NORTHERN NSW & NEW ENGLAND REGIONS EMERGE S as NEW RIMFIRE GROWTH POWERHOUSE
As revealed in my last blog on the 2015 H/V Rimfire RBA results in Brisbane confirms this small Northern NSW region has made up one third of the Australian H/V Rimfire Teamsand this again confirms the very rapid 5 year expansion and growth plus a tremendously high standard of shooters in this region is now coming to fruition due largely to the innovative “8 Club rimfire series
By filling one third of the places in the above Australian team “shows only the tip of the iceberg” and hopefully even better things and new faces are ready to emerge from our region.
We however must ”recap” and give recognition to the shooters who are driving this incredible surge of growth in the sport locally and more importantly examine “Why is it so” and keep on the same growth path for the future of Rimfire in Australia and encourage other areas to replicate this 8 Club series in their regions across Australia.
First let’s look at the local achievers who set the shooting examples for others to emulate.
Genial “young giant” Nic Ward, a Firearms store proprietor from Glen Innes has been a really true inspiration and has never given up trying to steadily improve his performances and skills and has risen to grab 1st spot in the Aussie B-Team only a single point behind the 2nd place in the A-Team, what a tremendous achievement.
Not only that, he was co-inventor and president of the local huge “8 Club IRB style year long rimfire competition and all the regions shooters praise his commitment and efforts.
Another of the regions B-Team Aussie qualifiers, Peter Nicoll from Kempsey also has a great pedigree in many target disciplines such as Full Bore Rifle also F-Class and centrefire benchrest however is lately best known as a tough IRB and RBA Rimfire competitor and as predicted he has won selection in the Aussie B-Team just 2 points behind Nic Ward. This was no accident or fluke, as Peter has been steadily improving to this highest of levels in RBA rimfire and will proudly wear the “green & gold” for Australia at Brisbane’s world titles. This achievement is the result of good old hard work and dedication to the sport
Peter is recognised as a great worker for firearms clubs in the Kempsey area and it is a fitting reward he has won selection to represent Australia at the world titles in July. Well done Pete!
Another local qualifier was John Harrison a firearms dealer form Armidale NSW. John qualified first in Melbourne and as expected has qualified in the Aussie individual team. Again John Harrison is well known supporter of this very suggessful “8 Club series”.
Any one of the above local Aussie team shooters are in with a huge chance at the world title.
As mentioned that is just the “tip of the iceberg” of emerging local talent due largely to the huge beneficial impact the “8 club series” is having raising shooters standards across this region .
There is a raft of very talented rimfire shooters emerging such as Don Powell and Ron Brown (Koolinghadt), Tom & Elaine Kennedy also Jillian Felton (Port Macquarie) Ian Thompson & Greg Sutherland & Danny Rosewood (Coffs Harbour) and Bob Blacklock & John Mathews also Max & Leanne McKenzie (Grafton), Sonya & Mel Frost ( Armidale/Guyra) . Junior Melanie Frost is one of the most promising juniors seen in years and with coaching will rise through the rimfire ranks hopefully to State & Australian level honours. Special mention must be made of the huge joint effort being made by Tom Keys and Sonya Frost in picking up to over a dozen Guyra juniors and taking them to distant venues to shoots and also mentoring them. This superhuman effort has been taking place for 5 years and both Tom and Sonya are absolute “Saints” … thank you guys …you set the bar for others to follow! … Very well done.
Special mention must be made of (Uncle) Nick Catlin for his past and ongoing efforts coaching junior shooters. In the early years of the “8 Club Series” Nick coached dozens of juniors before illness slowed him up substantially.
The Northern region is very fortunate to have a number of other very well credentialed rimfire exponents in it ranks such as the legendry Joy Harrison (Armidale) and Ashley Elford (Kempsey) and “gentleman” John Clarke (Port Macquarie) and numerous others.
The muli-club “8 Club series” can thank a core of hard workers driving the series onwards to even increasing successes. People such as Bruce & Janelle Barlin (Koolinghadt), Nic Ward (Glen Innes) Tom & Elaine Kennedy (Port Macquarie) as well as Tom Keys and Sonya Frost (Guyra) The other Clubs involved are putting in hugely with Bob Blacklock and crew of the Grafton Club’s band of hard workers . Coffs harbour SSAA are in there doing their bit and are supporting coaching by making the range available and also running shoots are Inverell TRA and Armidale SSAA.
It can be said the incredible success of the “8 Club series” is due wholly to hard work and dedication of all the above persons and clubs. It is a marvellous example of SSAA and TRA and other clubs “pulling on the one rope together” to advance the sport to new levels of popularity.
It is truly quite heart warming, to witness such excellent co-operation amoungst different shooting organisations …and is an example to all!
The “8 Club Series” is now recognised as the largest and most successful regional rimfire series in Australia and other regions may do well to copy it’s success.
In shooting there is a true saying the results and proof are on the target?
A local region member and the current world IRB Champion admits freely his success at the World titles in France are due largely to the very high standards in this northern region competition.
Further proof is the 4 competitors from this region representing Australia in H/V rimfire at the next World Titles, with some 30 countries expected to compete
GO YOU AUSSIES , … GO ! …. and best of luck in Brisbane …. We are all just so proud of you !
CHALLENGE TO OTHER REGIONS …The challenge is there for other regions in either cities or country to copy and emulate the very successful “8 Club Series” across Australia and achieve similar growth results in rimfire shooting …. Just visualise the resulting growth in our sport?
“Inter-Region” championships could be organised on a state wide then an Australian wide basis?
Come-on other regions … it’s a proven recipe so why not AV-A-GO and grow your sport ?
NORTHERN NSW & NEW ENGLAND REGIONS EMERGE S as NEW RIMFIRE GROWTH POWERHOUSE
16 February, 2015 - 09:05
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NORTHERN NSW & NEW ENGLAND REGIONS EMERGE S as NEW RIMFIRE GROWTH POWERHOUSE
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