TEAM USA F-T/R WORLDS SOUTH AFRICA 2023

[cjrowe]

The journey begins!

After almost six years of extended and extensive training, Team USA F-Class is finally on its way to the goal of winning Gold in the World Championships in Bloemfontein, South Africa!

Most of the team chose to fly Delta out of Atlanta, and teammates from all ends of the country met up there on Friday afternoon to catch the very long (but direct) flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. A few of us chose the United option out of Newark that same evening. Both flights were scheduled to arrive within several hours of each other in South Africa, so all good there.

After nearly 16 hours in the air, I am happy to report that all team members and all team equipment (of which there was a literal ton!) arrived safe and sound, with just one minor scare when the last guy off the plane had no rifle waiting for him. After some scurrying by the baggage folks, it was quickly located and all was well.

As we arrived in Johannesburg quite late in the day (Saturday), and many of us were not able to sleep like we planned on the plane, the team arranged for rooms at what turned out to be the very nice and accommodating City Lodge Hotel, which was attached to the airport. After a short walk (which some claimed to be a mile…), everyone was checked in, had a fantastic dinner, and enjoyed some time at the hotel bar before calling it an early night. One thing we are quickly learning is that in South Africa, the food and drinks are good, plentiful, and cheap (very cheap!). Can’t beat that combination.

In the morning, the teams (both USA F-T/R and Open) assembled in the City Lodge lobby to await the buses hired to take us on the long ride to Bloemfontein. It was quite the sight – most had never seen so many Pelican cases assembled in one place before. What appeared to be a serious impediment to our plan (two very tiny elevators out of the hotel down to the awaiting buses) turned out to be no issue at all when adjutants and team members swooped in with a plan, quickly took logistical control of the lobby, and commandeered one of the lifts for exclusive team use. What looked like was going to take 3 hours was accomplished in an amazing 23 minutes!

F-T/R and Open shared a double-decker “luxury” bus (that term is being very loosely applied here). Our convoy was quite impressive, and consisted of the huge bus, with its belly full of rifles, with a trailer pulled behind full of luggage, along with a large cargo van with a second trailer attached to it (all full to the gills, with some equipment even still needing to ride on the extra bus seats – we don’t travel light!). In addition, we had a small (but very impressive and at times serious) and well-armed security detail leading and following the convoy. To our surprise, the team actually had to swoop into action to navigate a tense, but quickly resolved, situation when our bus was randomly stopped at roadblock. We all felt better knowing they were there handling the ‘local issues’.

After about a 5 hour drive, through varying scenery which at times looked like Texas, then Indiana, then Arizona, which had many questioning if we were really in Africa, we finally started to see some plains game from the windows, including ostriches, a couple types of antelope (where we quickly learned we had no African plains game experts on board, since no one could positively ID them), and finally a few zebras. Convinced we were truly in Africa now, it rained (for about 10 seconds), then went right back to 90 degrees and blazing sun.

We arrived at our destination, the Southern Sun Hotel in Bloemfontein, unloaded the bus and other vehicles, and the second seemingly daunting process of getting over 60 people checked into their rooms again went amazingly smoothly due to much prior planning and logistical work. Room keys were waiting for everyone with their names on them, and everyone quickly funneled off to stow gear in rooms. They just as quickly funneled back to the very nice hotel bar, while a few others kept working to go to the local airport and pick up rental cars and vans for use during the competitions. Finally, everyone was back enjoyed a few adult beverages and relaxed in the fact that we all had actually made it to our destination safe and sound (on Sunday night after most started on Friday morning!). Everyone grabbed dinner at the hotel or in the restaurants in the attached mall, and again, food was great and very inexpensive.

Monday’s plan is to go the range and secure all our ammo, which is in the base vault, and get it distributed, but word is that some nation-wide political protests and/or strikes will be taking place, so we will be assessing that situation in the morning before mobilizing the team to move to the range to make sure all is safe.

Everyone cannot wait to get these matches started!

 

[cjrowe]

The next steps…

After finally arriving and settling in to our hotel in Bloemfontein and getting what rest the team could given the massive jet lag involved in a journey such as this, we all awoke to an uncertain day given the dire predictions of protest, riots and strikes. In an overabundance of caution, the team decided to send only a scouting party to range to assess the ammo situation early Monday morning.

As it turned out, all fears were set aside and the protests thankfully ended up being a non-event, at least for us in Bloenfontein. The scouting team made the call to load up all the ammo in the vans and transport it back to the hotel, where is was unloaded (quite the daisy chain to move such a weight of ammunition) and distributed to each team member. The only drama associated with the trip to the range and back was the Captain having to put down a potential mutiny over the teams’ alleged horror at said Captain’s driving skills (being on the wrong side of the road and steering from the wrong side of the vehicle!). Given no injuries or fatalities were reported, the uprising was successfully squelched and normal team operations continued.

That being completed, the day’s official duties were done for most firing members, while the leadership group and coaches group conducted several meetings to review latest ICFRA and SABU rules and started sorting out potential rosters for the upcoming team events. We also planned the schedule of events for Tuesday when the team would finally assemble at the range after six years of anticipation.
Most did their shopping for supplies and groceries, sorted out their ammo and kits, and called it an early evening to catch up on sleep.

The next morning (Tuesday), the entire team finally headed to the Generaal De Wet Range, which is located on a South African Military Forces Base. First order of business was to weigh rifles and collect squadding (along with SABU and Worlds hats and shirts), and once completed, the team headed to the 700m line (approximately 800 yards) where we had secured five targets for the day.

The plan was to have a relaxed, confidence inspiring session, so it was kept very informal and low-key. Shooters fouled their rifles, adjusted their zeroes to the new elevation (almost 5,000 ft above sea level), and coaches got all shooters married up on their wind zeroes. Once done, everyone could shoot and practice at their leisure and pace.

In general, there was a collective sigh of relief that rifles went bang, targets went down, and zeroes were confirmed to be very accurate from home ranges. All shooters reported solid and confident feedback from their rifles and loads, and the rest of the day was spent learning the winds and mirage (today was fishtailing winds from 8 to 12 mph).

After the practice, a number of folks decided to venture out and look for African wildlife, and were not disappointed, as multiple sightings of giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, and all sorts of plains antelope were spotted – a definite highlight of this short trip so far!).

After another leadership meeting planning for the upcoming Protea and Chairman’s Matches, it was an early night for most, as SABU Nationals Individuals start bright and early tomorrow morning with the Opening Ceremonies.

 

[cjrowe]

The competition begins!

Today, Wednesday, was the first day of actual competition with the commencement of the South African Open Championships. The opening ceremony included the reading of a lovely Bible passage from Psalms followed by a group prayer led by Brigadier General Alexander in his unique style.

We then quickly transitioned into competition mode, with the day’s firing consisting of 2+15 at 700m, 800m & 900m. All of F-T/R was squadded on relay 2, with almost all firing points being three-to-the-mound.

Winds were quite brisk with nearly full value for so early in the morning, but moderated as the day went along, but also turned into a tailwind with fairly vicious and quick switches. The 700m shoot was fairly uneventful, with many good scores posted.

As the F-T/R relay took the line at 800m, the skies were darkening ominously. Soon both rain and lighting could be seen in the distance, and it wasn’t hard to figure out what was coming our way. Thankfully, the relay finished in time enough for all shooters to pack up and move to 900m, but once there, the skies opened up and everyone was able to witness a true African thunderstorm in all its power and glory! The lightning show was unrivaled. Luckily, the storm came in over what was scheduled to be lunch break, so many were in the cafeteria building and were spared a drenching. Additionally, those there were nearly deafened by the not so small hail that made quite the roar in the building given its tin roof! The wind, rain and hail, and sound of it all, was quite the spectacle.

The re-commencement of the match was obviously delayed, and then delayed again, until it became clear that the line of storms was not going to stop. So, unfortunately, the 900m match was cancelled, but it will be added to tomorrow’s schedule (so 3 yardlines before lunch, and then a final after lunch). Exiting the range became an interesting proposition, as the dirt roads were both flooded, rutted, and very slippery. It's fairly impressive that no vehicles became stuck in the deep African mud.

The storms apparently have ushered in some very pleasant temperature forecasts for the next several days, so hopefully we stay dry and comfortable and are able to catch up on the schedule tomorrow.

 

[762plinker]

how many competitors total and how many countries ??

 

[davidjoe]

After about a 5 hour drive, through varying scenery which at times looked like Texas, then Indiana, then Arizona, which had many questioning if we were really in Africa, we finally started to see some plains game from the windows, including ostriches, a couple types of antelope (where we quickly learned we had no African plains game experts on board, since no one could positively ID them), and finally a few zebras.

Everyone cannot wait to get these matches started!

The animals stay hidden from all Americans that refer to them as “plains game” or Big Five (and all dentists). Especially the ones that only need a .308 to whoop as$.

 

[RegionRat]

Thanks for the report Charles! Safe Travels and Good Luck to you and Kim!

https://sabisley.com/sa-champs/?fbclid=IwAR1Tx54Dah_hO9MjMYZZUR1RrBTm5qwGdcZNieJ2YSAdzTygA2-etURc838

 

[cjrowe]

SABU Day 2:

The second day of competition started with most competitors’ first challenge of the day being to not get stuck in the quagmire of red sticky mud left over from yesterday’s deluge. Speed and momentum got everyone through with nothing more than very dirty vehicles.

The plan for the day was to shoot the 700m, 800m and 900m scheduled for the day, then break for lunch and complete the missed 900m from yesterday. There was a bit of worry as drizzle starting falling while waiting for the start of the match, along with some distant lightning. But this time, the winds were in our favor and blew the storms away, not over us.

We commenced the matches again with a verse from scripture and a brief prayer. Winds were similar to yesterday, with a stout 8 o’clock wind to start, that turned into a totally vicious switchy tailwind later in the day which had shooters holding edge of black on one side of the target on one shot, followed by edge of black on the opposite side for the next (or suffer an “outer” [a 2] if you didn’t). Those winds were eventually followed by flags sitting nearly still on the poles to finish up the day. This range seems to provide almost every condition possible, all within a single day’s shooting! Very challenging, but readable and fun at the same time.

After the completion of the matches, competitors freshened up and changed into Class A’s for the Protea International Team Match dinner held at Gray’s College, where all the awards earned to date were passed out, and the members of each country’s teams were announced and presented on stage.

It is clear that tomorrow will be quite the challenge, as many world class teams are here vying for the win. USA will be fielding a very strong team for Protea (8 shooter, 15 total members), along with two equally strong teams for the 4 shooter Chairman’s Team match.

Go USA!!!

 

[Chiquita]

Wish you all the best.

 

[cjrowe]

SABU Day 3 – The Protea International Team Match

Today was the first big test of the various international teams that have been preparing for the Worlds for almost the last six years. The day started off, as is seemingly usual, with a very brisk northeast wind (which is a 7-8 o’clock tailwind here, as the range faces south). Temps were unusually cool, which was fine, as the entire week has been extremely pleasant (highs only in the upper 70’s most days – definitely a welcome surprise from the expected mid-90’s baking days the weeks prior). Skies were heavily overcast to start, which meant little to no mirage, and the clouds generally never went away for the duration of the match.

We started the day off again with a Scripture reading and prayer from the Brigadier, and then got right into the match (which was 8 shooters on a 16 man team, consisting of 15 shots to count with 2 convertible sighters each @ 700m, 800m and 900m [essentially the equivalent of 800, 900 and 1000 yards]). An interesting, and previously unknown to us, tradition of the Protea International Team Match in South Africa is that it is totally shot on the “honor system”, meaning each team scores themselves with no outside verification. Also, score cards only record aggregate scores, and there is no official register for each individual shot. Teams just scribble it on whatever is available and attach it to the agg scorecard. An interesting, and a bit unorthodox, approach to be sure! But that’s what makes International competition so much fun.

The 700m match was a fairly close race among the teams, with just a few points separating all. Things changed at 800m, where South Africa posted an impressive performance, and gained some points on all the competition. Winds were very tricky with quickly switching tailwinds with velocities in the 8-14mph range, so coaches needed to be on their game to not get caught out.

USA and South Africa were neck & neck at 900m, and made up some ground, but not enough to offset the 800m deficit, and SA took the win. USA took Silver, and Great Britain the Bronze.

USA F-T/R learned much about the wind on this range, and also tested various strategies while shooting the Protea, and feel very ready for the upcoming Worlds team match on Friday & Saturday of next week. We are bringing a world-class, gold-medal capable team to the line!

Tomorrow will be the final day of individual SABU matches, consisting of two shoots of 15+2 at 800m and 900m, followed by a shoot-off after lunch of the top 15 shooters, who will shoot 20+2 in string fire format. That score will be added to the aggregate score to determine the overall South Africa Bisley Union Grand Champion.

 

[sam da man]

I want to give a big ole loud Hell yea to the Team USA for doing such a great job of representation for us all

 

[cjrowe]

SABU Nationals – Final Day:

This was the last day of SABU Nationals prior to the start of the World Championships. The schedule for the day was two shoots, both 15+2 convertible, at 800m and 900m, which would conclude the Grand Aggregate, to be followed after lunch by a 20 shot string fired shoot-off match. The winner of the shoot-off wins the SABU Cup, and then the shoot-off totals are to be added to the grand agg totals to determine the South African Open F-T/R Championship winner.

The 800m shoot went off very smoothly (as do all of the matches here, which are impeccably run), and winds were consistent with prior days. It was a completely different story at 900m. The F-Open shooters fired their relay uneventfully, but as the F-T/R relay was taking the line, a massive African thunderstorm could be seen (and felt) in the distance. After some consideration, it was determined the relay could be completed prior to the arrival of the inevitable rain. Well, the determination was about 100% wrong! When most shooters had about 2 to 3 shots on for record, another storm of biblical proportions descended upon the range with buckets of rain drenching everyone and everything in sight in a matter of moments.

Shooters who had double 5’s or V’s for sighters found themselves shooting 1’s and 2’s, and being thankful their shots were on paper unlike many others who shot misses. After a brief period, it become impossible to even see that targets were there, and rain (very, very cold rain) was pouring down at what must have been a 2-3 inch per hour rate. It was a sight to behold!

The match was halted (which was somewhat of a formality, as many competitions simply abandoned the firing line and ran for shelter), and we waited out the storm, which lasted only about 10 minutes. In that time, everybody and everything became thoroughly soaked through. The range roads immediately reflooded and became a quagmire again.

Once the storm quickly passed, competitors were allowed a 15 minute period to attempt to dry off gear before commencement of the matches. Many simply packed up and went home, having no interest in shooting in sopping wet clothes and drenches rifles & ammo. It was also announced that any fired shots would be disregarded, the entire match restarted. Many (who shot 1’s & 2’s ) were thrilled with that announcement, only to be later disappointed to learn that it was overturned and that shots fired would count, and the match would continue with one non-convertible sighter (and new, dry scorecards were issued all around).

The good news (at first) was that after the storm moved through, winds were dead calm with not even a breeze stirring, so initial shots in the restart were fired with no wind zeroes on the guns. That started to abruptly change about 2 – 3 shots into the resumption of the match, when even the soaked, heavy wet flags started to lift off the poles, and never stopped lifting for quick a while. Shooters were caught very off guard, and again, many posted 1’s & 2’s as they were behind the very rapid, and full value, pick ups in the wind, also duped by the wet flags not showing the true ferocity of the increasing winds. Within a 2 to 3 shot window, conditions increased from no wind zero to about 7 minutes of wind. Those who were not bold in their corrections paid the price dearly.

After all was said and done, some members of the USA F-T/R had a great showing. Keith Trapp won the SABU Cup (dropping only 5 points in the 20 shot string which was fired in full value, 7+ MOA conditions), and Tracy Hogg took the Bronze Medal in the overall South Africa Open Championship.

Later that evening, a banquet and prize giving was held at the range, where USA F-T/R was awarded their Silver medals in the Protea, and Tracy and Keith received their respective trophies. A band and dinner rounded out the evening, with an incredible sunset capping the festivities.

Tomorrow (Sunday), is a formal day off, although the range is open for squadded individual practice prior to Worlds starting on Monday.

 

[boltman13]

USA, USA, USA

 

[Monte F]

Congratulations to Keith, Tracy, and the entire USA F-T/R team!

 

[Jim G]

Congratulations!!!

 

[cjrowe]

World’s Individual Days 1 & 2:

The 2023 F-Class World Championships (FCWC) started on Monday with an opening ceremony consisting of a short speech from the ICFRA Vice-President on the history of F-Class shooting and its associated World Championships over the last two decades, a benediction from the General, the playing of the South African national anthem and raising of its flag, followed by the raising of the flags from all the participating nations (which by memory, and probably not complete, would include South Africa, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Namibia, Italy, Pakistan, and Germany).

The day started off cool and clear, but became quite warm by the end of the afternoon. The matches ran flawlessly, and after the firing was completed, a shootoff (consisting of 2+5 with a sudden death session in the event of another tie) was held for first place in the 700m match between USA’s Ian Klemm and A. Basson of South Africa. Both went into the shoot-off with a 75-9v, and then both shot a second exact tie score in the shoot-off (25-3v), but Ian prevailed in sudden death after two shots with a V to Basson’s 5. Then the formal prize giving took place at the clubhouse (along with a well stocked bar of course), where in addition to Ian’s Gold at 700m, USA’s Drew Rutherford took the Bronze at 700m and Scott Fulmer also took the Bronze at 900m.

Day 2 of the Worlds started off quite cool, hazy, and overcast, with brisk winds from the outset. The winds increased and became more challenging as the day went on, with the 900m F-T/R relay being shot in what many (including most South Africans) were calling some of the most challenging conditions they have seen in many years. Scores in the high 50’s (for a 2+15 match) were winning medals. The USA had a great showing, with Ian Klemm taking the Silver medal at 700m with a 75-11v (missing Gold by only 1 V), followed by a shoot-off at 800m for the Gold between USA’s Mike Francis and South Africa’s Jan Cilliers. The pairing was made more interesting by both a massive, dark black thunderstorm with lighting off in the distant south over the target line in conjunction with hartebeest grazing on the range during the shoot. Mike put the hammer down like Team USA F-T/R is known for, firing all his sighters and record shots prior to his competitor firing his first record, and prevailing with an impressive score 24-3v in incredibly tricky and stout conditions.

At 900m today, the winds simply went berserk, with massive changes in between every shot in just seconds. Dropping 20 points in F-T/R was a respectable score when all was said and done, yet some USA team members posted unbelievably good scores, such as Jim Crofts who only dropped 8 placing him 4th out of almost 150 shooters, followed by Brian Harder who dropped only 10 placing him 9th.
After the Day 2 Agg was posted, USA had 5 of the top 20 positions, including, Ed Shelley (8th), Ian Klemm (10th), Brad Sauve (11th), Jim Crofts (13th) and Keith Trapp (16th).

After the prize giving was completed, most headed out to well earned dinners (several at Margaritas, a fantastic steakhouse in town), followed by another incredible lightning show from the now-famous African thunderstorms that routinely pummel the area here.

Tomorrow is Day 3 of Worlds, the final day of Individual, which will be two strings of 2+20 at 900m shot 3-to-the-mound (a highly demanding and challenging course of fire in these conditions), which will determine the Champion of the World (to borrow a Queen line). Stand by for results!

 

[Lkwebb]

Erik cortina won the 900 Meters I just watched his video.
Congrats Erik and Team USA

 

[Lkwebb]

 

[RegionRat]

Wow! Great Shooting! Congrats to all and thanks again for the report and all the photos!

Great to see our folks doing so well!

 

[cjrowe]

World’s Individual Final Day:

The day’s course of fire is two strings of 2+20 at 900m shot 3 to-the-mound, which will conclude the Individual portion of the World Championships. Huge rains and thunderstorms the evening prior left most of the roads on the range washed out, and much of the 900m ready area looked like a mud pit. But that didn’t deter any one or any thing, and after the daily prayer from the General, the match started promptly as always.

Both matches for F-T/R turned out to be challenging. The first, while not easy, was in line with conditions we had seen throughout the past two weeks. The second match was an entirely different story all together! Winds switched over to full value (for the first time since we have been in South Africa, as the prevalent condition has been a fishtailing tail wind), with velocities unseen previously (anywhere from a low of 10 mph to highs approaching 20 mph), with very rapid letoffs and pickups, and the scores showed it.

However, some shooters were on it, including USA’s Niklas Montin who dropped only 7 points to take the Silver medal (missing Gold by only 1 V), and Mike Francis, who placed 12th. Tracey Hogg and Luke Ramsey were also represented in the top 20.

When all was said and done, the USA represented very well. Ian Klemm won the Gold medal in the 700m Aggregate, and USA had taken 5 of the top 20 spots in the Grand Aggregate (Ed Shelley 7th, Keith Trapp 11th, Jim Crofts 15th, Brad Sauve 18th, and Tracy Hogg 19th). Awards were presented at Grey College with all teams in formal Class A uniforms, with a nice bar and dinner, followed by team captains exchanging gifts on stage.

Almost immediately after the conclusion of Individual Worlds, the USA Team transitioned into planning for the World Championship Team Matches (the Richardson Match for the 16 man team and the Rutland Match for the 7 man team).

Thursday was a practice day for all teams, and USA spent a long day working out its plans for shooters and strategies. The day started with a large herd of black wildebeest on the range, whcih required the services of all the target pullers to rustle off the range (and they didn't go easily!). Naturally, as luck would have it, the morning started off unlike any other we’ve seen so far, with essentially zero wind, and when the winds did fill in, they were light and from the south (vs. all the other winds we’ve seen from the north). It appears every day is a unique experience on this tough and challenging range!

Needless to say, USA brought its best and performed very well, and the shooter selections came down to very tough and close decisions.

Afterwards, a joint USA F-T/R and F-Open team dinner was held at the hotel, where we all celebrated the journey we’ve been on for so many years and recognized the sacrifices made by all to achieve the level to which both teams have risen.

We are ready!!! GO USA!!!

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Well Done Team USA F-TR; Silver! Very well done. The competition was stiff.

I'm in awe of the performance of the SA FTR team. Their 1762-162V on day 2 would be good enough for 2nd place in F-Open; only Team USA F-Open had a better score of all the teams for day 2.

That is some wind calling at a whole new level from the South African F-TR team coaches, and excellent marksmanship from the shooters. Wow.