you don't want me shooting from a certain location or running in a certain area, then compell me to do so. Just saying i don't want you to so you can't takes away from the game.
It's about time you chimed in.
Folks, let me tell you about Madness and his "untraversable area" run in at the World Shoot in Ecuador.
The stage was a complicated long course with mutiple views of the same targets. In one area, the course designers had erected a garden fence to indicate where not to go. Of course, Madness with is great height could easily step over this fence and go to another part of a stage. He figured it would save him considerable time rather than running around another wall. (he now had to go 10 feet instead of 20)
So after the walkthru, and during the 5 minute "figure it out" time - Madness asks the CRO (after I told him he can't win) and is told "No." Not good enough. He calls for the Area CRO. The Area CRO says "No." Not good enough. The Area CRO gets on the radio with the RM. The RM says "get lost." Tick Tock..Tick Tock...
Now it's Madness' turn and he hasn't had any time to scope the stage because he blew it all trying to game the rule book. Can you say "poetic justice?"
Granted the stage construction crew should have put up a 3' fence, but in Ecuador, they had never saw someone of Madness' freakish size so they used the 1' one.
The new "Untraversable area" rule would have settled this quickly and Madness would have had his answer quick enough to spend some time scoping the stage.
But IPSC is freestyle!!! Yes. Within the confines of what the MD/RM wanted.
Next time you think otherwise, think of Madness standing in the start position of a complicated 32 round long course with no clue what to do. You'll be next.
It comes down to this: Don't think for a minute this new rule is going to get L3 designers off the hook from building a real "untraversable" area - It won't be approved.
We don't want to take away from the game as Madness properly points out.
This is in the rule book for the same reason as we allow "mandatory" stuff. Because we know L1 and L2 matches are often built in an evening or the day before and the budgets are tighter and the help is even less plentiful. We should all strive to make out L2s like L3s, but IPSC knows that in reality, it's not always possible.