Day 11 – Wind of Change

Match Day. It seemed that everyone was aware of what was at stake. Even the receptionist at the motel was on edge, although the diarist wonders if this was simply his default state of being. Having packed bags and checked out before most of the other guests had even begun to stir, the team departed for Rattlesnake Mountain (some via Starbucks, for hand-steadying coffee).

Three teams would be competing in the match: two from Great Britain and one from the USA, who had brought in some of their top shooters, specifically for the competition. The course of fire was two sighting shots and fifteen shots to count, twice, both times at 1000 yards. Unlike the previous day, teams were also required to provide target markers and so GBRT’s well-drilled routine of shoot-rest-plot was transformed into shoot-mark-plot (with little/no rest).

Although the temperature remained comfortable, the wind, which previously had been extremely well behaved, was now much stronger and, very rapidly, switching through zero. This meant that it was more important than ever for shooters to fire quickly, once instructed to go on, lest the wind change in the aim. Despite some very flat and very rapid shooting from members of all three teams, a glance down the scope would usually yield at least one or two targets with very wide shots.

In spite of the tricky conditions, some excellent (and not so excellent) scores were achieved, with particular mention going to Graham Nelson and his coach, Matt Charlton, who achieved the only 150 (with 8x) of the day, during the first shoot. Top individual scorer for the day was Jon Underwood, coached by David Calvert, with 296.11.

With echoes of the final shots having rolled away across the desert, teams packed up their dusty kit and assembled outside the stats office (an ISO container), eagerly awaiting the outcome of the match. At this point, things finally made sense to the diarist, who had previously been confused about why the range officer had kept coming up to him during the morning, checking that he was happy with the course of fire, match conditions, etc. Possibly due to an administrative error, possibly due to a strategy by GBRT to bring on future captains, the diarist had, unbeknownst to him, been listed as the captain for both the GBRT Blue and GBRT Red teams. As soon as the aberration was discovered, however, the diarist was rapidly demoted. He is able to say, however, that, although brief, he enjoyed both a successful and unsuccessful captaincy, with the results being as follows:

1st – GBRT Red – 2314.65
2nd – USA Washington Wranglers – 2282.65
3rd – GBRT Blue – 2250.60

Trophies were handed out to the winning team, hands shaken, and our hosts thanked once more for putting on an excellent two days of shooting at what is, without doubt, one of the most challenging 1000 yard ranges there is (although GBRT were only exposed to a fraction of the wind, for which the range is famous). After consuming a balanced lunch (kindly sourced and delivered by the wives of several members of GBRT) from sports-orientated, professional nutrition mecca, Subway, the team bade farewell to Rattlesnake and began their journey to Leavenworth, a rather special town, nestled in the Cascade mountains.

For those who not have previously visited Leavenworth, it is best described as ‘Disney meets Deutschland’. The whole town (and the diarist believes he may be coining a new term here) is constructed in a neo-Bavarian style. Shops and restaurants sell wonderfully obscure and occasionally authentic American interpretations of German products and food. The nexus of Leavenworth’s cultural heritage is to be found in the Nutcracker Museum, which boasts no fewer than 6000 nutcrackers, dating back 500 years. Unfortunately, due to timings (and a distinct lack of interest), the team did not visit. Instead, a team meal was organised at a local German restaurant, Andreas Keller. Here, accompanied by thigh-slappingly good German music, the team discussed the best and the wurst (the pun was unavoidable) of the day’s shooting. Unfortunately, the evening’s festivities were cut short, due to the somewhat draconian opening hours of Leavenworth’s bars. Tomorrow sees the team making the long drive to Vancouver, via the Boeing Museum, north of Seattle.

Lollipop awards (Day 11):

Good – the ladies, for very kindly obtaining lunch for a hungry GBRT, post-match.

Bad – the diarist, for demanding, in the morning, that the vehicle drive round to his side of the motel, as he simply wasn’t prepared to carry his kit that far.