The following are 10 Questions put to Mr. Lakis Phylactou the Chairman of the World FITASC Organizing Committee and the target setter for the 2008 Championship. I hope you enjoy this inside information about the event to be held in Cyprus in September.
International Sporting Clays: For the people traveling to and shooting in Cyprus for the first time can you tell us what to expect?
Lakis Phylactou: For people traveling to Cyprus for the first time, they will find hospitality, very friendly people and a fantastic place for clay shooting. Almost everyone speaks English.
ISC: What kind of weather is expected at tournament time?
LP: The weather at tournament time will be around 35 degrees C (95F) during the day with some strong winds in the afternoons and after sundown temps drop to 20-15C (68-59F). It is a good chance to enjoy the sun and the sea.
ISC: Considering the terrain and climate what type of clothing do you recommend the shooters wear?
LP: Recommended clothing. 100% cotton T-shirts with short sleeves, Bermuda trousers. For the evening you may need something heavier.
ISC: Tell us about the competition grounds in Limassol, what type of terrain, are there any towers and what kind of equipment is used?
LP: The competition will be set up at the foot of a mountain, hilly, full of shrubs, pine and olive trees. With such landscape we do not need towers. For the championship we will use only battery operated Promatic traps and for targets we will have standards, midis, minis, battues both normal and upside down and rabbits.
ISC: What vendors do you expect to have displays and what kind of food and drink will be available at the shooting grounds?
LP: The main vendors will be Browning, Blaser and Beretta. The clubs restaurant will serve sandwiches, snacks, local and international food and lots of salads every day. Natural or sparkling water will be available to drink as well as soft drinks, juices and after competition local beer.
ISC: Who will be setting the competition targets and what type of targets can we expect?
LP: It will be my responsibility to set up the layouts. I set up the targets in 2005 for the European Championship with excellent results. You can expect all kind of targets, crossers, over head, incoming, teal, loopers, outgoing and quartering at low and high levels but all of them within the spirit of FITASC. Our main goal is to set up the targets so that everybody will enjoy them. We are not going to set up a competition for the few top shooters. It will be a competition with a variety of targets but within the limits.
ISC: What specific brands of shot shells will be available for sale at the venue?
LP: Available shot shells will be excellent local makes like G&L; Victory and Olympia as well as imported brands like RC, B&P;, Fiocchi and Remington (Italy).
ISC: Tell us the names of the shooters for the Cyprus home team and a little about them?
LP: We do not know yet the names of our team. Our sporting shooters are medium level shooters.
ISC: What brands/models of shotguns and ammunition are popular with shooters in Cyprus?
LP: Popular brands of shotguns in Cyprus are: Perazzi, Browning, Blaser, Beretta and ammunition is RC, B&P;, Cheddite, Fiocchi and local.
ISC: Lastly feel free to say anything you want us to know about the competition.
LP: The competition will be hosted at the Limassol International Shooting Club with 8 layouts of 4 stands each and we will use 136 traps. Our club is only 8 kilometers from the eastern part of Limassol and the main hotel area with 2, 3, 4 and five star hotels. Most of them are built on the shore next to the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Limassol is a tourist town with a lot of night life.
The International Sporting Clays Blog thanks Mister Lakis Phylactou for his cooperation. For more information on the 2008 World FITASC Championship please visit the following sites.
Related posts:
- World FITASC Limassol, Cyprus is filling up quick!
- 10 Questions: Ben Husthwaite on the World F.I.T.A.S.C. Championship
- In conversation with Ben Husthwaite, World Champion shooter and popular target setter.
- 10 Questions: Jean Pierre Delsaux, 2009 Euro FITASC organizer
- In The Hoop: Mo Parsons, FITASC Referee and Target Setter
