grrclark Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Any of the PW collective heading out to Italy to shoot this week? I am currently enjoying a pre championship beer in the airport hotel before flying out tomorrow. Very much looking forward to the big event and the experience of a world class competition in the sunshine. No expectations on my part other than enjoying myself and the great Italian food and wine of course 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tignme Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Good luck with that graham. Are you taking your buddy Mr Cummings with you. Barry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Sounds like fun. Good luck and have a good time Graham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Sadly I won't be there, work commitments get in the way and I'm doing 2 shoots in France over the next month, the Arras FITASC Grand Prix on 31 July, followed by the FFBT FITASC Championships at Solonge SG, south of Paris. I've heard the venue in Italy is a great ground, so enjoy yourself..! Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thanks chaps, hoping to make a decent fist of things, but don't really know what to expect 😀 Barry, Stewart will be there although we wont be shooting together, will most likely have a pint together though. There is a good number of guys from Scotland going which is encouraging, will make a lovely change from having the rain running down my neck at North Ayrshire on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Cat, if I can survive this event without making a haddie of myself then I hope to do a good few more of the bigger shoots next year onwards. There is something extra special about doing an international shoot, although maybe it is novelty factor for me just now 🤔 Edited July 11, 2016 by grrclark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 I'm sure you'll do OK, but be prepared for it to be a tad on the warm side, take plenty of water with you to each layout. I know what you mean about the "novelty factor", I get that feeling every time I leave the UK to shoot abroad..! Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Good luck Graham, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingo15 Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 good luck and hope you have a good time. I believe ed solomans is heading or may even be out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krugerandsmith Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Any of the PW collective heading out to Italy to shoot this week? I am currently enjoying a pre championship beer in the airport hotel before flying out tomorrow. Very much looking forward to the big event and the experience of a world class competition in the sunshine. No expectations on my part other than enjoying myself and the great Italian food and wine of course My Daughter Clare goes this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) My Daughter Clare goes this morning.I hope that she shoots very well 😀Good luck Graham, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. Thanks Dave 😀 good luck and hope you have a good time. I believe ed solomans is heading or may even be out there Thanks 😀 I daresay all of the world's best will be there to show how it's done properly Edited July 13, 2016 by grrclark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Potter Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I'm sure you'll do OK, but be prepared for it to be a tad on the warm side, take plenty of water with you to each layout. I know what you mean about the "novelty factor", I get that feeling every time I leave the UK to shoot abroad..! Cat. I'm with Cat on this one, shooting abroad really is the icing on the cake. If I lived a lot closer to the channel crossings, it's a 285 mile, 4+ hour drive (if I'm lucky with the traffic!) each way, I would certainly be shooting in France and Belgium a lot more often. It really is a different mindset out there, it's a proper day out often stopping for a nice lunch at a reasonable price. Was tempted to go back to Italy for the World championship, I was very near to that ground when I shot the European Compak championship last year and it really is a beautiful area but I was there in April and I don't think I could have coped with temperatures getting up to the 40C mark! It's only the end of day one and the pictures coming in on FB make me wish I'd braved the thermometer... Mr Potter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I'm with Cat on this one, shooting abroad really is the icing on the cake. If I lived a lot closer to the channel crossings, it's a 285 mile, 4+ hour drive (if I'm lucky with the traffic!) each way, I would certainly be shooting in France and Belgium a lot more often. It really is a different mindset out there, it's a proper day out often stopping for a nice lunch at a reasonable price. Was tempted to go back to Italy for the World championship, I was very near to that ground when I shot the European Compak championship last year and it really is a beautiful area but I was there in April and I don't think I could have coped with temperatures getting up to the 40C mark! It's only the end of day one and the pictures coming in on FB make me wish I'd braved the thermometer... Mr Potter It is a stunning place I have to say and as a first experience I couldn't have picked a better one. The planning and logistics of this shoot are immense. As for the weather there was a downpour last night that kept things pleasingly cool first thing, but shooting in stubble fields that are heavy with clay was a bit horrid as the top layer became like glue. Nothing squelchy, just after a 50yd walk I was an inch taller as the clay was so sticky. Strong threat of rain tomorrow and the temps barely reaching into the 20's, still balmy by my standards but the continentals will be wearig jackets. Some great targets due to the terrain and shot my first ever rafael pair today, a zippy left to right crosser about 12 yards away, below the shooter over a swampy pond. I was a bit rabbit in the headlights today and dropped too many very shootable targets because I was hanging on them afraid to miss. Tomorrow will be more aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Potter Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 I've seen the pictures and read the reports on FB of the weather and ground conditions today. Looks horrendous and perhaps worse underfoot than the European C/ship held a month ago in Northern France. That's both the major FITASC Sporting championships effected by the weather this year, who would have expected heavy rain in that part of Italy in July, heatstroke yes but not rain. Anyway grrclark, dig in, enjoy the remaining 2 days and keep us posted on how things are going. Shoot straight, Mr Potter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Today was really grim and I felt for the shooters on the early rotations who were shooting in torrential rain. I started at 14:30 and the rain had stopped, but underfoot was really really horrible. Standing in the footprints of previous shooters in the hoops, but 8" deep footprints! The ground is all a light clay so becomes both slimey and sticky. The car park at the ground was off limits as a Porsche trying to keep their momentum to get up a muddy slope ran into another car that didn't keep their momentum up. The temporary car parks had tractors pulling cars out as the mud was a foot deep at the entrance. They had a dozer scraping the top surface off the car park when we left. On one of the layouts a shooter slipped out the hoop and down the hill after shooting at the first target of a double. There were a good number of folks with muddy bums and hips. In fairness to the event organisers they did everything they could, but the torrential rain started at 6am and didn't stop until 1pm. I feel really sorry for them and also the poor ref's who had to be out in it all day. There was one saving grace today and that was that the mosquitos couldn't bite my legs unless they were carrying shovels to dig through the layer of mud. Still great fun though 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B25Modelman Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 George seems to be standing up after round 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterse Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Was feeling really envious after reading reports of the first couple of days, sunny weather great targets, scenery etc. Then it turned into what we half expect and get over here, torrential rain mud etc. and suddenly don't feel so bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 George seems to be standing up after round 1. The big fella is doing OK, Keving De Michiel who was tying with George after day 2 is in the squad in front and most times you can see them shoot. I am a little awestruck I have to say, a 49 yesterday and 48 today. The sun is shining today and it's mostly dried up. This week has been an education for me, this is my 6th ever FITASC event and all the rest have been in Scotland where it is all old style. Absolute night and day in terms of target variation and presentation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salopian Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Graham, Thank you for your updates, so sorry for everyone for the weather conditions, but these type of events are a lifetime experience, so make it memorable and enjoyable. Let us all know how you get on and who wins , Georges, Mark, Ed, Stuart etc all the usual Brit suspects results would be appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 So the event is over for me and it was indeed a memorable experience. The scale of the event is huge, way bigger than I imagined and the planning involved in such a thing is epic. I learned a huge amount and key amongst that was there is not time to relax in such an event, there is not such a thing as an easy stand. Everything has to be worked for. The second lesson is just how good the best in the world are. Derrick Mein won on 191 with George on 190 and 3 others tying for 3rd on 188, Winser, Matarese and DeMichiel. To only drop 9 targets over those 8 layouts is unimaginable to me. A great experience, not the greatest score by a long way and I feel I was 20 light of where I could have been, but I plan to do next year in Hungary if I possibly can and the European's in Dorset. I have the bug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.