On the 17th of September, the NZ IPSC team boarded Singapore Airlines in both Christchurch and Auckland for the first of two flights to South Africa. (Note: the South Island crew was the larger of the two groups.) It was a long trip basically two 11-hour flights with a long layover in Singapore.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for me as I ended up catching a bug, and a few others did too. So, to be fair, it wasn’t a great start to our journey, especially with the competition starting in just a few days. A tough start, but shit happens, we just had to do our best.
I often get asked how we get our firearms to these competitions, and the answer is by lots of paperwork. We need export and import permits for both New Zealand and South Africa. The FSA handled our end smoothly, but the South African side wasn’t quite as helpful or efficient. While most of us got our firearms without too much trouble, four were still missing when the team arrived. This meant extra paperwork at the airport, and the police had to hold on to those firearms temporarily. It wasn’t just us; many other teams were in the same situation. I spoke with the top Aussie shooter, and he was in the same boat. He wasn’t happy at all, and you could see why, missing several days of practice isn’t ideal. He still came in 4th place, though, so he clearly managed well once his pistols were released. Thankfully, everything was sorted before the opening ceremony and the main match, which made everyone much happier.
We had five teams of four, each shooting a different style of pistol, which brings unique challenges since we all run the same courses of fire. That’s standard practice, everyone gets the same briefing on what’s required, start position, loaded/unloaded condition, etc.
There were around 1,800 competitors of all ages and both genders. This sport really is one of the most inclusive.
I was part of the Open team, and we were squadded with the Germans, meaning eight of us in the same group. The shooting order rotated so everyone had a turn going first. We had 30 stages total, shooting six per day over five days, with one rest day in between. Our squad shot three days, then had a break day, followed by the final two days. Each shooting session was about 2.5 hours long and included a mix of 3 small, 2 medium, and 1 large stage. Small stages have a maximum of 12 rounds, medium 24, and large 32. You can fire more if needed, but it costs time, and speed is everything.
All in all, the NZ team did very well, and we can be proud of the effort put in. For a number of members, this was their first World Shoot, and these matches are a real mental test. Competing as one of 1,800 shooters is a completely different experience from the sub- 200 fields we’re used to in NZ nationals. At home, we know our competition; over there, everyone is world-class, and even small mistakes are costly in both points and placement.
These events are a fantastic learning opportunity, not only for those lucky enough to attend but also for their home clubs and the wider shooting community. We come back with a new understanding of how things are done in other countries and by some of the best shooters in the world.
