Canceled March Military Match 3/17/2020

All,

I’ve struggled with this decision over the last few days and with the CDC’s recommendation that all groups larger than 10 people be canceled, I’m going to cancel this weekend’s event. I hope that things get sorted out in the next 15 days and we’ll be able to shoot on April 18. With half of our shooters in the older high risk category and the other half having parents in the older high risk category, I don’t want to think I didn’t do enough to help stop this. Even though this quote is from 1527, it still speaks to me today:

“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” —Martin Luther, Works v. 43, p. 132. Letter “Whether one may flee from a Deadly Plague” written to Rev. Dr. John Hess.

That is from a 14 page pamphlet that Martin Luther published during one of the bubonic plagues that struck Wittenburg. If you’re interested in reading it in its entirety and can’t find it, I’ll be more than happy to send you a pdf if you ask. As much as we want to shoot the match Saturday, we don’t need to. Semantics are important now.

What this means to the season is currently unknown. I will ask the board for permission to have an October match to make up for the missed March match. If that can’t be done or we lose more months to ‘social distancing’, then we’ll drop the lowest score from however many we are able to shoot.

This will also be posted on the club’s web site and face book page. If you have any questions, please ask.

Your disappointed match director
Brian Sims