The four-week introduction programme has now been completed, and 12 new shooters have been invited to join the club.  Those not successful in gaining a place have been given contact information for the other Wellington and Hutt Valley clubs so hopefully they will continue in the sport.  Top shots in the final week of the programme were Nathan Chamberlain 88.2, Irving Yang 88.2, Carl Whitehead 88.0, Mike Williams 85.1 and Hugh Guiney 84.0, while another three also recorded scores in the 80s.

On each of the next four Sundays three new shooters will move to slings and jackets at 5pm.  Please let me know if you are able to assist – we would ideally like at least six helpers for each session.  Don’t worry if you are not sure how the transition works – we will guide you through it, and it is a great piece of knowledge to have for future years.

Meredith Ackrill scored an impressive 197.10 in the 20-shot competition, while top shots in each of the grades this week were David Grain 98.5, Mark Riley 97.5, Hamish Guthrey 95.1 and Emily Lockery 89.0.

The 2018 grading season gets underway next Sunday, so please remember to record your scores each night onto your spreadsheet.  Copying last year’s spreadsheet to another tab on the same file enables you to have an easy comparison of how you’re doing year to year.  However a blank spreadsheet is attached in case you prefer to start fresh.

A reminder to write “P” on any practice target – otherwise it will be recorded as a competition score.

Subs are now due and prompt payment would be appreciated.  If you are unsure how much you should be paying, please let me know.  The fees can be paid at the club or direct into the club’s bank account 38-9005-0731057-01 using your name as a reference.  If the AGM determines that the fees should rise, those who have already paid by the AGM date will not be required to pay the increase.

*        For adult family members living in the same household, second affiliation fee is discounted by $25.
Please ignore TSNZ affiliation fee if paid already through outdoor summer shooting.

**       Junior A and B subs relate to those aged under 21 as at 31 December, but who have left college.

***     The “coaching” fee goes towards partial reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses incurred by coaches and organisers in attending secondary school shooting competitions.

Another reminder: don’t just sit looking at your rifle all night in between shooting with it, get involved!  Help change targets, help with the marking, take a turn at range officering, assist with putting away club gear at the end of each night.  If we all do a little, we’re all participating as club members.  Please do not leave it to others to do the work each night.  Thanks go however to everyone who helped run the introduction programme – there were many favourable comments from shooters and parents.

With the club competition now underway, and our new intake selected, David will finalise the scoreboard this week.

Upcoming events:

• Sunday 25 March, 6.30pm, final week of introduction programme, followed by club competition at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 1 April, 5pm, three new shooters transitioning to slings and jackets; 6.30pm coached and 8.00pm non-coached sessions commence.  Please let me know if you are able to assist.
• Saturday 7 April, Colyton Open Champs, Feilding.
• Sunday 8 April, 5pm, three shooters to move to slings and jackets, assistance required.
• Saturday 14 April, Bulls Open Champs, Palmerston North.

Once again we had a really good turnout to assist with our introductory programme – many thanks to everyone.  It’s great to see the regular attendance from so many shooters as well as current members.

The top five scores in the programme this week were recorded by Hugh Guiney 89.1, Matthew Ault 87.0, Oscar Watson 86.1, Dave Grahame 84.1 and Shibo Xu 84.0 while another three shooters also achieved scores in the 80s.  Natural point of aim was this week’s topic.

In the 20-shot competition, Meredith Ackrill recorded the highest score of 195.8.  Emily Lockery continues to shoot well in D Grade, top-scoring with 95.4.  Hamish Guthrey and Mark Riley recorded the best scores in C and B Grades respectively of 90.1 and 93.0.

There will be a slight change to this year’s competition in that targets need to be clearly marked “P” if a practice card.  If no indication of a practice target, they will be presumed to be a competition card.  In this way hopefully the club scoreboard will be more complete by the end of the season, particularly in the lower grades.

Our club AGM will be held on Sunday 22 April, prior to the commencement of the club competition.  Evan’s recommendation as Treasurer is that the club fees stay the same this season as last.  Prompt payment would be appreciated.  If you are unsure how much you should be paying, please let me know.  The fees can be paid at the club or direct into the club’s bank account 38-9005-0731057-01 using your name as a reference.  If the AGM determines that the fees should rise, those who have already paid by the AGM date will not be required to pay the increase.

*       For adult family members living in the same household, second affiliation fee is discounted by $25.  Please ignore TSNZ affiliation fee if paid already through outdoor summer shooting.

**     Junior A and B subs relate to those aged under 21 as at 31 December, but who have left college.

***   The “coaching” fee goes towards partial reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses incurred by coaches and organisers in attending secondary school shooting competitions.

Attached is the TSNZ membership form.  Please ignore the payment method at the bottom of the page as payments are included in the BSRC fees, and the club makes one payment for all members direct to TSNZ.  Please complete the form and bring to the club or email to me.

The club competition has now commenced.  David will be finalising the scoreboard later this week, so please advise urgently if you are not returning.

Upcoming events:

• Sunday 25 March, 6.30pm, final week of introduction programme, followed by club competition at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 2 April, 6.30pm coached and 8.00pm non-coached sessions commence.
• Saturday 7 April, Colyton Open Champs, Feilding.
• Saturday 14 April, Bulls Open Champs, Palmerston North.
• Sunday 15 April, 9.30am, Teams of Ten trial, 2x20.

Many thanks to those who helped move the club equipment to our Bell Road facility on Sunday morning, and to those who helped out with the introductory session.  The tasks were accomplished quickly, and working together helped foster the strong sense of camaraderie our club membership enjoys.  

Our new shooters showed great improvement this week, remembering the basics of positioning the butt plate into the shoulder and taking the shot with breath exhaled.  This week’s topics covered finger placement on the trigger, the two-stage trigger, and trying not to blink or flinch when taking the shot.  The highest scores were recorded by Dave Grahame 88.1, Matthew Ault 88.1, Poul Israelson 87.2, Shibo Xu 80.1 and Mike Williams 80.0.

Meredith Ackrill again shot well, scoring 99.2 followed by 197.13.  Emily Lockery and Chris Lockery have started the season particularly well in D Grade, scoring 94.3 and 94.2 respectively – excellent shooting!  Top shots in the other grades at this week’s practice session were Mark Riley 97.5 (B) and Amalamo Simi 93.2 (C).

Our club AGM will be held on Sunday 22 April, prior to the commencement of the club competition.  Evan’s recommendation as Treasurer is that the club fees stay the same this season as last.  Prompt payment would be appreciated.  If you are unsure how much you should be paying, please let me know.  The fees can be paid at the club or direct into the club’s bank account 38-9005-0731057-01 using your name as a reference.  If the AGM determines that the fees should rise, those who have already paid by the AGM date will not be required to pay the increase.

*       For adult family members living in the same household, second affiliation fee is discounted by $25. Please ignore TSNZ affiliation fee if paid already through outdoor summer shooting.

**     Junior A and B subs relate to those aged under 21 as at 31 December, but who have left college.

***   The “coaching” fee goes towards partial reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses incurred by coaches and organisers in attending secondary school shooting competitions.

The club competition commences next week.

Upcoming events:

• Friday 16 March, 7.45pm, WSRA AGM.  Please attend.
• Sunday 18 March, 6.30pm, introduction programme, followed by club competition commencing at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 25 March, 6.30pm, final week of introduction programme, followed by club competition at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 2 April, 6.30pm coached and 8.00pm non-coached sessions commence.

Huge thanks to our many helpers for the first week of the introductory programme.  While we’re primarily looking at consistency, special mention needs to be made of a number of extremely good scores achieved: Hugh Guiney 91.2, George Eyles 91.1, Oscar Watson 83.0 and David Grahame 82.2.

In the club practice session, Meredith Ackrill top-scored with 99.5.  Great shooting!  Only a few braved the hot conditions this week, with top shot in each of the lower grades going to Aiden D’Souza 84.0 (D), Amalamo Simi 88.1 (C), and Mark Riley 96.4 (B).  It appears there’ll be a good spread across the grades this year, providing healthy competition for a place in the interclub teams.

A reminder that Teams of Ten nominations must be emailed back to me by Saturday 10 March, as accommodation arrangements in Tauranga need to be confirmed by next Monday.  A copy of the information sheet and nomination form is attached.  Give it a go!  It’s a great weekend away, with the opportunity to meet shooters from all around the North Island.

A couple of quick notes:

• Welcome back to Rory Leonard, returned from his travels through Europe, and straight back into helping out at the club!
• Many thanks to Mark Riley for the very impressive new squadding board.  Mark’s joinery talent is much appreciated by the club and includes our ammo blocks, shooting rests, ladder, squadding boards, and the wheeled rifle racks.
• Congratulations to Oscar Robinson on gaining a place at Monash University in Melbourne to study medicine – a huge accomplishment, well done!
• Congratulations also to Michael Grain on his second successful Taupo Ironman race, improving on last year’s time by a phenomenal 1 hour 20 minutes to finish in 9 hours 31 minutes.
• David Grain has been selected to be a member of the TSNZ Indoor Committee – please contact him if you have an idea or viewpoint you would like put forward to the rest of the Indoor Committee.

I’d be keen to hear what others have been doing during the summer break – I’m hoping the club can focus a little more on the social side of shooting this season and get to know each other better.

Next week we’ll follow the same format as this week: introductory programme for new shooters at 6.30pm, followed by a practice session for current club members from 8.00pm onwards.  The club competition will commence on 18 March.

Upcoming events:

• Saturday 10 March, deadline for Teams of Ten nominations.
• Sunday 11 March, 6.30pm, introduction programme.  Assistance required from 6.00pm each Sunday.
• Sunday 11 March, 8.00pm, club practice session for current members.
• Friday 16 March, 7.45pm, WSRA AGM.  Please attend.
• Sunday 18 March, 6.30pm, introduction programme, followed by club competition commencing at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 25 March, 6.30pm, final week of introduction programme, followed by club competition at 8.00pm.
• Sunday 25 March, 8.00pm, club competition.
• Sunday 2 April, 6.30pm coached and 8.00pm non-coached sessions commence.