A light hearted look from a Coaches perspective.
Gordon came to our club, Cumberland News Rifle Club, May 2018 with aspirations of greatness in his new chosen sport of 10m Target Air Rifle. Before setting to work, he handed over 2 sides of A4 listing all his medical conditions. Moving 2 months forward, we had established a comfortable shooting position that worked for him and for his shooting. Competing at the Winter STS grand Prix series brought the taste of the sport. Bigger things awaited with the BOAG in February 2019, competing in the SH2 class, finishing in 1st. British Champion at the first time of asking.
Gordon wanted more;
answered in the form of the Welsh Championships. A step up was required. Better preparation was required, everything was examined, athlete / coach fell out and back in. Measurements made, positions changed, questions asked, the phrase “trust me, you can’t see what I can” and “you will thank me later” was used a lot, but meant nothing ☹. Onwards we went.
Shooting plan written and understood, off he went. Traffic affected the shooting plan for the pre-event training (PET). Never mind, PET was desirable not essential this week. Day 1 was a late start, plenty of acclimatisation available.
The match.
With wheelchairs, setting up takes a little longer, especially when the coach is not satisfied with the setup. Long pointy sticks are not allowed, to bring the athlete into line (rule change required me thinks). Off we go, sighting went well. The match, 75 minutes of sheer purgatory, a lot of pacing up and down (Hardest part of the coaches job). Result; all went to plan, not far from a PB, 3rd place achieved in a strong disabled field. Well done Gordon.
Report : David Owen
Photographs : Gaynor Warren