Shooting Australia today launched the 2021 Come and Try campaign with more than 70 Pistol, Rifle and Clay Target Clubs across Australia offering fully supervised Target Shooting experiences for beginners and newcomers in a safe and controlled setting throughout the month of May.
The Come and Try campaign represents an ideal opportunity for interested individuals and groups to experience the many forms of Shooting which are available within each Shooting discipline.
Shooting Australia Chief Executive, Luke van Kempen, said Come and Try offers an exciting introduction to Target Shooting.
"All Come and Try attendees will be supervised and coached by experienced Club members where all equipment is supplied by participating clubs," said Mr van Kempen.
"It is a great way to experience what Target Shooting is all about, understand how inclusive the sport is, and how welcoming clubs are to newcomers.
"Target Shooting provides athlete pathways which go all the way to World Championship, Olympic and Paralympic Games levels.
"It is also a forever sport. Age is not a barrier and people continue competing for life.," he added.
Mr Van Kempen also said the sport holds particularly strong family and community ties.
"Just look at our Australian Olympic Shooting team which heads to Tokyo in July. Pistol athlete Sergei Evglevski and his mother Lalita Yauhleuskaya were team-mates on the Australian team at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, while National Pistol coach Vladimir Galiabovitch coaches his daughter Elena in the Olympic team," he said.
"Olympic Rifle athlete Jack Rossiter and his sister Tori are Australian team representatives, while Pistol athlete Dan Repacholi will be attending a remarkable fifth Olympics in Tokyo."
Olympian Elena Galiabovitch encouraged newcomers to participate in Come and Try.
"Come and try shooting! I love sharing what I do and having people take interest in our great sport and coming to have a go," said Galiabovitch.
"All you need is interest, common sense, and the ability to listen to your instructors and to have fun while staying range safe."
For a list of participating clubs, go to shootingaustralia.org
Pistol
There are several different forms of Pistol shooting which vary in distance, stance, format, and calibre of ammunition.
Calibres range from .177 (Air Pistol) to .38 (Centre Fire) with stationary targets located between 10m - 50m away. Olympic events for Pistol include 10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol Women and 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men
For more information visit Pistol Australia
Rifle
The two distinct types of Rifle shooting are small-bore target Rifle shooting and full bore target Rifle shooting.
Small-bore is associated with the Target Rifle Association and includes disciplines from .177 to .22 aiming at a stationary targets 10m - 50m away. Olympic events for small-bore Rifle shooting include 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions.
For more information visit Target Rifle Australia
Fullbore target Rifle shooting is associated with the National Rifle Association of Australia and includes disciplines using a .223 to .308 calibre rifle aiming at stationary targets between 300m - 1,000m away while shooting in the Prone position.
For more information visit National Rifle Association of Australia
Shotgun
There are multiple types of Shotgun shooting and two National bodies associated with Shooting Australia. Shotgun shooting involves a 12-gauge shotgun shooting at differing and moving clay targets.
Australian Clay Target Association offers various events ranging in difficulty including the Olympic events, Trap and Skeet, where targets come out from either directly in front, or from either side of the competitor.
For more information visit Australian Clay Target Association
Sporting Clays Australia offers another type of Shotgun shooting and involves clay targets of various sizes thrown from trap machines at various angles, trajectories, elevations, speed and distances laid out over natural terrain.
For more information visit Sporting Clays Australia
