The second day of the competition began just like the first; waking up early and eating breakfast at the mess hall. My cadets and I then had to pack everything and move out of accommodations because there wouldn’t be time to come back after the competition. More on this later. I drove the van up to the barracks and I help the cadets load everything into the van. I did one last sweep of the rooms to make sure they were clean, and nothing was left behind. Everyone jumped inside the van, and I drove to the gym.
The air rifle range was set up for standing shooting. The electronic targets were raised, the SIUS consoles sat on tables, and chairs had been placed in front of each console. I took closeup photos of the setup while my cadets sat by their equipment. I would use these photographs for future marksmanship lessons.
Once again, teams were given time to practice shooting while standing. My cadets weren’t first, so they waited by playing on their phones and/or catching a quick nap. They were excited but a little nervous when their turn came to shoot. I watched as they practiced. Shooting while standing is more challenging because you aren’t allowed to rest your rifle when shooting. Resting the rifle before & after is permitted. This forces you to rely on your muscles & posture to keep the air rifle steady.
The real shooting began after the practice relays. Each team would shoot 2 standing relays with 30-breaks in between. My cadets were part of the second group of teams, so their first real relay was during the second relay, if that makes sense. The cadet coach & I told the team to take their time and to shoot only when they’re ready. If you hold the rifle too long, your arms begin to shake and/or move.
Lunch was catered by a local pizza establishment called A Little Pizza Heaven. The business delivered a lot of pizza boxes and bottled water. Cadets who weren’t shooting set up the food area and were rewarded by being the first in line for pizza. My cadets happened to be shooting when the pizza arrived, so they had to wait. Everyone was reminded to wash their hands before handling food. The air rifles shoot lead pellets, and you don’t want lead residue on your pizza for added flavour. The pizza was delicious.
My cadets completed their second standing relay after lunch. A few of their pellets got really close to the centre of their target papers. I was impressed and proud of them. They breathed sighs of relief when the relay was done.
We didn’t have time to take a break or wait for the final shooting results because we needed to be at the airport soon. We packed our rifles & gear and loaded it into the van. I quickly thanked the organizers for letting us participate and apologized for not being able to stay and help with the cleanup. The officers said not to worry. The same officer who picked us up at the airport when we arrived, drove us back to the airport for our departure. We thanked them for being our chauffeur.
We checked in and got through security without issues. We waited for some time and then boarded our WestJet flight to Calgary. Having a window seat enabled me to get a few good photos of downtown Winnipeg. We landed in Calgary and then transferred to another plane that flew us to Ottawa. We arrived in the nation’s capital in the middle of the night.
We stayed at our booked hotel for only a few hours. There was enough time to shower, change clothes, and have a quick power nap. We returned to the airport via shuttle, checked in, had a quick breakfast snack, and got through security. We boarded the Canadian North plane and flew north to Iqaluit. We landed in the territorial capital 3 hours later.
Our flight to Arctic Bay took off about two hours later. The flight was uneventful, and we landed in Arctic Bay in the late afternoon. The land was still covered in snow & ice. The cadets’ parents were waiting at the airport to pick them up. Frank gave me a ride into town.
Overall, it was a great trip. The cadets got to compete in the regional marksmanship competition and see another part of Canada. Now we have to wait for the final results of the competition to be published.
End of Stage 3 Marksmanship 2024 Mini-Series.
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