GSSF, AG enjoy fruitful 2018

By Clifton Ross

The Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) and Archery Guyana (AG), two closely knit factions, have both enjoyed a solid 2018; with a number of tournaments, clinics and practicals having been staged, thus setting a stronger base heading into 2019.
Sport Shooting continued to move from strength to strength over the years, with 2018 seeing a number of Steel Challenge shoots being staged among other weekend competitions; and those were all heavily attended by some of the top upcoming shooters of the fraternity and Guyana.
Having elected a new President in Ryan McKinnon back in February, the GSSF have been active over the recent months, as tournaments such as the El Dorado Steel Challenge; Dental Imports Guyana (DIG) Steel Challenge; Orinduik Development Challenge, which wrapped up the calendar year, have, among other

tournaments, been staged.
More importantly, the GSSF have managed to strengthen ties with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), two entities that play huge roles in the jurisdiction of the Timehri Rifle Ranges, as well as in obtaining the various permits and in regard to supervising firearm safety precautions which are taught to members.
During the meeting with GPF officials, which included then Assistant Commissioner of Operations, Clifton Hicken, and other senior officers, the two entities were able to map a way forward for the future. And in their meeting with the GDF, which allow the GSSF to utilise the Timehri Rifle Ranges, Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Patrick West, Colonel Nazrul Hussain and Colonel Ronald Hercules sat with GSSF executives to discuss plans regarding the future and to be kept abreast in regard to GSSF-related activities. Both sides discussed their unity going forward, while the two spoke on moves to upgrade the GDF Indoor Pistol Range and to establish a sport shooting unit, while fees are set to be attached for the future rental of the Timehri Rifle Range.
In terms of performance, local shooters like Harold Hopkinson, Pravesh Harry, Ryan McKinnon and others enjoyed a solid year with firearms. Some of the

aforementioned even managed to make waves during overseas competitions; while, locally, the level of marksmanship has significantly increased, as shooters have been exposed to more range time and challenges.
Archery Guyana (AG), meanwhile, has continued to make significant steps during its quest to put Guyana on the Olympic map. The association pulled off some big moves in 2018, as they continued from a successful 2017 collaborating with World Archery Americas and renowned Coach Phillip Graves, who conducted an 8-day Level 1 Archery Coaching Course in Guyana at the Natural Resource Center.
After local archers were given a thorough lesson on the fundamentals of archery by coach Graves, participants received their certificates and, more importantly, life-long knowledge about becoming better archers.
AG continued their weekend outdoor sessions while pushing in a few indoor regimes as they extended their coaching clinic to the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Lethem, Region 8.
Under the leadership of new President Mohammed Khan, AG shot off their Para-archery programme, which sought to give more exposure to Para-archers. Archery coaches then took their programme to the North West District in Region 1, where students of the North West Secondary School in Mabaruma benefited from lessons provided by Coaches Ainsworth Pritchard and Carl Albert.
The year 2018 wrapped up with an exciting tournament, which saw archers competing in the Recurve Outdoor Championships, final event on the AG calendar. After a few weeks of both indoor and outdoor competition, the curtains came down on Archery Guyana’s 2018 activities with Samaria Duncan and Robert Singh being crowned individual champs for the respective female and male categories on December 16.
In all, both associations have made significant strides in 2018; whether it be from a personal or collective standpoint. AG, during their endeavours, also received significant support from the Government through Minister George Norton and Director of Sports Christopher Jones.
And with 2019 set to be more exciting, given the projects which have been placed in the pipeline, both factions could likely exceed their feats and continue to develop, come next year.