Para Athlete in Para-dise
With the 2023 international shooting calendar underway, February saw several UK Athletes attend the 2023 Barbados International Trap and Skeet Invitational, and Keith White was in attendance to represent Scotland at the event, held of the West Indian Island of Barbados.
Barbados Clay Target Association has recently gained funding from ISSF to aid the expansion and development of the shooting ground, in preparation for a number of world events taking part later in 2023 and early in 2024.
When asked why Keith had chosen to attend this event, he responded:
I needed to start the year off with a challenge after taking a break from the heavy schedule of 2022 that brought great success, and what better way to do so, but with athletes who could challenge my abilities, in what can only be described as a perfect environment of an Island in the West Indies.
In response to being asked about pre-event training, Keith responded:
In short, excellent. I was tested from day one, as there was little time to acclimatise to the surroundings due to my limited time on Barbados. Free practice was held on the Thursday before the event, and this gave some time to work out hold and sight pictures, that clearly differed from other locations around the world I have been lucky enough to shoot at. PET was held on the Friday, and this was my first opportunity to meet the remainder of the shooters and have a small get together after the first day of the competition.
What about the competition itself?
Challenging, the first day, Saturday was my 3rd day on the Island, Marco (STS Coach) had warned me in advance that day one of competition would be a challenging day due to jetlag, and he was correct. I struggled with concertation and could not establish a steady routine, and by the end of the day I was not assured of a finals place (with scores of 17, 21 and 18).
The second day was a complete change. I felt relaxed after a great night’s rest, concertation came with ease, I felt very positive, and this allowed me to settle into a good routine, shooting 23 and 23, placing me 4th position overall.
The new finals format had been adopted, which was a new experience also, but as I shot the second of the two semi-finals, this gave me an advantage as I was able to relax before and recover from the heat and also kept me in my routine as I qualified for bib 1 position in the final.
The final itself was hard, the standards were high, but I was against shooters who were 35 plus years my junior, with quicker reactions and better eyesight. That said, at the first cut off, the three medallists were all level pegging after dropping only 3 targets each. The medals section got off to a good start, but a repeated “No Target” knocked me off my routine, and I was out by one target, finishing with the bronze medal, but still very pleased with the progress I had made, that will no doubt aid future competitions I attend in 2023.
What’s next for Keith?
This year will be busy with the BS Shotgun Series, as an additional competition has been added. Internationally I am still to make a decision. There are events in Croatia and Lima that I am keen to attend but these are some time away, and the logistics have not yet been worked out.
STS would like to congratulate Keith on more medal success and for starting 2023 so positively, promoting and supporting para trap shooting around the world.
Report by Keith White, STS Para Trap Athlete