British open Sporting

Well where do I start I had been looking forward to this for the last 6 months

WHAT A LET DOWN

I sent a message to Steve Lovett 3 weeks ago asking him if this shoot would be disabled friendly which he replied "yes as long as it don't piss down with rain"

We arrived in plenty of time to have a look around some stands . On the approach to stand one I was faced with lumps of 50 mm limestone all over the pathway that made travel by my electric buggy very dangerous on arriving on stand one there was a height difference from the pathway to the stand of 200 mm this is really suitable for the disabled shooters in wheelchairs.

Never mind let's try stand 2 well after a quick pit stop in the disabled toilet ( no water no soap no paper towel ) the next thing I get a face full or falling shot .very cleaver that one Steve . It was then a treck through what seemed like the Giants Causway in a mobility scooter to arrive by the pond . What a loverly stand the cage was tilting at 30 deg in to the pond with a unlevel stand .Can you forward a copy of the risk assessment for this stand as I would like to see it ! The next 4 or five stands were in the woods this is where I was hit again by shot but this time still under power ! The next 40 minuets was the equivalent of Hanable trying to get the elephants over the Alps going through the woods what do you think mobility scooters and wheelchairs are 4x4 rally cars !

Well after rescuing the £575.00 new glasses 3 times from the woods with all the bouncing and almost tipping up 5 times we eventually left the woods for stand 7 . Well so much thought had been put in to this one, two birds 180 deg apart in different directions if you were not disabled now you might be after this (thank you ref for allowing me to shoot 4 singles from each trap ) this was not for the want of trying I did try for the pair but stumbled on the turn with my false legs ,grabbing my hand on the cage to stop me falling over, the plastic wast pipe cage fell to bits before me !

Back over the Alps to the middle of the field not to bad the next 2 stands apart from the 200 mm height difference again .

Then a trip to the pond where I was met by a small version of Mount Everest with a cage at the top ,looked every where but could not find the magician to wave his magic wand to get me to the top so I shot this from the pond side where I could only see 1 bird for less than 1/3 of it's flight . Next stand was over the bridge over the river quai well it seemed like it in the scooter.

At this point I had lost the will to live and considered eating my own eyeballs with chilli sauce .

Thank god it was all over I was starving after 3 hours 45 min up to the snack bar, quick wheelie up the disabled ramp due to the step, 6th change of underpants for the day, only to be raped of £5 for a cup of coffee a manky stale cheese cob and a bag of crisps

Back to see the shoot off for the white gold where one shooter was robed of his place by some one turning up late and crying like a baby you told me 630 when the signs said draw 5:15 shoot off 5:30

I don't have a problem with the CPSA having a shoot like this but DONT INCLUDE A DISABLED CLASS IF YOU CAN NOT CATER FOR US it's not nice and totally unprofessional

Nick Fellows you need to get off your arse and sort this out because you at present are not fit for purpose . You have learnt nothing in the past from previous shoots where disabled shooters were unable to shoot.

As for Garlands what a sh*t hole no stock in the shop (guns I mean ) dirty toilets with no soap,no paper towels.

My I suggest nick fellows gets off his arse and goes and looks at a ground before allowing one of the top shoots to be held there then being a non shooter he would have no idea what to look for

Rant over and I haven't even been on the wine yet !,

Deershooter

.

oh dear,  you have my sympathies,,,i have seen a reference to the targets being a bit tough too,, pity,,,

Deer shooter, where do I start? I have been looking forward to this for 6 months

WHAT A FANTASTIC SHOOT

A few points to aid you I feel, having spent £575 on shooting glasses why not round it up to £580 and get a nice bag with a clip on it to keep them secure, as for acess I think I saw your buggy at the white gold shoot, didn't look very suitable to me, saw some lovely off road versions at the cla this year and am not wishing to cause an argument but I would not wear smart shoes to an outdoor event fit for purpose springs to mind. I'm sure Steve would give you a copy of the risk assessments but how boring, especially hard if you have eaten your eyeballs with chilli! Having recently returned from Afghanastan I can assure you I'm a subject matter expert on sh*teholes and suggest if the food isn't to your liking or there isn't the correct hand cream in the ladies you may well wish to bring that as well. Seems the CPSA aren't the only ones slow to learn?

Thanks for a great shoot, keep the targets interesting heard loads of great feedback today, yes there was some queuing but a trap broke down, tell me that's never happened before?

Had a fantastic shoot and look forward to the whitegold.

Steve Lovett needs to go on a disabled access course if you are going to hold this with disabled catorgories make it acsessable as for my buggy what about wheelchairs you have no idea about being disabled don't comment on what you don't know

Deershooter

positive comment Mark/ Deershooter,,, thanks..

as we all know ,there is 3 sides to everything.

Deershooter,

Having never met you before to my knowledge I struggle with you telling me what I know about being disabled. Not only have I coached and assisted triple amputees to shoot shotgun for there first time with great success but also worked with shooters who have lost eyes and sustained facial injury. A very good friend of mine has left the forces due to a land mine injury and still manages to shoot not only clay but game, in places very inaccessible to a wheelchair, all it takes is a bit of forethought.

What I'm trying to say without meaning to sound disrespectful is sometimes we have to try and meet people half way, if I ever meet you again I'll tell you about the 70 yr old shooter, wheelchair bound in Cyprus,

But please don't tell me what I know about being disabled

Rant over

Deershooter said:

Steve Lovett needs to go on a disabled access course if you are going to hold this with disabled catorgories make it acsessable as for my buggy what about wheelchairs you have no idea about being disabled don't comment on what you don't know

Deershooter

Click to expand...

While I applaud less able people shooting, it just amazes me how they make it look effortless when I know its not. But sometimes I feel the need to comment. Firstly there are plenty of shooting disciplines that are by their nature disable shooter friendly. That said english sporting is not one of them, as unpopular as this will sound, it is not Steve's responsibility to go on a disabled access course, if you want to shoot a discipline that is spread across natural terrain there must be some give and take. You 'could' use a mobility scooter that is designed for off road use, dress appropriately, ensure your shooting glasses are secure, I know I keep mine in the case provided.

It seems no matter what is done, its never quite enough, this may be harsh but it seems to be appropriate, do I know what its like to be disabled? No, no I don't, but I do know when a point is taken too far.

How come there were no problems at last years British open at Hepworth Hall for the disabled shooter the course was set with the disabled shooter in mind. At no time last year did I have any regard for my safety as there were no problems which is far from this years

Like I said if you want to invite the disabled make sure you get it right if it's unsuitable then say so don't sit on the fence and think it could be ok work at it

Deershooter

For balance... Paul Bailey has just posted a review in the Disabled Shooting Group on Facebook that is really positive about the shoot.

I went round Garlands two weeks ago at the same time as Paul who uses a mobility scooter, and a wheelchair which he tows around, he shifts into the lightweight chair to shoot and then back into the scooter to get between stands.

he seemed to have little problem on the ground, and shot pretty well. The fact he is back at Garlands indicates that he found it accessible enough.

His review notes one or two stands that needed a bit of consideration but I overall he seemed happy with access to the shoot.

Only just seen this and Maddmat has got the right idea Give and Take.Sporting (english or fitasc)by its nature is shot in terrain not normally seen by wheelchairs etc.

The way i shot it was with my cheap non fancy scooter and wheelchair towed behind,there was a stand in the little coppice that was a problem but thats about it,the one that the able shooters turned on is easy shootable if you do it as singles(i did it as pairs7x8)but position was crutial,the drop off the road was a slope if you looked for it.If the cage was no good you could sit at the side.

I have shot in some real rough terrain over the years especialy at fitasc sporting and this is easy to get around compared to some places ive gone to,and the targets were great.A disabled class has only been in existance for a couple of years but a few of us have allways shot in our letterd class anyway and if there wasnt one still would shoot the majors but the grounds needs to at least think about it Give and Take.    

Mark Jones i think you are talking about charlie from cyprus,i have had many a good comp with him,and if you know any injured vets that want to have a go at shooting or want to compete let me know.  

I cannot wait to shoot it. I'm fortunate enough that I can get around on my false leg fairly well but I am young and reasonably fit . I have heard tough targets are out there but will be going there to shoot a sensible score still .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk