A little over a year ago Prez and Range Master J inducted me into their school of "how to be a range officer". From a competitive viewpoint it was a great opportunity to learn the ropes and the rules of the game.
At that point I wasn't expected to do anything special, just observe and discuss. Until one particular Saturday early last year when the range got real busy with new members and it was all hands on deck. Ready to help I was deputized and dawned the neon safety vest.
At the end of several hours on duty, I took off the vest declared quite loudly that I was not putting it on again. This was met with a few looks of surprise, concern and finally the question why. I continued, "I will not become a range officer until you give me a bathroom"
Time went on and I continued to gripe about the bathroom situation...often! There were talks of a port-o-potty and jokes of private buckets in the bush. I took them in good stride but held firm to my convictions of a proper toilet. Finally the bathroom was approved but the logistics had not been agreed. Towards the end of the year good ole Ales (aka Bob the builder) began building.
The bathroom project would take a few months to complete. Simultaneously Bob in his role as regional director for Cayman was organising for Cayman to become a member of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) and for us to have special training to become certified international Range Officers for IPSC.
By the time the hustle and bustle of the holiday season was finished, so was the bathroom. And just in time for the arrival of our instructor, Al, from the Jamaica Rifle Association for a two-day training course on the range.
At the end of an intense weekend I was certified as Cayman's first female International Range Officer for IPSC.
My fellow officers and I were excited to try out our new skillset and declared a competition the following weekend.
After working a successful day's competition I went I to the club house to cool off.
As I slid off the neon vest the memory of my yesteryear's declaration came rushing to mind. I laughed to myself and thought, "well how do you like that?" They got me to become RO and I got a bathroom. It couldn't have been more perfectly timed.
Now I'm not going to say that it happened all because of me as this was in the pipeline for some time. But I love how things happen to fall together like that. ;-)
