrival to check in and receive some brief instructions.  If there is a check-in line, maintain social distancing!
• All registered shooters will receive an e-mail with important additional information approximately a week or so before the match.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

New Mexico remains under stay at home orders for the Wuhan virus that prevent the operation of the various Sporting Rifle Matches.  The New Mexico order will be effective until May 15 and we don’t know what sort on-going restrictions may come after that.

Thus, on or about about the 16th of May, we will make a decision regarding the June AR and Sporting Rifle Matches.  If we are able to operate these matches legally, safely, and with the Whittington Center’s permission, we will immediately open up registration for these matches on Practiscore.

Stay tuned for more updates.

We have cancelled the May SRM matches, but are hopeful that we might be back in business by the June AR and SRM matches.  Apparently, the Whittington Center is also closed now.  Stay tuned here for further updates.

Regretably, all NRA Whittington Center Sporting Rifle matches are cancelled until such time as the COVID 19 virus abates sufficiently for us to resume.  Watch here for future announcements regarding resumption of our matches.

Lost & Found

Two items of value were left behind at the 3/1/20 SRM match and the match director is holding them.  He will bring them to the April SRM unless other arrangements are made before then.

Rules

We encourage all competitors to download and read the rules for the SRM match.  We are still getting some people who show up without any knowledge of the match rules.  The two most common rules that folks miss are the complete smoking ban for the Coal Canyon venue and the 3000 FPS maximum muzzle velocity for the SRM match.