Southland Intercollegiate

By Shamus Young | Posted: Thursday May 30, 2024

On the morning of Sunday, 12 May the Clay Target Secondary School Intercollegiate Competition officially commenced for the season.

This competition took place at Oreti Beach, situated close to Invercargill. Students and their families individually travelled to rendezvous at the range after travelling home after Saturday sports.

Students who shot at this first intercollegiate competition were:

Shamus Young, Hunter Burgess, Jonathan King, Jackson Stevens, Dustin Young and Charlie Hore.

We look forward to some of our newer and less experienced shooters joining us for the Otago intercollegiate in June. A few weeks of preseason training were sketched into the boys busy timetables to try and help them prepare for this event. Being the first competition for the year, it was good for the squad to clean off some dusty old cobwebs. Time spent, being coached by Mr. Bill McKinley at the Dunedin club on a Wednesday reaped rewards, especially for Jackson.

Initially, weather conditions created an adverse display of targets with light misty rain and dull lighting. However, warm food cooked and heated by Greg King on the BBQ helped keep spirits high. Food was coordinated and provided by generous parents. Thank you to them for making this possible. The Invercargill club ran a well-organised event with shooting completed by 3pm.

Parents who have attended in the past and who are currently present provided excellent support for our shooters. While some shooting results were disheartening, our boys persevered and demonstrated resilience in keeping with our school's basic values. Even if not every result went our way, we are still pleased with the conclusion of the shoot. Our students demonstrated good sportsmanship and a sense of unity. We are excited for Dunedin to host our next intercollegiate competition.

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