The month of July saw temperatures heating up all over the globe and the competition was just as hot. As reported in our story Back to Back Super Blasts! 2010 World ESP and World FITASC Championships the World English Sporting Championship and the World FITASC Championships took place on two consecutive weekends. Our stats show that many of you all over the world were accessing that page running up to and during the competitions. I hope you found it to be a valuable resource.
First up was the Promatic World English Sporting Championship held the weekend of July 10-11 at Lakenheath CTC in Lakenheath U.K. The club has mostly flat terrain with a few trees but they have several towers and lifts to make target presentations more interesting. "They did a good job. A few eyesight tests," said event champion Ben Husthwaite, "but we shot over new ground where a huge berm has been put in place, so it was new to everyone." It wasn’t hard to miss the fact the highest finishing American, Scott Robertson, was only 15th and that individually U.S. shooters seemed to fare better at the World FITASC. I wondered was this due to the target presentations, "Anthony (Matarese Jr. who finished 3rd at the World 
FITASC) is a class competitor and a good friend. I believe the problem in the States is that there are too many instructors that really are of a poor standard but claim to be great. What they are teaching is of no use to people at all. I shot with some Americans in the prelim and what they were trying was simply horrible, luckily they have booked in for slots with me in Texas in August!" said Husthwaite.
World FITASC champ George Digweed had another more cryptic take on the subject, "Whilst both shoots were technical, an ability to read a target once is easier than having to do it four times on the bounce." Further, Team USA Manager Jeff Demmon said in a report, "Driven targets. I have not seen so many fast, high driven targets. We just do not get to see these in the States. I suppose it is a liability concern for club owners, worried about the target chips falling on the shooter. I expect that most Americans had a bit of trouble with these, so we need to find a way to practice these prior to our next outing across the pond." At any rate the one thing that is certain in sporting is that nothing is certain. You just never know how and event is going to fall out.
The U.S. however fared well in the team events winning the Waktare trophy which is given to the country with the highest combined team score. The Ladies and Juniors won Gold, Seniors won Silver, Vets took Bronze and Super Vets clinched another Silver. In overall scores it stacked up like this, Gold Ben Husthwaite, Silver Paul Simpson and Bronze George Digweed.
The next weekend the international shooting community moved to Laterina, Arezzo, Italy for the World FITASC Championships held at the club ASD Laterina. It was even hotter in Italy and again Ben Husthwaite was in the thick of things. "The world english is a 2 day sprint where the FITASC is a marathon." said Husthwaite, "Mentally it was torture, the heat and knowing that George and I were so far in front and one sloppy miss could cost you, really took its toll." Digweed meanwhile was putting on perhaps his best effort ever in a World competition. Will this man ever stop? He was 100 straight on day two, 149ex150 by day three and finished on 197ex200, phenomenal. When asked about his high level of shooting the reply was an understatement, "Personally I was very pleased with my performance. I always give every shoot 110% and this was no different." Of Digweed’s performance and his Husthwaite said, "I have huge confidence in my mental game and knowing I’m one of the best there is at finishing a competition really helped. Sometimes you shoot average and win, other times you leave nothing and just get beat by a special performance, this was one of the latter. To lose by one still hurts though."
By all accounts the targets set by Veniero Spada were some of the best in recent World Championship history. Digweed said, "I concur to this, Spada sets excellent targets. We have been to two or three Italian Championships where he has set the targets and they have been equally as good." Husthwaite and Bronze medalist Anthony Matarese Jr. have stated they were excellent targets except the harder birds were not thrown in the pairs. "Targets were superb, I would have thrown harder doubles to lower the scores but all in all a great event. If you shot six, 24s and two, 23s that’s 190, you wouldn’t have medalled. However, saying that I estimate the winning score should have been 191." said Husthwaite. Targets consisted of a deep variety with many colors and specials used, even the "Wombat" was seen. Digweed was shooting a new set of Perazzi barrels on the weekend and when asked was this a factor said, "Two year ago in Austria at the European 
(FITASC Championship) I was found wanting on a Spada course by his short, close targets shooting Full and Full. I had a second set of barrels made choked 3/8 and 5/8 and only used them on his close targets." When asked about his equipment Husthwaite said, "I believe all of my equipment is the best available, Krieghoff, Briley, Gamebore and Pilla."
As stated earlier U.S. shooters fared much better at the World FITASC with the highest finisher on the podium, Anthony Matarese Jr. with Bronze, a great follow up to his Silver in Cyprus two years ago. Wendell Cherry was 7th and Andy Duffy, Cory Kruse and Gregg Wolff all tied for 12th. In the team events Team USA took home Gold in the Senior and Super-Vet categories.
In closing Digweed had some interesting things to say, "I am very disappointed with what has been sent to me regarding comments on line etc. and what I hear at shoots regarding target quality. Shooting needs to drop its macho male dominated, puff your chest out image created by a few delusionary shooters who have ideas of grandeur.
A target is a target. It still counts the same whether it is thrown at 10 meters or 70 meters. The reason some people like to shoot extreme targets is that their technical inadequacy is not shown up to as great a degree as it is with normal targets. For some reason certain areas of the Southern Hemisphere think that you can only have fun by shooting extreme targets. If we are to grow the sport we have to make it enjoyable for all. The best shots will always win but coming down the stretch on a Sunday night there may be 8-10 shooters in with a chance instead of just 1-2.
I get told all of the time that the targets are crap and it is a 25ex25 layout. When asked how they got on, "Oh I shot an 18 or a 20 but it should have been a 25." My response to all of this is when 15 people shoot 195+ then come and speak to me. Until then wind your necks back in and keep quiet for a bit. Standards and equipment improve year after year and these are all relative to the end results."
Promatic World English Event Results
World FITASC Event Results
All other pictures ©2010 Lori Buschmann
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