Happapapapapay New Year!

Have a Happy New Year!

Marsden & King 2011

Team shoot 50m/100m Marsden and King today. 2nd year running I’ve been awarded top shooter in the squad.

Joint 4th top shot out of the 52 competitors (including some internationals). Good fun shoot.

4×5 shots at 50yds and 2×10 shots at 100yds. I did reasonably (averaging 97/100). The team didn’t win this year, but it’s coming…

Competition Shoot

After a break from shooting due to injury, and then fighting with retraining myself due to muscle memory and the side-effects of taking up kick-boxing, I am pulling myself back up in my averages (average points out of 100).

I was averaging over 99 two years ago, but when I came back to shooting I had dropped to 96-97. I just seemed to have forgotten how hard it actually is after it had become so natural for me previously.

Today though I made a few changes to my technique, refocused my mind and really concentrated on the whole process… and finally got back up to shooting a ton (100).

The ton wasn’t the cleanest I had shot, but it was still a ton. Personally I prefer a clean 97 to a dirty 100, because it shows control and  consistency – but for competitions you can’t argue with the higher scoring.

The video demonstrates how target shooting isn’t exactly a great sport to watch, but it is a great sport to teach you to focus.

Hopefully the music will help….

BANG! and the dust is gone…

So, back in August 2008 I injured my back. This put me out of action with my sport of target shooting for a long, long time…

As I was about to start getting back into it, the cat attack happened, which delayed me again due to a wrist injury. This September I dusted my rifle off and finally started up again – shot 3 times at 25 meters over 3 Wednesday evenings, then went off to a 50 yards / 100 yards open air team shoot today.

I have to thank those who have helped me in all of my training from day 1 back in 2006, as it seems to have stuck. Thanks to my current club too, as in those three weeks I was back up to a reasonable standard. Still a bit of a way to go to get that 99 average I had two years ago, but really happy to have come back at the level I did. It’s all about being positive, relaxed and comfortable that you know what you are doing without having to think too hard about it.

A big push came from my club team captain, who put me into a four man team shoot as soon as I was back shooting. The deep end is a real great place to snap the focus back on!

Concentration...

As it turned out the focus snapped in sharply. I felt good in myself – the kickboxing, boxing etc have tidied me up physically and mentally, so that side of things helped me out as I came back to shooting.

The competition was over 50 yards and 100 yards. Familiar faces mingled with new faces on the various teams that showed up to compete. There was slight drizzle and intermittent sunny patches on the range – which is one of the darkest ranges around, and not one of the easiest to shoot at due to the lay out. A good challenge then….

I started out on the 50yd range –  A pair of sighters (if required) and 2 pairs of targets – 10 shots per pair. I scored a 95 and a 100, which I was happy enough with. The 95 was a bit low, but the ton made up for it.

The second set of targets were at the 100yd range – A sighter with 2 targets – 10 shots each. I scored 96 and 97, which once more left me in a good place.

When the final scores were posted I was surprised to see I was in the top 10 of all the shooters there (I think I was 6, but can’t be certain). I was the top shot in our team (only a point or two separated the top three), so I came back with a Marsden “patch” prize – but to be honest, it was very close between us and could have gone either way.

As for the team placement… not so good. One of the team had a really bad day. Really bad. He has eye problems and is up for an operation – and he had trouble with his rifle sites. As such we were not destined to win the whole contest.

Had a forth shooter scored around the same as the rest of us, then by the look of the total scores, we could have won. Never mind – it’s always a good shoot with good people and there is always next year. Hopefully a friend of mine (Jez), who has just started shooting and is showing a lot of promise, will be in the team for next year – and if that is the case the others had best watch out.

Everyone should have at least one

Okay, I’ve seen lists in other blogs about wants, wishes, favourites and such like. Credit crunch means lottery thoughts make for a diversionary trip through cash fuelled dreams. Sure, I hope and aim to reach these goals, but until then, they are just lists…

Obviously I want the best for my family, so that goes without saying (same with World peace, man).

Ten things I would like:

1. Flight in a Spitfire. Not a Harvard or Yak or similar vintage aircraft. It has to be a Spitfire.

2. Own an original or replica Cobra or Jaguar. In fact top of that list would be a replica Jaguar XJ13…. Big V12 sitting right behind your head, and you sit wrapped in the most elegant shaped bodywork ever. Failing that, a trip out in one of these would be superb.

3. Harley “War Bird” style low rider. You might have started to notice I have a fondness for V engines.

4. Big enough house with workshop (so I can build and keep cars and bikes). It would need a fair amount of land, as I’d want space for number 5.

5. Percheron or similar horse. 18 hands will do it. I love the shape of these horses.

6. A Doberman or Husky type dog.

7. A yacht. Proper job like the America cup types. For those times when I’m not riding my Percheron down to the field behind my workshop to work on my Jag XJ13. Even a trip out would suffice for now. Just need to learn to sail first…

8. Large enough land to build a safe rifle range. 1000yd range would be tops. Needless to say I’d need certain rifles to use there. I’m thinking Tac Ops stuff (x-ray), or some other very accurate long ranger. I don’t care too much about machine guns – I like the thought and precision of a long range bolt action.

9. A Tiger Moth. I’d also like the pilots licence so I could fly it… Obviously!

10. Corrective laser eye surgery. Yup, not a major thing, but something I’d like as contacts and glasses are annoying some times.

Well, that’s my first Blog list. Triggered by the Jacks blog (Thoughtful Spaz – see my links). Some times you just need to make a list!

You have to have goals and dreams. All of the above are possible if things work out, although some are more possible than others!

NSRA/Eley results

I’m pretty happy with12th in class considering the medical issue with my hands. I know where I lost a few places, but all in all out of the several hundred that entered, I still rank 34. So mustn’t grumble…especially with the typical wind, calm and rain of Bisley!

Thanks to Ali A for taking my picture and generally keeping me calm by his presence in these less than ideal conditions….and congratulations to him for getting 3rd in class (even if it did mean he beat me!)