Once again, Powell River Yellow Jackets’ target shooting team has made a very respectable showing at this year’s provincial small bore championship, held in Kamloops BC over the May long weekend.
The Yellow Jackets travelled with a total of nine athletes: seven juniors and two adults. When competition was over, eight members of the team placed in the top five and in terms of medals, the team brought home three gold, one silver and two bronze.
“This is the first year we have competed in the three-position event, and it was very exciting to bring home two bronze, a silver and a gold in the different classes,” said team coach Darryl Craig.
The top shooters included: Aric Lange, silver, junior three-position; Julie Lange, bronze, junior three-position; Geoffrey Hodgins, bronze, Sub-Jr. three-position; Vic Sarnowski, gold, expert prone; Darryl Craig, gold, SS prone and gold SS three-position.
“For two of our medal winners this was their first official competition,” Craig said.
This marks the team’s third trip to the provincials since it formed and it is already planning its fall activities. Team members shoot .22 rifles and it is a mixed group of junior and adult shooters competing in the sporting rifle category. The three-position event is a combined event where shooters fire from the prone, standing and kneeling positions to create a combined score. It requires hours of intense concentration to complete an event.
“We stress safety at all times and try to provide the best training we can,” Craig said. “Most of the shooters are 12 to 15 years old, but any age is welcome to the team.”
In the future Craig hopes that some of his athletes will move into the Match Rifle category and he praised their dedication to come out and practice on a regular basis.
Anyone interested in participating in small bore shooting can contact Craig at 604.414.7164. They can also visit Powell River Rod and Gun Club’s website where there is a section on the Yellow Jackets. The team plans to hold an introduction to shooting clinic later this summer and interested people should call Craig for more information.
