The Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) celebrated its 5th anniversary by successfully hosting the annual El Dorado Trading Cup.
This is a very special Steel Challenge event sponsored by El Dorado Trading Inc,
licensed gold dealers of Lot 136 Young Street, Kingston, Georgetown, who continue to give unfaltering support to the GSSF.
The El Dorado Challenge Cup 2019 Prize Winners. From left to right, they are: Ryan McKinnon, Pravesh Harry, Rajiv Latchana, John Phang, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon and Michael Blake
The prestigious El Dorado Trading Cup is a Challenge Trophy which, since 2015, has been on the prize table at an annual match held to commemorate the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation’s anniversary. After every match, the winner’s name and the year of the win is inscribed on a plaque attached to the Cup.
On Saturday, June 1, twelve shooters endured poor weather conditions to thoroughly enjoy four exciting stages of Steel Challenge. Shooters participated in two divisions: Limited and Production, and only shooters in the Limited division competed for the highly desired El Dorado Cup.
Defending shooter Ryan McKinnon has held on to this cup since the inaugural event of its kind in 2015. Each stage consisted of 5 steel targets which were set out in a standardised fashion, with one being dedicated as a ‘stop plate’ which is shot last.
Shooters were required to shoot each of the four stages five times, and were timed using an electronic timer. Times are then inputted into a software (PractiScore) which tracked and tallied all of the shooters’ performances. The objective of each shooter is to shoot the 5 targets as quickly as possible.
Shortly after the last shot was fired, the scores were tallied and competitors gathered around the presentation table, anxiously awaiting the news of their performance.
Andrew Phang, GSSF Board Director, presented the trophies for the match, as the eagerly anticipated results were released, surprising all. In the Limited Division, Rajiv Latchana won (Time: 79.36 seconds), Pravesh Harry was second (Time: 81.86 seconds) and Ryan McKinnon finished third (Time: 84.09 seconds).
Production Division had John Phang coming in first (Time: 100.72 seconds), Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon second (Time: 118.69 seconds) and Michael Blake third (Time: 121.96 seconds).
At the presentation ceremony, the Match Director extended gratitude to the Match Committee and officials for ensuring the usual efficiency and high safety standards with which the match was run.
The GSSF would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to Managing Director and member, Tamesh Jagmohan, and the Management of El Dorado Trading Inc. for the continuous sponsorship of this Annual Steel Challenge Cup.
The Foundation also wishes to thank the Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Patrick West; Police Commissioner Leslie James, Deputy Police Commissioner Maxine Graham, OC Superintendent Guy Nurse, the ranks of TSU and the GPF Armoury, and the Guyana Police Force and the media.
Over the years, the GSSF has been organising regular Steel Challenge matches which follow the rules of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA), a sister body of the United States Practical Shooting
Association (USPSA).
For more information on the GSSF and Complete Results on the match, please visit our website www.GuyanaSportShooting.com
