SHOOTING isn’t a mere pastime in Barbados.
Pistol director of the Barbados Rifle Association (BRA) Rickey McConney has dispelled the widespread notion that rifle and pistol shooting are not legitimate sports based on the perceived lack of physical activity.
Speaking to MIDWEEK SPORT, McConney reasoned that the sport has been overlooked too long at the local level despite the fact that rifling is contested at the Olympic Games.
“We don’t get media coverage and major corporate support here [so] people don’t recognise shooting as a sport,” said McConney in a recent interview.
“They look at it as a pastime but it is a very competitive sport . . . just look at our meets.”
McConney was speaking against the background of the just concluded pistol nationals, where 26 shooters contested three disciplines – combo shoot, static shoot and steel challenge – in three separate categories over the weekend at Paragon.
“The meet was a very successful meet. The competition was very keen and it was very competitive among the classes,” said McConney, who won the steel challenge in C Class.
“The guys were getting individual trophies for first place among the classes so you know second place wouldn’t have been good enough.
“[And] it was still well attended, we even had some members we hadn’t seen in a while come and compete,” he added.
But the BRA is in preparation to go a step further than putting on local events as they are currently in discussions about the possibility of hosting a Level 3 International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) match.
However, McConney said the move was a massive undertaking, estimating the bill to be around $100 000 just to bring the range up to scratch and to build up the height of the course’s terms to IPSC level three regulation standard.
“You have shooters from all over the world that would be interested in coming to Barbados, especially in the winter period. And there will also be shooters who never heard of Barbados but will learn of the country through the website postings,” McConney said.
“We’re really hoping to host that Level 3 IPSC match but pulling off matches is not a cheap venture.”
In spite of the cost, McConney figures hosting such an even could only bolster the level of the sport, which would also be bolstered by having its members start at an earlier age.
“If we can get persons starting younger, from around 21, then when it comes to international competitions we can get a lot further,” McConney said.
“But because of the nature of the sport, we don’t go around and advertise saying we want shooters. It’s very difficult to go out there and canvas.” (JM)
