“Shooter, you are on standby.” You feel the pressure build as you watch the shooter on line, running the course of fire silently in my mind, the positions, targets, and distances. The wind – that ever-changing wind. Repeating to myself, Position 1, engage Target 1, big then small, bolt open, dial next Dope, move to next position, engage, repeat. And remember to breathe, 90 seconds without oxygen, not good – just saying.
“Shooter, you are on line, do you understand the course of fire?” Repeating the course of fire back to the Range Officer with a heart suddenly like a racehorse wanting to break free from its starting box. Breathe, one last peak at a wind indicator to see if the wind had finally decided from what side it wanted…
