Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT 21
Local Competition, International Classification BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF When you participate in a local USPSA match, you will likely shoot one of USPSA’s recognized classification courses (see page 23 for an example). USPSA tracks score data on each of the 60-some courses printed in the USPSA classification course book. Once you have four valid scores within a division on file, USPSA will issue you a classification card that reflects how your skills compare to the top scores around the world. It’s easy, simple, and has worldwide recognition. Classification Card Recognized Worldwide With four scores on file, USPSA will issue you a classification card. Present that card at any club worldwide, and you will be classed with shooters of like ability. How Does It Work? Classification scores are based on how your score compares to a composite “high hit factor” kept on file here at USPSA. Your initial classification requires only four scores in the system. However, as your skills improve, USPSA continuously re-evaluates your abilities. Each month, USPSA’s classification system looks at the best six of your most recent eight scores. If your average score warrants moving you up to the next class, we send you a new membership card in the mail, emblazoned with your latest classifications. Classification Bracket Percentages Grand Master 95 to 100% Master 85 to 94.9% A 75 to 84.9% B 60 to 74.9% C 40 to 59.9% D 2 to 40% A Robust, Dynamic System Someone once said that “changes aren’t permanent, but change is.” Over the last 20 years, practical shooters have turned the shooting world on its ear, re-inventing the way we shoot, the way guns are built, the way holsters are Photo by Roger Maier. World Champion Eric Grauffel USPSA Member No. F-38440, lives in Quimper, France. His Grand Master classification dates back to the 1998 Area 3. made, and even what bullets we shoot in them. Like a schoolteacher’s bell curve, as the top end of our sport improves, the “high hit factor” required to achieve a “Grand Master” score improves as well. By continuously adjusting for change, our classification system has become the one universally-recognized benchmark within the practical shooting world. IPSC, the world body of which USPSA is a part, also has a classification system, but it runs under a different rule set, confusing the issue. USPSA’s database is much more mature and better-populated than the IPSC system, prompting shooters to place great Photo by Roger Maier. Jorge Ballesteros travels to the United States from Spain to compete. Compare his pistol to the single-stack 1911 on page 10. His “C- More” optical gunsight didn’t exist in 1985. 22 FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011