Pistol shooter has eye on rapid fire

Press, 24 June 1978, Page 12

Pistol shooter has eye on rapid fire

Potential hijackers of domestic Air New Zealand aircraft would be well advised to find out the name of the pilot before embarking on their nefarious activities. For he may be Murray Trowbridge, one of the foremost pistol shooters in this country. Trowbridge flies out in late September as a member of the New Zealand shooting team to compete in the forty-second world shooting championships in Seoul, South Korea. It will be the third occasion he has represented this country in international shooting competitions, and his first world championship, since he was introduced to the sport in 1975. Last year, he shot for the small New Zealand contingent that competed in the Australian nationals, gaining sixth individual place from a field of more than 100 shooters, including several Olympic representatives. Earlier this year, he took part in the South Pacific regional championships, also in Australia, where he was placed third. An impressive record for a man who is only in his third year of pistol shooting, and who stumbled into the sport almost by accident. Trowbridge read a newspaper advertisement seeking new

members for the Christchurch Pistol Club, and he attended a couple of club meetings at its McLean’s Island range. He already bad an interest in hunting and firearms, and he quickly adapted to the new discipline of pistol shooting. Trowbridge, aged 33, and hjs New Zealand team-mates, will certainly strike tough competition in Korea. Many of the competitors will be making Seoul a stop-over point on their way home after the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and a total of 99 countries will be represented there.

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The world championships and the Olympic arid Commonwealth Games p i s t o 1-shooting competitions differ in the number of disciplines available.

At Olympic and Commonwealth Games level, only two pistol-shooting disciplines — free pistol and rapid-fire — are contested. At the world championships there are five, including Trowbridge’s specialty events,. the centre-fire and standard pistol shoots.

Trowbridge was first introduced to free pistol when he joined the Christchurch club, and he has shot standard fire, with notable success, since. He is the current national standard fire champion , and he won the North Island title this year as •well. But it is the centrefire that appeals to him most, and he gained a second placing in the national competition, earlier this year. This ’ competition uses weapons of between .32 and .38 calibre, and is

MURRAY OLDS

U.l Although he is an experienced deer-stalker, Trowbridge confesses that rifle shooting competitions, such as smallbore and fullbore rifle, do not appeal as much as pistol shooting. “Pistols are more challenging — you have to be physically fit, they demand greater concentration and there is a better variety of events.” Trowbridge practices for up to an hour every day, and skys that 90 per cent of his practice time is spent not firing his pistol. ‘‘Dr y-firing,” balance, speed and co-ordination are more important than actually using live ammunition, for without these assets the pistol shooter 1 can never achieve top class.

Regular running also helps Trowbridge to maintain his fitness, for pistol shooting is physically a demanding sport. New Zealand is not a world force in pistol shooting, and Trowbridge says the strongest nations

fairly static because of these costs,” says Trow bridge. ‘fThe import restrictions virtually double the price of a gun.” ‘ Determination, concentration, and an ability to relax are key attributes of a good pistol shooter, according to Trowbridge He must remain completely calm and relaxed, he says, because “the more keyed up your are, the worse you will shoot.” Because centre fire is not recognised Internationally apart from world championships, Trowbridge . eventually aims to compete in the rapid fire competition — an event that is contested at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. But he plans to first improve his record in the duelling section of the centre fire. Murray Trowbridge says the Christchurch Pistol Club is an enthusiastic and dedicated group, and it holds regular competitions during the season, which runs from August — August 6 this year —to June.