The Olympic teams need to invest in proper junior programs with genuine pathways through from other sports such as air rifle, target sprint, biathlon etc etc
Work through shooting clubs not Cadet forces… or pony up some sponsorship money into the cadet forces to make it happen.
The informal cadet “pathway” to shooting has worked very well so far…
This is going to be a problem based on civvie clubs using “military” ranges (.22 or fullbore). In particular, for .22 ranges, if the military support / safety oversight is withdrawn, then the range will have to close. For fullbore clubs (& age of personnel on a military range), youth opportunities are comparatively rare.
Apparently a .22 Competition will substitute ISCRM for now
Well, for the relatively short period time that the L144 has got left……
Anyway, the private schools will inevitably win as they have nice shiny Anschutz & Walthers, etc. Onecollege won the .177 air rifle Commonwealth competition with a team of 4, score 799 ex-800!! Our Scorpions didn’t stand much chance!
The effect on civilian smallbore clubs will be minimal. Very few nowadays use cadet or reserve centre facilities and those that do tend to be small, one evening a week clubs. The group possibly most affected might be those clubs that use school ranges. Most of these are dual use, CCF\School Activity and should the school decide to withdraw shooting as a school activity then those ranges will most probably close.
Inevitably, if ranges close people will leave the sport, however maybe not as many as might be imagined. MoD\school smallbore ranges are usually “prone only”. Rifle club ranges nowadays cater for much variety. Older shooters who once might have given up now find that they can continue to participate in benchrest shooting. That has really been a growth area in recent years.
Those pathways already exist, run by British Shooting. Universities are even offering sports scholarships to potential international shooters on the British Shooting program. The club I shoot at is surrounded by a number of universities and has provided training facilities for quite a few aspiring pathway athletes. The club also provides training facilities directly to British Shooting for coaching and development sessions.The pathway not only exists, but it works. It has been particularly sucessful in the shotgun disciplines.
Could you expand on this? I have seen a number of athletes who were at some point members of the CCF and that may have kindled their interest but that’s about all that I am aware of.
exmpa
When I heard about the 144 being pulled due to “lack of use”, my response was “because we never got them!”.
For 4 (maybe 5?) years we had an alarmed armoury, sat empty, being monitored and serviced annually.
“You don’t have an RCO” I’m sure they cried, but what’s the point in having an RCO without access to rifles? I’d have booked on the first course I could if I wouldn’t lose currency having never exercised the qualification.
I’ve never actually seen an L144 and our local ‘hub’ sqn has never made any serious attempt at sharing access to them. That’s one of the reasons that I gave my WI(C) chit which had L86, L98 and No8 up to the OOS of the No8.
I saw about 40 of them at Brize once. Every single one had a defect tag.
Not necessarily - youth shooting is sometimes harder at civilian clubs based on DBS requirements. Also, locations may not match cadet / youth activity or easy access.
Good - but not necessarily the route for that many. Cadet shooting obviously has greater access geographically.
From little acorns, big oaks grow. We capture cadets for shooting at an early age to spark the interest; there are many who aspire to make the Athelings or U25 teams. Atheling participation after this yr will be zero. Many cadets might take a break from shooting but the interest is rekindled later in life - university out of the way, or family / house set up & there is a bit more money in the bank.
Lots of options are being considered, not just a .22" one.
Great to hear a 50cal option is being considered 
Great minds…
Though the GMG would work well too.
Sharpshooter or I quit!
Well i shot a Barratt 50cal as a cadet soooo must be possible somehow 
Maybe once upon a time …
Gone are the days of service personnel rocking up at a cadet range day with everything from glock 9mm to minimi and ak47s.
3 or 4 times i can recall this happening and range control giving their blessing.
They really were the days.