Little did I realise on my first ever shooting tour, which was with a Scottish Team to British Columbia and Washington State, that I would have the honour of returning forty years later as Captain of the Great Britain Rifle Team. I am delighted to be able to shoot again at Chilliwack and look forward to seeing the General Vokes range, which has replaced the range that I saw and is reputed to be amongst the most scenic ranges in the world. Similarly, I am very pleased to be able to take the team to shoot and tour in Washington State, where there will be opportunities to see some of the breathtaking scenery. The range at Tri-Cities on the Rattlesnake Mountain has only been open some 20 years, but already has a formidable reputation as being amongst the toughest in the USA, so that should prove a suitable challenge and learning experience for our coaches. We conclude our tour in Ottawa, on the Connaught Ranges, where we look forward to tough competition from both Canadian and US teams and, as for the other areas we visit, to renewing many acquaintances and making new friends.
For team officers, I am pleased to have Charles Dickenson as Vice-Captain, Stephen Penrose, Adjutant and Colin Skellett, Treasurer, supporting me fully and keeping me on the right track. After sifting many applications for the team, we have selected a team which has a very broad level of experience. On one hand, we have team members from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales who all hold one or more Commonwealth Games medal, but on the other, we have seven new caps in the team. In addition, we have an age span from twenty to late sixties, which just confirms that age does not have a direct relationship to ability and capability of performing at the highest level.
The team would like to thank our numerous sponsors, advertisers and others who have helped with our fundraising and have supported us. In addition, we would like to thank the Tri-Cities Shooting Association for hosting our visit to the Rattlesnake range, the officers of the British Columbia Rifle Association for our invitation to their Championship, and of course the DCRA for organising what we are sure will be another memorable Canadian Championship meeting.
We invite you to follow our progress when on tour by accessing our team website at /archive/canada2016/
Lindsay Peden
Captain of GB Team to Canada and USA 2016
Foreword for the Great Britain Rifle Team Tour to Canada and the USA in July and August 2016