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Article: 10-2004
Note: The NTI
will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2005.
About 30 members of The American Tactical Shooting Association (ATSA)
Team each work literally hundreds of hours each year to make this annual event
a success. This article details what
these individuals do and what their contributions are to the overall success of
each NTI.
Director: Skip Gochenour is the ATSA Director and a founding member of the
NTI. He conducts the monthly Study Day
training sessions and establishes the goals and priorities for the
organization.
Rangemaster: The current Rangemaster is Hersh Goodin who schedules and
supervises range activities during both ATSA Study Day and the NTI. He assigns team members to their various
duties and is responsible for accomplishing the training mission for both NTI
practitioners and Study Day participants.
Pistolsmith: Jim Garthwaite ably fulfills this position. Jim cleans, inspects
and repairs all ATSA owned firearms used during the NTI force-on-force
(simunitions) exercises. He serves as
firearms instructor to ATSA members during the monthly Study Day exercises and
graciously assists Team Members with their personally own firearms problems.
Range Officer (RO), Judge and Pit Crew: These 3-6 member teams are responsible for
the safety of all involved with each NTI dynamic, live-fire scenario and
insuring that the stages operate properly.
The Range Officer is accountable for the safety of all involved during a
particular stage and is “in charge” of the practitioner. The judge briefs the practitioner on the
stage scenario and, consulting with the RO, assigns a score and debriefs each
individual on his or her performance.
The Pit Crew is responsible for re-setting targets and performing
maintenance on the stage.
Webmistress: Kathleen Sisca designs the “Teddytactical” website and does the
monthly updates to the seven pages associated with the site.
Data Collection Coordinator: A position held jointly by Susie Gochenour
and Sue Garthwaite. These ladies
register practitioners and perform administrative duties associated with the
ATSA Team and the NTI event. They
collate scoring data and enter it into a computer database using a
pre-determined numerical system which is then printed as a spreadsheet. Additionally, they are responsible for
making contractual arrangements with the “official” hotel used during the
yearly NTI. During the NTI they work at
the West Shore Sportsman’s Association clubhouse and act as the central point
of contact with each stage by using hand-held portable radios.
Graphic Arts Coordinator: Susie Gochenour designs the printed
materials (name badges, practitioner information packages, stage score sheets,
pit books, etc.) and administratively handles the registration of
practitioners.
ATSA Village Sheriff: The top “law enforcement officer” in the
village where the force-on-force scenarios occur is responsible for interacting
with the role-players and practitioners to enhance the learning experience and
add to the dramatic effect of the stage.
During NTI XIV, this role was ably performed by Vicki Farnam.
Search Officer: The individual responsible for insuring that no unauthorized
items are allowed into NTI or Study Day force-on-force scenarios. A thorough body search is conducted on
practitioners, role-players, judges and casual observers who may be on-scene
during these stages.
Role-Players: Individuals from all walks of life are recruited to be
role-players during force-on-force scenarios to interact with and enhance the
learning experience for the practitioner.
During the Gunsite years, many role-players were members of the Yavapai
County Sheriffs Department and local law enforcement officers continue to
assist in this important position since the NTI has returned to
Pennsylvania. Roles that these men and
women play can be as varied as jealous lovers, bikers, panhandlers, robbers,
motorists, lawyers, bankers or casual citizens frequenting ATSA Village. The mission of the role-player is to test
the practitioner’s situational awareness, tactical and confrontational skills
and his or her ability to react in a dynamic environment.
Safety/Weapons Controller: The ATSA Team member who is responsible for
insuring that NTI and Study Day practitioners are properly outfitted before
proceeding into force-on-force confrontations.
Additionally, he inspects simunitions firearms to assure compatibility
with the FX marking cartridges and inspects all drone knives and airsoft guns
for safety. At the conclusion of the
event, he collects and is accountable for all issued equipment.
Safety and a positive learning experience are the goals of
the men and women who make up the ATSA Team.
They enjoy the NTI experience as much as the practitioners who travel
great distances to participate in the annual event.