[June 23-24] NTSA National 50m Championships 2007

rrpc

NTSA 50m National 3P/Prone Championships 2007

The NTSA are delighted to announce the holding of the 2007 50m 3P/Prone Championships on the weekend of 23rd/24th June 2007 at the Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland Ranges in Tullamore, Co. Offaly

3P event – 40 shots each in the Prone, Standing and Kneeling positions
Prone event – 60 shots in the Prone position only.
Classified competition – 60 shots run concurrently with the Prone event.
Team of three competition – Top three shooters scores in the Prone event for each club represented.
Entry Fee: €20 for each event
Prizes for 1st to 3rd in Championship and 1st to 3rd in the classified competition. Team of three shield.

Saturday 23rd June – Check in no later than 11:30am
Detail A - 12:00: 45 minutes Prone, 75 minutes Standing and 60 minutes Kneeling. Changeover time of 5 minutes allowed.

There will be one detail only for this competition. No final will be held. Shooting on electronic targets by kind permission of Rathdrum Rifle and Pistol Club.


Sunday 24th June – First detail at 10:30am
Detail B - 10:30 (75 minutes per detail)
Detail C - 12:00
Detail D - 13:30
10 Shot Final for first eight qualifiers – 15:00

To book a detail, go to www.rathdrumrpc.org and choose 'Book Detail' from the menu on the left. Follow the steps to book date, firing point/detail. A confirmation email will be sent to you to confirm your booking. Only available firing points/details will be displayed.

If you are not able to book online, you may phone the Smallbore Rifle Coordinator with your preferred choice of detail.

Please note: Closing date for entries is 8am on Wednesday 20th June 2007

The NTSA reserve the right to re-allocate firing points/details should numbers booked not require the running of all details. In that event, shooters will be notified of any changes by email. In the event that an extra detail is required, the timings of details will be changed and such changes will be published on the NTSA website: www.targetshootingireland.org


Directions to MNSCI, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from M50 in Dublin. Distance approx. 105Km

• Take the exit from the M50 motorway signposted Junction 7, Sligo (last junction before toll bridge coming from the south, first junction after the toll bridge coming from the north).
• Follow the N4 until it joins the M4 and continue on the M4 for about 25Km (there is a €2.60 toll). Join the N6 (signposted Galway) and continue on this dual-carriageway which bypasses Miltownpass, Rochfordbridge and Tyrrellspass.
• The dual carriageway ends south of Kilbeggan from where you join the N52 to Tullamore. Entering Tullamore, turn right for Birr (at a Centra Supermarket).
• Continue following the signs for Birr (N52) until you leave Tullamore. After about 4Km, you come to Blueball. Turn right at the Blue Ball pub and continue on that road for approximately 4Km until you see a sign for uneven road surface, and there are trees on both sides of the road. Look for the Range on your right, the entrance is a narrow laneway on the right with trees on both sides and small signs at the entrance.

Sparks

See you guys there this weekend...

Sparks

From the NTSA website:

NTSA 3x40 National Championships 2007
Written by Mark Dennehy
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Congratulations to Ray Kane of the Defence Forces Shooting Team, who today won the 2007 NTSA 3x40 National Championships, beating Wilkinstown Target Shooting Club's Richard Stapleton Jr by 12 points in a competition that came down to the last ten-shot string. Richard led after the prone section of the match, Ray crept back into the lead during the standing section, and Richard was unable to retake the lead in the final, kneeling section of the match. Third place went to Sean Baldwin of the Defence Forces Shooting Team, who missed the silver by only two points.



Place|Name|Club|||||Prone|||||Standing|||||Kneeling|Overall
|||1|2|3|4||1|2|3|4||1|2|3|4||
1|Ray Kane|DFST|97|100|96|97|390|84|89|87|92|352|89|94|91|93|367|1109
2|Richard Stapleton Jr.|WTSC|98|99|97|100|394|83|88|87|87|345|91|89|91|87|358|1097
3|Sean Baldwin|DFST|94|93|95|95|377|84|85|89|91|349|94|90|95|90|369|1095
|Joe O'Donohoe|DFST|95|94|95|94|378|76|75|0|0|151|0|0|0|0|0|DNF
|Patrick O'Brien|DRC|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|DNS

Sparks

Some photos from the day...


The flags were out!


Richard Stapleton getting ready for the Prone section of the match


Ray Kane shooting prone


Richard shooting prone


Ray shooting prone


Joe adjusting his sights during prone


The firing line during prone


Ray shooting standing


Richard shooting standing


Richard preparing for the kneeling section of the match


Richard shooting kneeling


The firing line during the kneeling section

rrpc

Results and more photographs on the NTSA website here:

http://targetshootingireland.org/content/view/328/1/

Sparks

Some more photos shortly here...

IRLConor

rrpc wrote:

Results and more photographs on the NTSA website here:

http://targetshootingireland.org/content/view/328/1/

"In vacant or in pensive mood?"

You b*stard! ;-)

I was waiting for the prep time to finish, I never need the full amount of time. I mostly use it for sitting still and relaxing.

Sparks

Richard at work.



PJ in the groove.


Lots of pensive looks today!


And lots of good shooting!

Sparks

Some creatures during the match had a charmed life, continually swooping in front of a firing line dozens of times per detail...


The electronic targets all set up and ready to go.



The challanges of photographing target shooting; get the inside lighting okay and the outside overexposes your shot; get the outside lighting okay and the inside photo is too dark. *sigh*


DURC Shooters on the line.


Ah, the wide open range...


The return of an familiar face


Another DURC shooter on the line.


The last detail underway


Definitely pensive mood!


IRLConor gets down to actually shooting


Reloading

Sparks

RTE's OB Sports kindly agreed to cover the event and sent out Eamon Falvey to report on it (we're expecting the finished program in 2 weeks or so on a Monday night, more details to follow).


Escort duty!




Shooting the shooters!


Interviewing shooters. Well, if you have a fancy rifle, might as well get a shot of it on telly!



Interviewing the Chair of the NTSA



Eamon on the range, observing the event.

Sparks

The medallists from the 3x40 nationals being awarded their medals.


Richard getting his gold medal from the prone nationals (sorry lads, the silver/bronze photos were futzed by the camera )


The team event winners claim their prize.


David Comerford of the MNSCI is presented with a small token of appreciation from the NTSA for the use of the MNSCI facilities on a busy weekend.

bullets

Did any of the RTE boys try shooting that day ?
or did the just observe?

One of the lads in the pics I have seen in Midlands a few times
practicing and he is seems to be an excellent shot.
was Wondering who he was or if hes a board memeber here.

He kinda Reminds me of Mark Hamill. I'm not trying to slag him or
anything its just he reminds me of the actor when I look at the pic.

see:
http://imdb.com/gallery/granitz/1223/Events/1223/MarkHamill_Granitz_221296-400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Hamill,%20Mark%20(I)

~B

rrpc

bullets wrote:

One of the lads in the pics I have seen in Midlands a few times
practicing and he is seems to be an excellent shot.
was Wondering who he was or if hes a board memeber here.

He kinda Reminds me of Mark Hamill. I'm not trying to slag him or
anything its just he reminds me of the actor when I look at the pic

Sounds like Sean Baldwin of the Defence Forces Shooting Team. He is an excellent shot and was only just pipped for the championship by 1 point in the qualifying and 4.1 in the final.

He'll be tickled pink to hear he looks like Mark Hamill, he doesn't post here as far as I know.

rrpc

Sparks wrote:

The challanges of photographing target shooting; get the inside lighting okay and the outside overexposes your shot; get the outside lighting okay and the inside photo is too dark. *sigh*

Use a flash

jaycee

Yep..."Fill Flash" ...way to go..

They are still excellent photos ... thanks for posting them.

IRLConor

I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't be too keen on someone using a flash while I was shooting. It would probably be OK if they were taking a picture from directly behind me, in most outdoor shooting situations I wouldn't notice.

On the other hand, if they were taking photos of someone else and the flash was in my peripheral vision I'd be very annoyed. (Particularly if they got me just as I was taking a shot)

IRLConor

Sparks wrote:

IRLConor gets down to actually shooting

Two things I noticed about this photo:

1. I'm just taking the shot, my finger is almost all the way back but the bolt is still cocked. Good job on the timing Sparks!
2. I didn't adjust my cheekpiece to the correct position. It's all the way down, and should be higher. Notice how low my eye is in relation to the sight? Noob mistake to make. :mad: Yet another thing to go on the checklist...

rrpc

IRLConor wrote:

I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't be too keen on someone using a flash while I was shooting. It would probably be OK if they were taking a picture from directly behind me, in most outdoor shooting situations I wouldn't notice.

On the other hand, if they were taking photos of someone else and the flash was in my peripheral vision I'd be very annoyed. (Particularly if they got me just as I was taking a shot)

It would have to be from behind anyway Conor because the problem only arises when you have the camera pointed down range from behind the firing point.

Worth testing sometime to see if the shooter would be aware of it. My feeling is they might notice it, but it wouldn't be too intrusive. Probably best to keep it to a minimum.

Oh and sorry about the photo caption I couldn't resist it.

IRLConor

rrpc wrote:

It would have to be from behind anyway Conor because the problem only arises when you have the camera pointed down range from behind the firing point.

Worth testing sometime to see if the shooter would be aware of it. My feeling is they might notice it, but it wouldn't be too intrusive. Probably best to keep it to a minimum.

Yeah, I agree that from directly behind you won't notice it, but if Sparks is directly behind you with a flash he might be in my peripheral vision.

Also, strictly speaking, flash photography is banned if you're running to ISSF regulations. Of course, that's hardly our biggest concern when trying to run ISSF-compliant shoots.

Perhaps Sparks could try his hand at some high dynamic range imaging? Not any use for fast action shots, but very pretty and useful too.

rrpc wrote:

Oh and sorry about the photo caption I couldn't resist it.

No bother, I would have probably done the same if the roles were reversed.

Sparks

Flash photography on a live range is a no-no. It futzes the shooter's irises, causing them to react to a bright light, and it takes far longer for the iris to re-open than it takes it to snap shut, so you're interfering with the shooter's match. There are several specific ISSF rules against it:

6.3.6.6.1 Notices must be displayed to indicate to spectators that mobile phones must be switched OFF and flash photography is prohibited.
6.9.1 Suitable facilities, assistance and co-operation must be provided for the press, radio, and television personnel, to ensure publicity. During competitions, however, the competitors must not be disturbed by photography and/or interviews.
7.4.1.6 (and 8.4.1.6 and 10.4.1.6) The use of flash photography is prohibited until all competition is completed.

bullets wrote:

Did any of the RTE boys try shooting that day ?
or did the just observe?

Yeah, we had Eamon shoot a round or two for a part of the report (which, by the way, goes out on Monday, July 9th at 8.30pm on Network 2).

Sparks

And what I usually do for the photography is to shoot long exposures on a very high f-stop or even with a neutral filter and then do some post-processing in gimp. It's not perfect, but that's how I've gotten my best results so far.

Of course, if all the ranges followed the ISSF regs on ambient lighting, the issue wouldn't be so difficult...

Sparks

IRLConor wrote:

Yeah, I agree that from directly behind you won't notice it

Yeah, you would - it'd bounce off the rearsight, the monitor screen for the electronic targets, and just about any other surface visible to you and the camera.

IRLConor

Sparks wrote:

Yeah, you would - it'd bounce off the rearsight, the monitor screen for the electronic targets, and just about any other surface visible to you and the camera.

I figured I wouldn't notice based on how bright the outside was in contrast to the firing point.

I hadn't thought about the monitor screen though. I probably would have noticed that.

rrpc

Sparks wrote:

Yeah, you would - it'd bounce off the rearsight, the monitor screen for the electronic targets, and just about any other surface visible to you and the camera.

Wouldn't bounce off a rearsight if you have an eyecup, and it wouldn't bounce off my monitor either because I always turn it 90 degrees from the firing line so it's pointing towards me. That is just because when it's pointing to the back of the firing point it picks up too much of the ambient light and it blocks the windflags.

But I still reckon you'd notice it, just how much was the question. Better lighting on the firing point would help, but it's still a problem if it's a bright day.

rrpc

Sparks wrote:

Yeah, we had Eamon shoot a round or two for a part of the report (which, by the way, goes out on Monday, July 9th at 8.30pm on Network 2).

Where and what did he shoot?

IRLConor

rrpc wrote:

Where and what did he shoot?

Firing point 1. Richard Stapleton's rifle I think.

Sparks

Sans jacket/sling/glove/any gear at all, with me standing over him (literally), and for all of two rounds. But at least it's a well-known face behind one of our rifles in close-up on the TV.

rrpc

Did he hit the target?

Sparks

I hope not, I had him aiming at the target board for point 1, which had no target up. I figured that since he'd never even been in the prone position before and we were pressed for time, that it was more important to make sure the round hit the berm, that he didn't injure himself, and that they were able to get the shot on camera. I *think* it worked, I got an email from him today saying they've started the edit and it looks good so far.

rrpc

Well if he really does want to try it some time for real, tell him to give me a call.

If he is interested in covering another shooting competition, the pistol nationals in November would look very good on camera. Plenty happening, nice flashy lights, and lots of sweating competitors . Plus of course it's indoors, so no pesky wind or rain to upset things.