Owls lodge - sporting, today 20/3/14

[Lee Roberts]

Results

Cheers Will catch up soon, Dad had a joint 2nd He be happy with that....!

 

[Will Hewland]

See post above Lee

 

[MARK-POACHER]

Well done dad second in B class.. and will.. A class scores are touching AA average. And B class scores are both A class average ..

Nice too see instead of all these 90/92 wins in A ..just my opinion.

X

 

[Scott]

My first visit there today thought it was a great event good mix of targets made you work all the way round which

I enjoy look forward to my next visit may be three hours away but worth the trip

 

[Jaykaysea]

My first visit it Owls lodge today, I thought the shoot was a technical course that had to be respected, I think it would have shot easier without the strong wind but while I did not shoot a great score I thought the shoot was good and required your full attention and application to build a score.

Ah...can't believe you were there on the first day I'm not....Hope to catch up soon Bob x

 

[Fauldsy]

I think we have all been lulled into a false sense of security over the last few years and people become far too worries about their averages.

The best shots in their class will always rise to the top and it encourages the majority to progress and get better, to improve their techniques and to challenge themselves. Look at Steve Lovatts reputation, strong targets but getting regularly 200 guns on reg shoots... Bring it on!!! Let's move the sport forward... Train harder and get better boys and girls!!

 

[calamity]

Well done Lorrayne for your C class win. I should video you more often, you obviously like to perform on camera!

 

[Jaykaysea]

Well done Lorrayne for your C class win. I should video you more often, you obviously like to perform on camera!

Well done Lorrayne xx

 

[smithers]

I think we have all been lulled into a false sense of security over the last few years and people become far too worries about their averages.

The best shots in their class will always rise to the top and it encourages the majority to progress and get better, to improve their techniques and to challenge themselves. Look at Steve Lovatts reputation, strong targets but getting regularly 200 guns on reg shoots... Bring it on!!! Let's move the sport forward... Train harder and get better boys and girls!!

well said Mr Faulds about time some sense was spoken about how sporting has been going with fabricated high scores at easy shoots probably not worthy of a club shoot, progress through the ranks shooting sensible scores and grow with confidence at competitive targets to gain experience, I personally think Dubia has opened a few peoples eyes and let's hope ground owners do toughen this up a tade, shoots should be won or classes won by people's ability to read targets and use of the gun etc not just shots who can fill the squit in !!! We'll done

 

[Lee Roberts]

well said Mr Faulds about time some sense was spoken about how sporting has been going with fabricated high scores at easy shoots probably not worthy of a club shoot, progress through the ranks shooting sensible scores and grow with confidence at competitive targets to gain experience, I personally think Dubia has opened a few peoples eyes and let's hope ground owners do toughen this up a tade, shoots should be won or classes won by people's ability to read targets and use of the gun etc not just shots who can fill the squit in !!! We'll done

I'm not sure I agree totally fair, I shot there today and with my normal 3, and 3 very really nice gentleman I've never met before....

We had a disaster on the first 4 stands as traps not working, and then having to wait as only one stand at a time could be shot due to unbroken clays landed in the next stand....

We started at !2 sharp and finished at 14:20.......

My main reason for me replying to this is.... the 3 that joint my squad were slightly older than me, 2 of them I could see very good shots, but there were some blaze clays against a bank today and some really fast crossers in the far conner and the going away with rabbit on report they just really could not see them.....

one of the old guys today shot 2 on the orange report then 7 on the hard simo pair next to shoot cabin .......

My above is not aimed to moan or request easy targets, put all targets 50 meters out, but give us a chance to see them, and a mid week shoot your going to attract the slightly older and retired shooters unless rich like (Will) 

I enjoyed today properly a little less than dad as he won joint 2nd in B class ........

Lee 

 

[Aspire]

They couldn't see a 15yd fat blaze clay,but they could see and hit 7/10 on a tough sim pair? A black edge on,quartering away bird at probably 25-30yds and the midi at 45-50? I don't really buy that. I shot with two older guys today,great chaps and great shots,probably in their late sixties and 70+ They shot 80 and 85. They may have been even better at one time,but they can still bloody shoot now.

 

[Fauldsy]

They couldn't see a 15yd fat blaze clay,but they could see and hit 7/10 on a tough sim pair? A black edge on,quartering away bird at probably 25-30yds and the midi at 45-50? I don't really buy that. I shot with two older guys today,great chaps and great shots,probably in their late sixties and 70+ They shot 80 and 85. They may have been even better at one time,but they can still bloody shoot!!

One of them is recovering from cancer too and hasn't shot for 3 years!!

 

[Will Hewland]

At the end of a shoot that I was failing badly at, it was at least nice to come off the last two stands with a slight uplift, especially as they werent the easiest. I was headed for a finish in the 60's.

The corner stand with high r-l midi and higher l-r looper; first pair missed. "Oh sh*t, here we go.." A bit more lead on both and centred the next 8, phew.

Last stand, next to it, was the sim r-l crosser and high far midi. Missed the midi on the first pair then cleaned the rest. Small mercies..

Reflecting back today, it was a good course that the wind did disrupt. Aerodynamic barrels needed on a few stands!

 

[Nicky T]

Sounds like I missed a good shoot! Hoping to get to Owls Lodge over the summer to check it out for myself.

 

[Steve Lovatt]

Sounds like it was a shoot to make people think.

I have always said there is no point in setting courses that are soft. The top shots will always rise to the top but it's no good beating everyone else up on the way around (as proved in Dubai in my opinion). I always aim to set the course so there is a good variety, something for everyone and that the targets can bee seen.  I hate shooting edge on crossers and so I don't put them on.  The skill of the target setter is to make the shooter think. Take them out of their comfort zone and hope that even the best shots out on the course are going to find something that is a challenge but it's amazing how sometimes a 'top shot' can get one target very wrong then a C class come up and nail it first time.  Competitions are our business, I hope after 10 years of setting at least one new 100 bird course from scratch every week I know what I'm doing!

We get good entries but I think it has as much to do with the changing layouts and the way we do things as it does the toughness of the course.  Very often classes are won with scores much higher than the average but I always look to see what the pack average is in the class to decide if I got right or not.  One or two getting amazing scores in their class just shows me they need to move up, not that I've set an easy shoot.

It's very true that at the moment there are a lot of top shooters out there and new comers to the sport are finding it easier to get the help and training they need to move through the classes.  We've got coaches that are great for getting young shots and new shots out of club shoots and into registered competitions quickly (that's definitely boosting entries around all grounds) and we've got competition coaches that can elevate lower class shooters to the giddy heights too and plenty of different personalities to suit different shooters which again, is great.  We even have mental coaches for our mental game and so much kit to make it as technical as we want - it's fantastic!  I think my job as course setter is to keep things fresh and make sure our competitors keep scratching their heads AND jumping for joy, both show it's always a learning curve. When the shoot isn't worth a review, fair chance it hasn't got anyone excited enough to tell others.

Richard and Tanya have 2 pages going on here so something tells me they made a lot of people think and that I missed a good shoot!  Typical!  But hopefully you'll enjoy the fruits of my labours at the weekend.

Steve

 

[Fauldsy]

See you at WW on Sunday!!!

 

[chippy]

Sounds like my sun bed was the best place to be....was thinking of you all....doing some visualisation techniques that I have been learning about....

Can't wait to see the scores....

So how do visualisation techniques work while laying on a sunbed is it visualising the next drink.

 

[Jaykaysea]

So how do visualisation techniques work while laying on a sunbed is it visualising the next drink.

Something like that....gin and tonic or cocktail the hardest decision I have made all week....