BRA President Anthony Wood says Barbados has delivered

May 18, 2013 Sports

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– 178 shooters from 9 countries; budget of US$150,000, Olympic Association is main sponsor   

By Franklin Wilson in Barbados
President of the Barbados Rifle Association (BRA) Anthony ‘Tony’ Wood has confidently declared that his association and country has delivered service and hospitality that is second to none.
The BRA for yet another year has hosted a successful West Indies Fullbore Rifle Shooting Championships that is being regarded as the biggest the Caribbean has ever hosted. Some nine (9) nations and 178 marksmen and women have been on the Island since May 10 with action set to conclude with the Australia Match today May 18.

The West Indies championships consisted of four (4) days of Individual rivalry along with the Long and Short Range Team matches.
The 62 year-old Wood, who has represented Barbados extensively and has been BRA President for the past 15-months said that they could not have been successful as host were it not for a dedicated team of Directors and workers backed up by the financial support of their main sponsor, the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA).
Rifle Director William Murrell, Richard Arthur and Mike Edghill were the main players in guiding the process of success and Wood expressed his gratitude to all for their support.
“I am overwhelmed and grateful for the fact that we were chosen as host and we were able to deliver. This is something that was in the making for four years, Australia had some input and we were chosen because like Guyana and Jamaica, we have 1000 Yards Ranges. Some other issues were looked at too in choosing the BRA.”
Wood, also a Life member of the BRA with membership since 1968 said that he was asked by the BRA membership to take over the entity based on some challenges they have been facing with a view to instituting the necessary changes that would see the association returning to a high level of success.
The versatile and outspoken Wood, is also a Coach of the BRA and was not reserved in sharing his views on the lack of support they are enjoying from influential persons in the Barbados society, highlighting that they have internal complications due to politics.
“When Ministries or government officials do not understand what it is all about and the importance of the sport, you are ostracized. Unfortunately, not only in Barbados but I believe in the whole hemisphere. Our Commissioners of Police, our Attorney Generals and Law makers don’t find it necessary to visit and I’ll be more determined.
My commissioner of Police would have had to grant certain licenses, am I then to say to him, you are officially invited or would it be out of his curiosity to see what these guns are, because it is not normal to have over 175 participants in a country with guns at a fullbore activity; but he is not excited, I am talking about my Commissioner of Police.”
Wood is of the view that more interest could have been shown in supporting the largest fullbore rifle shooting activity the Caribbean has ever hosted.
Not a person to be sitting around and passing orders but being on the ground foot and foot with his fellow directors and workers, the passionate Wood is unwavering in the fact that for the sport to further evolve, shooters must put time behind the gun and that can only be realized with the relevant support from the relevant stakeholders.
“You would have seen how professional the Australians, British and Canadians are and I can go on, and if you have constant obstructions and pitfalls; you can be the best shot yesterday but if you don’t practice, your muscle memory would be gone, the wind don’t stay and wait for you, so those are the two main complications we have faced and I’m not afraid to say it. Our policy makers don’t appreciate the sport.”
The President also took the opportunity to touch on a critical and important area, sponsorship.
“The hard times that the world is going through visited us but fortunately for us, we have an Olympic Association and right away when I approached them they had no problem. They said lay out your expenditure; let me see your short fall and we will see what we could do. With that in hand, eight months ago we visited them and they came back in short time and said this is what we can do. And for that we at the BRA are very grateful.”
The prompt support of the BOA gave the BRA the required jump start they needed in pulling off a successful championship, the early support enabled them {BRA} to get in the ammunition on time.
Payments of dues by the various members {countries} have also contributed and Wood declared that that would see them balancing off expenses after consulting with his finance department.
On Friday afternoon, Wood met with the BOA to update them on the progress of the championships and at that meeting he was accompanied by the General Secretary and Vice President of the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations, Phil Harrison and Collin Cheshira.
“I think such a meeting and interface was necessary because I believe that the BOA must see the faces of the people who matters on the ground and for them to feel that the monies they invested was well spent. The meeting went well and they have expressed their delight in being a part of such a historic event that showcased Barbados and the entire Caribbean in a positive light. I am confident that this would add to our Sports Tourism profile as a Region.”
Looking ahead to the further development of the sport, Wood is of the view that the policy makers must not be afraid of guns including my Commissioner.
“You need to appreciate that this is a sport that can put your country in the world light and youngsters are required throughout the region. The Cadet core, at schools and if legislation is hostile, and I use this word deliberately, to prevent even a recruit or cadet from privately manipulating a gun in practice, you will not get this sport going, it will not grow.”
Wood pointed out that all the support you would get from the private sector and you don’t have persons to work with because the Law (s) strangles that avenue, “It goes to naught”.
“So if somebody comes and gives me right now two juniors, because they are not 18, the law says don’t touch the gun. You have to be in fatigues or uniforms to touch the gun and then only when you are in camp; that’s how restrictive my law is. I can get the money but if I don’t have the material to work with from young, this sport will die in the region, not only in Barbados.
That is the hurdle we face, how do I get my Law makers to understand that this is sports tourism, 178 people renting cars, buying food, buying novelty, hotel accommodation, spending almost two weeks in your country, I am sure the math is not hard to work out.”
The budget for hosting these championships was US$125,000, Wood declared.

 

 

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