The following is being distributed at the request of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador:

Newfoundland and Labrador Shooters Dominate the Medal Standings
at the 1st North Atlantic Air Gun Challenge

Shooters from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador , gathered this past weekend at the Frank Zahn High Performance Marksmanship and CSCA Training Facility in Memorial�s School of Human Kinetics and Recreation to compete in the first North Atlantic Air Gun Challenge. A total of 15 junior and senior athletes shot two relays each of 10 metre air rifle or 10 metre air pistol over a three day period. Newfoundland shooters dominated the event taking all the championship titles and six medals. This competition revives an almost 30 year old event where each of the Atlantic provinces would host a regional championships every four years. However, in its first incarnation the event was only for outdoor small bore rifle and pistol. Now with an eye towards improving the region�s performance at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, it was decided that this competition format would be exclusively an air rifle and air pistol event, following the format of Olympic competition.

With a very excited crowd cheering on the men�s pistol finalists, Tony Smith shot 1,137.7 out of a maximum of 1,309.0 points. This left him as the undisputed Grand Champion. New Brunswick native, Yves Boudreau finished second overall to claim top open and top junior men�s in the pistol event.

The next event shot was the women�s rifle finals. Brenda Greene handily claimed the title of Women�s Rifle Grand Champion with a final result of 859.7 out of 909.0 points. Our provincial junior team shooters Samantha Marsh and Meghan Harris took gold and silver respectively with the bronze medal going to Nova Scotia�s Nichole Marshall. Samantha also took honors for top open in women�s rifle.

With men�s finals as the last event of the weekend Dave Woolridge fired 1229.6 to take the Men�s Rifle Grand Champion title. Our provincial junior team shooters Ben Taylor and Jason Harnum won the gold and silver respectively in the junior men�s rifle event, with Eric Higgins of Nova Scotia taking the bronze. Ben was also declared the open rifle event winner.

It is worth noting that this competition is the first entirely electronic interprovincial competition from the qualifying rounds to the finals. That is, the shooters fired on targets that could detect the shot and then calculate its score, as opposed to the more conventional paper target, where the hole in the paper is measured using a scale. Also, the finals were fired in front of a large audience of over thirty spectators. During the finals the top four shooters in each event faced off in a test of nerves as their scores were announced aloud to the cheers of the spectators. For many of the shooters it was their first time ever competing in the finals. To their credit they were able to keep their cool and focus on the competition. Such competition experience will be necessary to ensure successful performance should they make it to the Canada Winter Games in 2011.

It was widely agreed from athletes, coaches, officials and spectators that this was a good competitive experience. Plans are now in the works for shooters to return in May for a junior training camp, and for the three provinces to compete next fall in New Brunswick.

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Media contact:
Dave Woolridge
709-778-0405
dave.woolridge@mi.mun.ca 

2009 10 27                                                   11:50 a.m.