World Shooting Champs Espana 98 - Part 2

Let The Games Begin

Saturday 18th July

For the first time I get to see electronic targets in action. What I never realised before is that you shoot through a hole in a target frame. There is no paper target (out front anyway). A roll of black paper feeds slowly through behind the frame. Whether this is to verify a shot has been fired in case of the sensors missing the bullet or whether it has something to do with the sensors themselves I am not certain.

A video monitor sits on the shooting bench and displays both the fall of shot on the target and its numerical value (decimilised). A trap for young players is an x-ring ten. It has a video arcade-type function that shows several rapid pulses of a rippling expanding circle whenever you shoot a 10.5 or above. This can be quite distracting as it easily encroaches on your peripheral vision. The more experienced shooters tilt the monitor away so it is not visible from the shooting position.

The 25 metre range is in use for Centre Fire. Down range they have tried to simulate grass by painting the earth green. Unfortunately whoever bought the paint was a little colour blind; it gives a surreal effect when the ground is peacock green. Electronics are quite different in the timed series. I never realised the targets never turn. There is a red light above the target and a green light below. For the Rapid series the green light simulates a faced target and the red light simulates them turned away. Somebody shot out a green light yesterday; you can't tell me at this level that was an accident.

While it's a little strange to get used to I believe it gives more usable time to the shooters. The reaction time for a green light is much quicker than confirming the movement of a turning target; plus 0.2 of a second is allowed over the 3 second timing. One shooter is recorded at between 3.0 and 3.2 seconds for more than twenty of his 35 shots in the match (including sighters). Great timing, but he would have lost a few of them on turners.

I have nothing much to do as I am not shooting Centre Fire. I do, however, sweep the range for once-fired 32 cases after the match. 500 Lapua and Norma cases are worth the quizzical looks from the range officials. I dare say they're used to scavengers from third world shooting countries like Australia.

For dinner tonight we take a train to Sabadell. This late dining takes some getting used to. We arrive in the town at nearly 9pm and barely any restaurants are open yet. But our curfew is the last train leaving at 11.45. It's not as if we'll get any sleep back at the hacienda anyway. With typical efficiency the waiter draws the meal out for two hours, despite the fact that our group is the only occupied table in the place. But he's cheerful.

Sunday 19th July

My first shots fired on the range. We have an hour to train Standard Pistol, which is controlled by the Range Officer. He gives us roughly 20 minutes of each timing series. I find the targets are no different to shoot at; while focused on the sights you don't notice the lack of an actual card.

We have the afternoon free so take the train into the city centre. We stroll down into markets that sell fresh produce. I'm keen to buy some "real" Camembert cheese. My Spanish is improving. I can now say "Good morning", "Good afternoon" and "Good evening". The roll of the tongue in "Buenos tardis" is a bit difficult at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. Dr Who must have been a real hit for them to make a greeting out of one of its props. Must have been on afternoon TV.

The guy in the supermarket back at the Uni grounds has made it his mission to make my Spanish better. I'm trying to teach him some Maori. He typifies a lot of locals in his attitude. I watch other foreign shooters who shamble forwards unsmiling, dump a handful of coins on the counter and slope off. He detests them, it's obvious, and he doesn't care if they know it. He must have cringed at my first Spanish greeting, but he appreciates the attempt, and tries to encourage me further.

All signs are in two languages here. The Catalonians have their own language. It differs not a lot from Spanish, but people from other parts of Spain apparently have difficulty in understanding them.

Monday 20th July

The day of truth. My first day of competition.

I guess I am a little nervous lining up for Standard Pistol. My 150s go fairly well, I end up with a 190 or so. But 20 seconds has one of those series you have recurring nightmares about. I have about five false starts, snatch four shots badly and run out of time for the last shot. In disgust my next series is a 50 with three x-rings. I guess my last 10 seconds sums up the day; three tens followed by a seven and a six. I hardly excel myself with a 541, but it is my first competition overseas.

This is only a warmup match, so neither my coach nor I am ready to slash any wrists. I haven't shot serious Standard for two years. Would have been nice to hit a 560 nonetheless. Back to the bar for a few San Miguels.

Tuesday 21st July

The lifestyle is wearing many of our team members a bit thin. The late nights, heat and ridiculously late sunsets are taking their toll. We have stopped taking the long walk down the hill for breakfast, prefering to buy our own and eat in our units. This gives us another half an hour's sleep in the peace and quiet of morning. Vladimir, the Australian coach, is disgusted by the accommodation. He says he has never seen anything like it at any previous World Champs. I suspect if his shooters were not as great a distance from the disco bunnies in our courtyard he'd be down there to put an axe through the sound system. A woman goes down to ask to have it turned off one night (her team members have an early start the next day) and a fight breaks out. It's amazing how the really bad words in English are some of the first to be picked up by foreigners.

To make matters worse one of our Team members walks to a hotel half a kilometre from the range. It has plenty of vacancies. It has air conditioning. And TV. It is cheaper than the rates we are paying in the units at the University. We are too late to get a refund from the shoot organisers.

Today we train on the range for Free Pistol. I shoot badly, my groups are not tight at all. There is nothing too drastic, but many 8s. We are allowed two hours; my squadded time to shoot tomorrow is 10.30am. Should I make the cut I will shoot again on Thursday. I feel I must make special mention of a street performer in the centre of Barcelona. On first glance you would assume that he is taking the role of a Roman soldier. Not so. Take a closer look at his helm. See the inverted broom? This is in fact Julius Cleaner

Continued in Part Three