Sharpshooter aims for world champs
Local lad, Guy Crosley, was chosen to represent South Africa at the World Shoot in America in October.
ACCURACY and speed are the order of the day when competing in the sport of practical pistol shooting. Highway resident Guy Crossley shares how his skills earned him a position on the Springbok team.
His father, Peter, owned a few guns that were used for sport and, for safety reasons, showed his son the ins and out of the firearms.
“My interest piqued and the passion drove me on and from the age of eight years old I started at club level at the Ihawu Firearm Centre,” said Guy.
In the sport of practical pistol shooting there are four divisions you can compete in: standard, classic, production and open. When Guy was 16 years old he was chosen to represent the provincial team in the production division.
“We are given the stage design we will be competing in well in advance of the competition so that we can figure out how to complete it as quickly and as accurately as possible,” said Guy.
As a registered firearm instructor and range officer, he is also adamant about promoting gun safety.
On each of the stages there are a mix of paper, steel and moving targets that they will have to hit. The stages are categorised into three parts, a nine round (short course), a nine to 16 round (medium course) and the 16 to 32 round (long course).
According to Guy, the gunners take part in seven courses at a provincial level. “The score is then calculated by combining both the speed and the accuracy of the shooters.
Guy said he was excited to have been chosen for the Springbok team which will represent South Africa at the International Practical Shooting Confederation ‘s World Shoot in America in October.
The event takes place once every four years. “I am looking forward to the shoot and seeing how it is done overseas versus South Africa. Meeting my competitors and learning from them during the competition, as well as meeting a few of my idols, is what I look forward to most,” said Guy.
If you would like to join in on the sport of practical pistol shooting contact the Ihawu Shooting Club on 031 705 3150.
