NRA WHITINGTON CENTER SPORTING RIFLE MATCH

With the help of the Whittington Center staff, we have finally found a new venue for the Magnum Rifle matches.  It is really a spectacular spot for long range rifles. The shooting position is high up on one side of a canyon with targets high up on the opposite side.  We will provide more information regarding the site, target ranges and access in the next month or so.

The road up to the shooting position may be challenging in the early months of the year, so we have rearranged the schedule to put the Magnum Rifle matches later in our season.  This only affects the Saturday Magnum Rifle and Rimfire matches.  The regular sporting Rifle Matches are unchanged.

Essentially, the rimfire matches are now April 3, May 1 and July 3, while the Magnum matches are now June 5, July 31 and September 4.  These changes are included in the schedules posted on the “Schedule” and “Downloads” pages.

 

The following information applies to the April 4 Sporting Rifle Match.

While New Mexico has rescinded their mandatory quarantine requirements, they still have a number of Covid related regulations that Sporting Rifle Match competitors need to be aware of.  For detailed information, please checkout the New Mexico Department of Health Website.  Bear in mind that New Mexico may change these rules at any time.

As a competitor at the Sporting Rifle Match you are personally responsible for your compliance with these regulations.  Failure to do so could subject you to fines of up $5000.

Here are a few particulars that we want to emphasize:

1. 1. New Mexico has mask and social distancing requirements that apply anytime you are in public except when eating, drinking or in the case of medical necessity.
   2. New Mexico has special mass gathering requirements that limit the number of people in a group to five persons.
      • As such, we are limiting squads to 5 persons and asking that every competitor take responsibility to take whatever action is necessary to prevent groups of more than five people from occurring at all times.
      • We are also eliminating the usual pre-match safety briefing and replacing it with a written safety brief.  You will receive this and additional information via email(s) once you preregister at Practiscore.
      • Also, there will be no post-match awards presentation.  The match fee is reduced to $20 per competitor since there will be no cash prizes.
      • The practice range will be open from 3:00 – 5:00 PM on Friday, but closed on Sunday morning.
      • And finally, only registered competitors will be allowed at the match site.  (No spectators, guests, etc.)
   3. New Mexico has significant Covid regulations that impact both the lodging and restaurant businesses in Raton.  It is important that competitors confirm they will be able to get the local services they might need prior to travel to the Match.

Important:  Be sure to check back here before you leave for the match in case there is a match cancellation.

 

Practiscore preregistration opens this morning at 9:00 AM.  Competitors will still need to check in with the match director when they arrive.

While New Mexico has rescinded their mandatory quarantine requirements, they still have a number of Covid related regulations that Sporting Rifle Match competitors need to be aware of.  For detailed information, please checkout the New Mexico Department of Health Website.  Bear in mind that New Mexico may change these rules at any time.

As a competitor at the Sporting Rifle Match you are personally responsible for your compliance with these regulations.  Failure to do so could subject you to fines of up $5000.

Here are a few particulars that we want to emphasize:

1. 1. New Mexico has mask and social distancing requirements that apply anytime you are in public except when eating, drinking or in the case of medical necessity.
   2. New Mexico has special mass gathering requirements that limit the number of people in a group to five persons.
      • As such, we are limiting squads to 5 persons and asking that every competitor take responsibility to take whatever action is necessary to prevent groups of more than five people from occurring at all times.
      • We are also eliminating the usual pre-match safety briefing and replacing it with a written safety brief.  You will receive this and additional information via email(s) once you preregister at Practiscore.
      • Also, there will be no post-match awards presentation.  The match fee is reduced to $20 per competitor since there will be no cash prizes.
      • And finally, only registered competitors will be allowed at the match site.  (No spectators, guests, etc.)
   3. New Mexico has significant Covid regulations that impact both the lodging and restaurant businesses in Raton.  It is important that competitors confirm they will be able to get the local services they might need prior to travel to the Match.

Important:  Be sure to check back here before you leave for the match in case there is a match cancellation.  As long as the weather holds out and NM doesn’t create new regulations that impact us, this shouldn’t happen, but check here just in case.

 

Good News!

New Mexico is dropping their madatory quarantine order as of tomorrow, so it is fairly likey that we will be able to run the March 7 Sporting Rifle Match.

Practiscore sign-up for the match should be up in a day or so keep an eye out for that.

We anticipate that there will special Covid related rules and procedures for the match, but are not ready to say what they will be just yet.

We expect to post another update with more details in a few days, so check back here.

Due to New Mexico’s on-going severe travel and quarantine restrictions, the Sporting Rifle matches are on hold.  We are continually monitoring the situation and will resume matches once the New Mexico restrictions are lifted or at least modified to where matches become feasable again.

It is important to note that New Mexico’s travel restrictions may be lifted for individual states if they meet certain criteria.  In such a case, Colorado would be critical as that is where the match staff reside.

To learn more:  https://cv.nmhealth.org/

Watch here for further updates.

9/18/20

Our 2021 schedule has been approved by the Whittington Center and is now available to view @ the Schedule tab or download @ the Downloads tab.

In her infinite wisdom, the governor of New Mexico has decided to continue the 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