The Manx Acoustic Shooting Club has held its first competition, giving visually impaired and blind people in the Isle of Man the opportunity to compete in the sport.
The Club was established by Manx Blind Welfare Society with the aim of introducing target shooting for the visually impaired to the Island, and has been registered as a Rifle Club with around 25 members.
Shooting takes place in the Society’s headquarters, Corrin Court in Onchan, every fortnight, and the first competition, for the Peter Stone Shield, took place last month.
Manx Blind Welfare Society shooting coordinator Dave Wilson said: ‘Acoustic shooting, or visually impaired shooting, uses a standard target air rifle which has a specially adapted telescopic sight attached. The special sight converts light, which is shone onto the target, into sound. The sound increases in pitch the closer to the centre of the target the rifle is aimed. A helper loads the rifle and assists in getting the shooter onto the target, then the shooter fine tunes their aim and fires when ready. Specially made spring stands are used to help take the weight of the rifles.
‘Because acoustic shooting does not rely on a person’s sight in any way, the vast majority of visually impaired and blind people can participate.’
He added: ‘On Friday 23rd September the Club held its first competition, for the Peter Stone Shield. Peter was one of the first shooters to join the Club and regularly attended the sessions along with his father Alan, who is also visually impaired. Peter was a natural shooter and became of the Club’s most consistent scorers; the friendly rivalry between Peter and his father was one of the highlights of our sessions.
‘Tragically Peter died suddenly in March this year, and as a lasting tribute it was decided to dedicate an annual competition and shield to his memory.’
The competition was contested by 16 shooters. Each was given a sighting card of five shots to begin with, then they had 15 minutes to shoot five cards, with two shots on each, and these were scored out of 100 points.
Dave added: ‘The standard of shooting was excellent and the event was enjoyed by all. Our prize presentation and social evening was held on Friday 30th September, which is when results were announced and the awards presented.’
The Class A champion was Frank Hodgson, with 96 out of 100. There was a fierce battle for second place, with Angela Bridson’s 88 just edging Samantha Ash and Ann Boyes, who each scored 87.
Jim Shimmin won the Class B category with 94 out of 100, ahead of second place George Collins on 86 and Dorothy Wilson, who was third on 85.
Manx Blind Welfare Society is looking for sponsors to support its team’s involvement in the upcoming British Championships.
Dave explained: ‘The Club is hopeful that we can take a team of Isle of Man shooters to the British Championships, which are held in Wolverhampton in February. What an amazing experience it would be for our shooters to represent the Island at a British competition.
‘It would also be a wonderful opportunity for a sponsor to come on board to be part of delivering new experiences for the visually impaired in the Isle of Man as well as ensuring the Island is represented at a British Championship event. If you can help please contact me on 674727.’
To find out more about Manx Blind Welfare Society visit www.mbws.org.im
Image: Jim Shimmin with Clare Kilgallon, Peter Stone’s sister
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