SSAA Victoria Junior Rimfire Metallic Silhouette State Championships

On Sunday, May 18, SSAA Eagle Park hosted the Victorian Junior Rimfire Metallic Silhouette State Championships. Twenty-two young sporting shooters enjoyed a lovely autumn day to decide the 2014 State Junior Champion over the 80-round competition. The shoot was held on the competition range at Eagle Park Range, Little River. The event continues from previous years’ events initiated by Mark Butler. Numbers were down a little from last year, but there remains a strong following and the top results would be the envy of most adult shooters, highlighting that shooting ability has nothing to do with your age, size or gender.

Rimfire Rifle Metallic Silhouette involves shooting at small metal targets shaped like chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams at distances from 40 to 100m. It is a one-fifth-scale version of the Centrefire event and is very challenging by nature of the size of the targets and getting the fall of shot right over different distances.

Conditions on the day were almost perfect, again defying the range’s reputation. This year’s event continued the social theme of club competition, with a decent break at lunch to relax for a while before going back into concentration mode.

The winners were the shooters who maintained consistent focus across each bank of targets and making the most of each shot. The trophies for the top positions in the 12- to 15-year age group went to Phoebe Warren, Will Mavor and James Davenport. In the 15- to 18-year age group, the winners were Emerson Shiel, Kane Gauci and Ryan Meyers. Luke Taylor was awarded the prize for most improved. As overall State Junior Champion for 2014, Emerson will get to shift the Bill O’Connor perpetual shield from his sister Carla’s side of the trophy cabinet for the next 12 months.

Most importantly, a safe and enjoyable day was had by all. One young shooter was said to say, “Those turkeys should be worth double points…Are you sure they are the right size?”

Thanks go to Mark Butler, Bill O’Connor and the parents and helpers from Springvale and Eagle Park Youth Training Schemes for running the event, and the parents and committee from Eagle Park Youth Training Scheme for catering lunch and breakfast. Thanks also to the Eagle Park Range management and SSAA Victoria for their ongoing support to this event and junior sports shooting generally. These Championships will continue as an annual event, so Victorian juniors can compete with their peers in this challenging discipline.

Next year’s Victorian Junior Rimfire Metallic Silhouette Championships hosted at Eagle Park is likely to be held on Sunday, May 3, 2015. We look forward to some of the more regional areas getting on board with the popularity of Rimfire Metallic Silhouette shooting and seeing some of our country cousins take part in the next shoot.

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