Cable Bay Pistol Club has four members joining the New Zealand team to compete in Bali. Three of us have been club members for a long time, and the last member joined to get more competition-based training. This is quite an accomplishment for a small club of approximately 30 members, and I feel very proud to be a part of it.
The other part is that we all shoot different styles of pistol:
Johan – standard,
Josh – production, Corbin – classic, and myself – open.
We will all be shooting the same stages or courses of fire, but each firearm’s challenges are slightly different.
While I have been to a few of these bigger matches, this will be the first time for the others. The match will be run as professionally as a world shoot and is what we call a lost brass match; we don’t pick up our used brass or help with running of the competition. Our role is to compete and do our best to achieve good results.
Multiple range staff will be watching us closely to ensure we follow safety precautions. Otherwise, a disqualification will be handed out, and the match will be over. It is best not to go there and ensure that you just shoot nice and tight.
The heat puts a whole different spin on how well things go. While we can do all sorts of training, this is something that is hard to train for, so it is more about managing whilst over there because it’s a heat like no other.
These trips are also a financial drain on personal accounts, as it is all self-funded. There is limited sponsorship to be picked up, especially this year, with the firearm shops having a tough time due to people not spending. Tactical Solutions has been very good to me in the past, so I hope they can still support me. It’s an incredible privilege to compete for our country. The pride is real when we get to walk in at the opening ceremony and the start of a match with some of the best in the world will be there.I would greatly appreciate it if you could give me any suggestions or help regarding sponsorship.
