Expected behaviors

I am a little upset at some of the behavior I am seeing at games. We are an official VT club now and certain standards of behavior must be followed or there will be repercussions to those members involved. I want the club to be a place that anyone can come and feel welcome. Sure we can poke fun at each other but certain behaviors and modes of language cannot be tolerated.

1. Racist comments. Joking about racism doesn't make you cool. It looks bad for our club. I don't want people coming to play and thinking that we are the type of people that think that is ok. I don't want to see someone calling someone else a %&^$ Jew, there are 6 million people that were put to death in the 40s that dont need you to talk like that. Dr. Librescu who died saving his students was a Holocaust survivor.
2. Excessive comments about sexual behavior. Some light joking has always been ok but let's avoid terms such as "rape" or "raped". Its just in bad taste. The type of bad taste that goes beyond our usual level of bad taste. I am not against having fun and having jokes, but I cant allow anything the university would kick us out for.
3. Knives longer than 4 inches will not be allowed at the field and even then they must be in your backpack, not on your kit or gear. There is no reason to have a machete on the back of your rig. We are already walking around with replica firearms, let's not compound the issue by carrying large knives and blades.
4. If anyone throws a knife anywhere in the vacinity of another person, anywhere where a bounce can hurt them, that person is going to be banned immediately for the duration of no less than six months and probably for AT LEAST a year. It makes me crazy to see blatant breaches in safety like that.
5. As a club with honor we will never yell for others to "Call Your Hits". Just keep quiet and talk with your gun. Shoot them again.

I would have thought that any post like this would never have been necessary. I like everyone in the club and want everyone to have a good time. But we must work to keep our image intact and to provide an atmosphere that people as individuals can feel comfortable. I would think that if we got a sponsorship of some kind in the future that behaviors such as these could be responsible for us losing such a deal. I am not willing to have that happen.
Thoughts?

All of this seems pretty common sense to me, but number 4? I shudder to think of why pointing out number 4 is even necessary. Wow.

completely agree with all of this, none of this will be tolerated and you WILL be reprimanded if you take part in any of these.

We have built a reputation worth keeping...I completely agree with all of the above

I agree. We're moving in a very serious direction; we've become increasingly more visible since becoming an official club. That kind of behavior can also hurt the growth of the club.

The club as a whole has been pretty lax with knife rules, but we've never really needed them. I think we need them now, every other airsoft organization or group I've seen has strict rules on the use and carrying of knives. There's no reason to have an actual blade on you in an airsoft game. Best case scenario nothing happens, worst case you stab yourself or someone else.

EthicalSneak wrote:There's no reason to have an actual blade on you in an airsoft game. Best case scenario nothing happens, worst case you stab yourself or someone else.

I do slightly disagree here. I've used a blade in the past to extricate myself from a particularly nasty bramble thicket I ended up in. But throwing them around or wearing them visibly? Unnecessary.

Good point. I should have specified 'knife' to be 'combat knife' or something large. I usually carry a little 2-inch folding knife in a pocket or a pouch for that kind of thing.

I think this is very appropriate, Id also like to point out muzzle flashing and discharging of weapons at past games. Im not picking on anyone here these rules apply to me too and im guilty of some myself. Lets all be men and start acting professional, I'll start with me

Knives are tools, not toys. Would you throw a chainsaw? 'nuf said.

I think it's a bad idea to publicly show off pictures of us pointing airsoft guns at each other a la execution style. In private, sure, I get it. I just think it should be avoided on the public page.

Frosty wrote:I think pictures of us point airsoft guns is not a good idea either. Regardless of context. It makes us look unprofessional, especially considering no eye-pro is on and mags are in. We are trying to send the message that we are being professional, and that type of behavior is certainly not going to win anyone over.

I disagree. Our photos are quite professional, especially with our newest ones coming out. They've in fact earned me points in interviews with companies. I think as long as you aren't pointing a gun at the camera and have a threatening look, it's fine. Our club can have professional shoots no problem.

^+1....part of many people's enjoyment in airsoft is the dress up! Showing it off in tacticool pictures is often necessary! Though I do agree that there is a degree of nonsense that should be avoided when taking such pictures because it is often open to the public eye...I have been guilty of such nonsense

Frosty does have a point though, there is a limit to what we can show to the public and not have them freak out. In the pic where I am pointing at Greg I do have a smile so I think people will know its a joke, but in case they dont I just added a caption about being a troll...