Canadian National Field Target Association Championship Hosted by the Port Colborne Field Target Club on July 23rd & 24th, 2011

Canadian National Field Target Association Championship

Hosted by the Port Colborne Field Target Club on July 23rd & 24th, 2011

Match Report by Tim MacSweyn

To start this report, first many thanks must go to CFO Peter Niedermaier, who originally accepted CAFTA’s idea of creating a set of range guidelines for air gun field target and Dave Fullard, our local CFO. The two of them visited our Port Colborne Club on May 14th to get the ball rolling on the creation of a safe field target range. With their guidance and some hard work, we were able to get the range to line up with the suggested range guidelines that were submitted by CAFTA and those given to us by the CFO.
The status of the Range for the CAFTA nationals this year was not set until July 12, when Dave Fullard inspected the range. On completion of the inspection, he immediately called the head office and reported that all suggested range modifications were made. He recommended that we be granted the temporary permission to host the match on the weekend of July 22nd through the 24th. So planning and getting things in order for the match went into high gear, with 10 days to get things ready for set-up on Friday the 22nd. Again, thanks to Peter and Dave for their work on this endeavor and also to Chris Wyatt, who granted us the permission to host the match. It has been a great experience to work with the CFO to accomplish our goals for field target and also realize that the goals for the CFO were quite similar to our own, to create a safe environment to enjoy a shooting sport. I think we all won.

We ended up with 23 participants, up a little from last year. Compared to only three hunters last year, this year we had ten competitors in the hunter divisions and thirteen in the FT divisions. Temperatures were in the high 80s, with very high humidity on Saturday and in the mid 80s, with a little less humidity on Sunday. Near the close and far ends of the course, there was enough breeze to affect shots from time to time, putting a shot on the rim when you thought holding the edge of the KZ would be OK. The new course has a lot of forest, with trees scattered along the length of many lanes, allowing for some very interesting target placements. The Red course had a difficulty of 31.3T, the White course was 32.7T and that combined for an average of 32T for the 120 shots. There was a real range of difficulty, from 13T up to 50T, making the match enjoyable for beginners as well as the veteran FT shooters.

The Hunter Division, Junior Class, featured Gillian, now a veteran of three years, along with Tom and Andrew Doan from the US, who were visiting with their dad, Marshall. Gillian put in two very solid days of shooting to take top honours, making her the Canadian Champion in Junior Hunter. Tom shot well, but was not sure of his numbers beyond 40 yards and there were many shots at that distance. Tom claimed second, followed by his brother, Andrew, who continues to improve. All the junior shooters showed great poise, which should lead to a very good future in FT.

The Hunter Division, Adult Class, had seven shooters, varying from a first time shooter to those who have been competing for many years. Bill and Tom J. had a very good battle for the top spot, with Tom being up by two after day one. Bill’s gun was losing velocity, forcing him to change guns and come up with scope numbers for the Sunday course. Results would seem to indicate he came up with good numbers since his score was very good on day two, landing him in the top spot as Canadian Hunter Division Champion. Tom shot well to claim second and first year shooter, Mike, had a great two days to place third. Marshall was not far off the pace and Rob came in at fifth. Chris H. is trying to find a position that allows him good stability, shooting from his “off-road” wheelchair and we will continue to work with Chris to allow him continued success in FT. Drew came along with Chris and shot very well for a first time shooter, already showing great improvement on Sunday after only one day.

The WFTF Division Piston Class featured two shooters who are very evenly matched. Only two shots separated George and Tom P. after Saturday’s course, but on Sunday, George shot the same score as Saturday, while Tom’s dropped some. So with a reversal of last year’s match results, George is the 2011 WFTF Piston Champion and Tom second. I am pretty sure we have not seen the last of this close rivalry.

The WFTF Division is showing good growth in the US and Canada and five shooters made up the field in the WFTF Division, PCP Class. On Saturday, Greg left no doubt as to who was the one to beat by scoring a perfect 60 on the day. Chris also had a great day shooting his Pro Target that he had not touched in months, but unfortunately was not able to attend on Sunday. Ted and I finished very close after day one in a race for the top Canadian spot. Joel did well shooting a completely new gun with some scope information that was not working. On Sunday, I was fortunate to be paired up with Greg and we both had good days. Greg took down the first place award in the class, leaving me in second place and also the Canadian Champion. Ted’s score dropped some on day two, placing him in third. Joel figured out some scope numbers and improved on his score over day one.

The most hotly contended class was definitely the Open Division, PCP Class. On day one, Len shot a 58, Don a 57 and Magdy a 55, leaving a real race for day two. Les and Dennis both shot well, followed by Salma who posted a great score for someone who has only shot a few matches over the past years. Day two saw Don and Len paired up and matching each other shot for shot on a perfect day, right until the last shot of the last lane. Len is still scratching his head about that missed shot that put he and Don in a tie over the two days. In the shoot-off, Len broke his shot first and it split on the rim of the three quarter inch kill-zone on a target set at just over 44 yards. Moments later, Don took his shot and downed the target, completing the day without a missed shot. Don is the Canadian Champion and also had the match high score. Len came second after the shoot-off, but had an outstanding match. Dennis and Les were tied for third and Dennis won the shoot-off on the third round, taking the third place award and Les was fourth. Unfortunately, Magdy and Salma were unable to return for day two of the match.

We also had medals for the Top Senior shooter, won by Les, and Top Lady shooter, won by Gillian. We hope to have more in each of these categories competing for the medals next year.

Once all the scores were tabulated during dinner, awards were presented and the prize draw was held. Everyone received at least one prize and most ended up with two. Some folks had to get on the road to get home at a reasonable time and others stayed to help pull targets and clean up around the club. Things were pretty well all put back in order by about 5:00PM and then a few of us stayed until about 7:45PM, shooting on the sight in range and enjoying the company. I locked up the club and jumped in with Joel for a lift home. After dropping me off, Joel hit the road for a four hour trip home; good thing he is a young guy.

Thanks to all who participated in the match and to those who helped out with set-up and clean up after the match. Thanks again to those at the CFO for their efforts that allowed this match to happen. Thanks to the Port Colborne Canadian Tire, Scotiabank and Tom Peretti for prize donations and to the PC&DCC for allowing us to host the event at the club. Thanks to my wife, Angie, for helping me arrange for the meals, bringing the food and setting it up on Sunday, for helping with the prize draw and mostly for putting up with my preoccupation with the match and range for many weeks.

The success of this match bodes well for the success of FT in Canada and the approval of the first Air Gun Field Target Range in Canada should solidify CAFTA’s place as the official organization to represent the sport in Canada. The guidelines created by CAFTA and the CFO of Ontario should serve as a template for clubs across Canada that wish to receive FT range approval. I am looking forward to hearing about the approval of clubs throughout Canada. The support of the CFO was outstanding and shows that we all are on the same side.

I hope to see many of you at the next regular monthly Port match on August 13, 2011.

Take care.

Tim