Pistol:Little short-term comfort in a home on the range

Pistol:Little short-term comfort in a home on the range

Ironically, the reason they haven’t been able to shoot in Jersey is because they have been building a range of their own at Chouet, a facility long over-due and one which will only just be finished before the Games begin in less than two weeks time, writes Chris Lake.In particular, their top marksman, Andy Torode, with 30 Island Games medals in all, including three individual and two team golds in the Isle of Man, has been unable to practise between September 2002 and the end of May 2003.’Until very recently, I hadn’t picked up a gun since September, purely because of our lack of facilities,’ said 37-year-old Torode.’If I want to train, I have to go over to Jersey or France or Germany and that has obviously been prohibitive.’Along with the other Guernsey shooters, however, the main reason they haven’t been seen in Jersey as often as they would wish, at the Crabbé range Torode calls his ‘home range, the one I’m comfortable with,’ is because of making certain that their new range, close to the coast and L’Ancresse golf course, will be open in time.The official opening isn’t planned until Thursday 26 June, two days before the Games open.Ironically, before the last Island Games Torode and other members of the Guernsey team made five visits to Jersey to practise, and even considered that poor preparation.

This time they haven’t even be able to manage that.ApprovalAnd, after waiting so long for approval to build their new Chouet headquarters, with such a short time before its completion and the Games proper, their pistol shots will know next to nothing of their environment when the competition starts.’Home advantage is basically irrelevant,’ said Torode, adding that he has entered four of the eight disciplines on offer but with so little preparation doesn’t see how he can possibly emulate his success of so many gold medals from the Isle of Man.

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