Jay Worden, NROI's Rock In Illinois
by Kim Williams
(Interview originally appeared in Sep/Oct 2004 Issue of Front Sight Magazine)
No stranger to teaching, Jay Worden works as a full-time firefighter and instructor with a suburban fire district near Chicago where he serves as Battalion Chief/Shift Commander and Arson Investigator. He teaches for both his department and the SUFD academy, specializing in fire investigation and pump operations. He's been a paramedic since 1980 and an EMT four years prior to that. Single and living in Illinois, Jay graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in history and science education.
A month after I began my infamous career here, I took my first ever RO course. I figured it would probably be a good idea to go check out a seminar, since I was ostensibly hired as coordinator for said classes. Jay Worden, the focus of this issue's Safety Area, was the instructor charged with the daunting task of acclimating me to this brave, new world of officiating. Over the succeeding four years I've worked many matches and graded a lot of exams. I can honestly say that the weekend spent under his tutelage was a very beneficial starting point.
Amid the instructor corps, Worden is one of the most active, and most widely traveled. His years of real-world training experience have served him well, making him one of the most respected instructors on the NROI roster.
I recently had the opportunity to engage in a little Q & A with Jay and this is what he had to say:
K - When did you first get involved with shooting sports?
J - I started shooting "combat" in early 1984 in Lyons, Ill., just outside of Chicago. Initially, of course we shot standard 1911 pistols with 7-round magazines. My first pistol was a Randall .45 in stainless steel. I used that gun for many years with changes such as adding a comp when they started to become more common. Eventually I switched to an iron sighted .38 Super, then to a full-house single stack .38 Super with comp and optics. I currently use a Caspian in .38 Super as my Open gun.
K - What about the officiating/teaching end of things? When and how did you get involved in that?
J - I was certified as an RO in 1987. I attended the semi-famous Level 2 class in Wisconsin in 1990. Andy Hollar and Chris Edwards taught this class. There were either four or five RMs who came from that class, four of whom became instructors. I started working major matches in 1989 at the Area 5. I have worked every pistol US Nationals since 1991. I have been a CRO since 1993. I also worked the 1993 3-Gun Nationals and the 2003 3-Gun. I have been a RM at several area matches and have been the RM for the 1911 Single Stack Match since 1998. I was certified as a RM in 1994, and I started teaching for NROI in 1995.
K - Do you have a favorite and a least favorite match that you care to comment on?
J - My best match would be my first Nationals. Hard work, but I learned so much from my CRO. My worst match: The infamous 1997 Area 5 match. Rain, more rain and I was sick as a dog besides.
K - You work a lot of matches and teach a lot of classes. I know you're also very involved in your local club/section activities as well. All of this is in addition to holding down a demanding full-time job, which is no small feat. Do you still find time to shoot?
J - I am currently rated B Open and C in Limited, Limited 10 and Production. Like most busy working range officers and club officers, my shooting has suffered somewhat, but I still enjoy competing. I make a point of selecting two or three matches a year where I just go to compete and have fun. As I once said, I am not sure what it feels like to shoot a match not either tired or running out of time. It seems I have the best runs when I do not have time to over-think the stages.
K - You give a lot of yourself to our organization. What motivates you to go that extra mile?
J - Many days I have sat on my bed two days into a match thinking, "What the heck am I doing this for?" The answer is because I like to do something I'm good at, and I like the people in our sport. Yes, they can be a royal pain sometimes; they are always looking for that edge and will drive you crazy some days. But they are good people and in your heart you know you are just like them. Remember, this sport does not attract couch potatoes. Typical IPSC shooters are forceful, competitive people who like to see how far they can go in the sport. That is good as long as it is safe and under control.
K - What are your thoughts on this whole "Us vs. Them" concept?
J - I have felt for a long time that there should be no us vs. them in the sport. My saying is "Us is them." One day I am the RO and at another time I am the shooter. I do feel that to be an effective RO you must be an active competitor in the sport. The trap as an RO is to forget what the point of the sport is and to get bogged down. This is a fast path to frustration, resentment and burnout as a RO.
K - What do you think the future holds for our sport?
J - There are many questions about the future that need to be answered. I am not sure what the future will bring to our sport. The political correctness movement has deprived a generation of young people from any real exposure to firearms. One of the reasons I quit teaching hunter safety in Illinois was the inability to use the schools as a location to teach. Because of this, I think the future of the sport has to be with the children of current members. A strong active junior program has to be a major goal of our sport. If we fail to do that, there will only be senior and super senior class within 15 years. Look around your clubs; what is the average age of your shooters, 35, 40, older?
K - What do we, as an organization, need to work on?
J - I feel the slow but sure move to a common rulebook is, in the long run, a good thing. Many very good and committed people have put a lot of work into this goal. If the new rules allow us, i.e. USPSA, to grow and get new members they are a good thing. If they attempt to restrict our flexibility to attract new members then that will be a problem.
K - How do you see your role within USPSA right now?
J - I feel my job is to be a trainer and mentor for new CROs and ROs. I have been a CRO for far too many matches to even count and yet I am still learning. I feel my job is to provide a good environment for newer ROs to learn and become better. I've run a lot of shooters in my career as a RO. Yet, I never get tired of running shooters, meeting good people and serving the competitors of our sport. My goal while teaching is to bring fresh new people to help the clubs spread the work around. This allows everybody to compete and have fun. If you are not having fun, you have lost part of the reason we do this. Now I understand when you are standing in pouring rain, in the cold and the mud, running shooters who do not want to tape or set steel, it does not seem like fun, but it can be.
K - You’ve been in the thick of it long enough, do you have any good advice for new shooters?
J - My best advice to new shooters is very simple. First, be safe and have fun. Second, ask questions of other shooters. We all have horror stories about what not to buy, where to get the best deals and our pet load for everything. Save yourself money and frustration; learn from other people's mistakes. Also, spend that money on powder, primers and bullets. Once you learn the basics, the only way to get better is to practice.
K - What about new ROs, any words of wisdom for them?
J - A simple rule for all ROs: the most important word to learn is no. Sometimes, you are going to be asked a question where the only correct answer is "no." Learn it or spend your hard-earned lunch period re-running the entire super squad at the Nationals. Been there, done that, have a polo shirt in my closet to prove it.
K - One last question before I let you go. If you were a gun, what gun would you be?
J - A Heinie Custom Carry in .45 ACP. Traditional-looking but very practical, just like me. (Smiles.)
Thanks Jay for all you do, you're a great asset to our sport.
If you see Jay out at one of the many matches he works or are lucky enough to take one of his seminars, be sure to tell him how much you appreciate all he does for our organization. Just be sure not to wait four years to turn in your final exam.
