Gun enthusiasts will be firing off at Kelowna’s Central Okanagan Gun Range when it hosts the Western Canadian Skeet Championships, July 17-19 in Joe Rich.
The Western Canadian Championships, held at the Central Okanagan Shotgun Sports Club, will welcome participants from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
There are four competitors from Saskatchewan including a past champion, John Dong from Ft. Qu’Appelle who won the event in 2016.
Three competitors from Alberta will attend, including last year’s champion, Marcus Martin from Calgary and Rob Broadfoot from Edmonton, who is the only Canadian Armed Forces representative competing.
Four of the top five shooters from British Columbia will also be attending, including the current B.C. champion and the only two-time Western Canadian winner, Bob LaRue from Kelowna.
B.C.’s 2020 provincial runner up, Mike McMichael will be a strong contender along with Tsawwassen’s Hilton Robinson who will be vying for his second Western Canadian win. Three B.C. women will be competing for the title including the current B.C. Junior Champion Sarah Coakley.
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These are the National Skeet Shooting Association registered competitions. A maximum of 20 competitors will be participating in the five events over three days. The first day of competition is the most demanding, shooting 100 doubles from different positions, with two targets released simultaneously from a high house and a low house at opposite ends of the field.
In the other events, the participants move through eight stations, with a single high and low bird at each station, and doubles at four of the positions.
This pattern is repeated moving through four gauges of shot, from 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge to .410. As competitors move up in gauge, there is less lead to send to the target, and a smaller shot pattern to create a greater challenge.
Club president Bob LaRue initiated the Western Canadian tourney in 2011 and looks forward to welcoming competitors from Western Canada to our new facility in Kelowna.
The public is welcome to view these events, as this is a great opportunity for Okanagan residents to observe a high calibre competition. Social distancing rules are in effect at the club.
For more information contact Bob LaRue at cossc2018@gmail.com or call 250-859-3181
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