Settling in - Back to Reality

I've now been back for about two weeks, pretty much back to normal now and very very glad to be back home. Its taken a while to get acclimatized back to the weather again, the cold and wet is a great change in my opinion to high humidity and tropical temperatures.

I think the best experiance I had over there by far had to be simply the shooting event itself. I had already shot there in April but the fact that its a much bigger event seemed to have more of an effect on me. I was definatly more nervous then I ever have been when I went down on that line at the start of my match! Throughout the shoot there was a shift in the wind conditions which made for hard shooting. It must sound strange to say that I haven't trained much in the wind when I come from Palmerston North but the skill of reading has to be developed over many years of dedicated shooting.

Other experiances in Beijing include the Opening and Closing Cermonies which were both incredible. There are not many time in life where you get to see that many people in one place for the same thing. Just walking on the track with the other New Zealand atheletes is something that I will never forget. Words simply cannot describe how I felt.

The shopping was great fun and I got to meet a lot of other foreigners that had come to watch the Games, there were all excited to meet a Kiwi, some hadn't even heard of New Zealand before!

So since I've come home to Palmerston I've had to postpone my studies untill next year as its too late in the year to pick my papers back up. I'm holding a part-time job at Massey University in the IT department to keep myself going and currently taking a break from training for a month. The New Zealand outdoor season for shooting picks up soon and I am considering breaking out the rifle again for some more competition.

A big thanks to all who have supported me, every little bit went a long way and I am tremendously grateful for all the help I recieved. Here's hoping I'm still around to try again in 4 years time!

Rob

Olympic Village

The village here is awesome, a big block of flats in a village of about 30 identical blocks, supposed to hold about 16,000 people all up. Next door to us are the Swiss and Swedish but havent heard much from them yet. Its worth getting to the games just for all the free stuff!! We get a little swiper that allows us free drinks from the coke machines outside, theres a dining hall with maybe 10 different types of food from meditteranean to Mc Donalds that serves 24/7! Plus huge fridges that are always full of free drinks!!

I am going to scope out the range today and then do a bit of shopping in the nearby mall. Famous people so far? I was just talking to Sarah Ulma as she was checking her email beside me......

Europe Phase Three - Milan, Italy

Milan, home of high prices, designer clothes and really really old churches. Had some fun there and did a bit of sightseeing but ended up completley and utterly lost in Milan somewhere trying to find the Duomo Catherdral. Was an experiance because absolutely noone speaks english over there. But I stilll had fun, got there eventually and it was well worth it. There's heaps and heaps of old churches and buildings in the city which makes the city fell ancient, along with narrow cobblestone streets its hell for driving.The shooting was good, fairly good conditions but the range was really weird. Had to shoot off a table about 5 feet off the ground and not built to accommodate a strapping 6ft guy like me, my feet hung off the end and sides. In the elimination round i came twelfth with 592. In the main round I shot a 590 and I think I came about 30th or 40th. In the end my results were good, showing consistency in all of my international shoots this year has put me in good stead for the Olympics. The pizza in Italy beats all else, pizza and pasta are just sooo good there. I lived off pizza for 3 days, waking to the store to get it and back throught the 4 star hotel lobby in my shearing singlet and boardies with takeaways each day, dont think the staff liked that too much!

So.....we should be hearing in the next day or so about selection for Beijing 2008, will probably still need funding so don't forget about me yet!!All in all the trip was a total success, heaps of fun and a great experiance. But, it was absolutely fantastic to be home even though its incerdibly cold compared to the Meditteranean. theres nothing like going away to appreciate coming back.

Europe Phase Two: Munich, Germany

Well Germany seems to be my favourite place do far. Its well set out and organised so efficiently there's pretty much no stress in travelling either on the highways or in the streets. The one to thing to watch is the footpaths which are divided equally into walking and cycling areas. those damn cyclists sneak right up on ya before they ring their little 'get outta my way bells', if they do at all. i came close to getting mowed down a few times.

The competition went real well i felt, a 591 in the elimination round, which got me throught to the qualification match where I shot a 592. think I ended up 49th from the 98 shooters in that match. not the best result but its sure damn good enough for me, the rest in the event are the best in the world don't forget!I had a few days free, had a few loooong walks around Munich, saw the opera house, a big church and several clock towers.

Next stop, Milan

Europe Phase One: England - May

Hey guys, keepin u all updated from England. Its awesum here so far, staying at the Bisley Shooting Centre justs south of Woking. We're a 15min train ride from London I think so not too far from the big smoke. Had our first day of training today, I only did a half hour because I'm still a tad jet lagged and the wind is making things difficult.In the few days I've been here I went to Windsor Castle, Oxford town and University and the factory where thet make our target ammo (Eley). so far its been pretty wicked, got some good pics of Morris with castle guards and armed policemen and stuff. We have a second day of training tomorrow then off to Munich the day after for the first World Cup.

Beijing World Cup April 4th -15th

I recently got back from the World Cup event in Beijing where I shot to try and qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games. It was a true experiance to shoot on a range so much larger and flasher then anything that New Zealand has or has ever had. It could cater 80 shooters shooting side by side at once and had the latest in LCD target displays for the competitiors.

The first match was an elimination one with two heats. I shot in the first heat at 2pm and scored a 592 out of a possible 600. The second match I shot in was the Qualification match with a chance to make it through into a top 8 shoot off. Once again I shot a 592 and gained a place of 36th. By making it through I also obtained my own World Rank but as of yet I am unsure of what it is.

In order to qualify for the Olympics I had to shoot a 587 or better in a World Cup event overseas. I achieved this twice and am therefore fully qualified. Currently I am waiting for the selection committee to choose which of the two of us that have qualified will go to the Games in August. I hope to find out some time this week by Friday 2nd of May.

Currently we are organising the details of gettin to the Munich and Milan World Cup back to back Event beginning on the 15th of May. I will be overseas again this time for 3 weeks shooting the two competitions and visiting the Eley factory in England where out ammunition is manufactured. For this trip I need to raise at least $10,000 because it is longer and more complex.

It will be a harder competition but at least it doesn't have as much pressure on it because I no longer need to qualify for the Games.

Further results will be posted here when I get them.

Rob