They all travelled out with their teams a few days before the competition so they could be rested and ready for the three day competition which lay ahead.
Day 1 of Intershoot 2015
The first day started on Thursday and began with the Woman and Junior Woman Air Pistol matches; Philippa had a challenging first shoot and ending the qualifier in 14th place but with things to work on.
Next up was Emily competing in the Junior Woman Air Rifle match in the afternoon. Emily shot 402.8 which was below her average and placed her into 17th out of 31. Junior Woman Air Rifle had the highest number of entries, with 31, making it the most challenging final to get into. The standard of shooting this year was also very good, making even the high scores that would normally make the final fall short.
Jack and Dean up next in the Junior Air Rifle qualifier, with both boys competing against each other. Whenever Jack and Dean are in the same match the scores will be good, each one hates to be beaten by the other. Dean scored 603.7 putting him in 9th place just missing the final, but ahead of his team mates. Jack shot better with 605.6 placing him in 7th and into the final. Both Dean and Jack shot below their average on their first day but better was to come. Jack had a difficult start to the final and ended in 4th and just outside of a medal place.
Day 2 of Intershoot 2015
It was an early start for the Junior Woman Air Rifle competitors having the call “athletes to the line” at 7.45am. Even though it was a 5:45 early morning start Emily had another reasonable day and shot 403.0 placing her 17th again but out of 33, so better than the previous day. Again the standards and scores were high. Jack and Dean were next up to the line. Dean started his match with his first string of 103.3 and followed it with a second string of 103.8. Dean maintained this level throughout this qualifying match giving him a total on 617.5, placing him second. Dean’s score from the qualifier match was a new Personal Best (PB) of 617.5 which is a British Shooting Minimum Consideration Score (MCS). Jack also shot well with a score of 613.1, which placed him 4th and a place in the final. Jack was now out to show his younger brother why he's in the GB Academy, so it was going to be an interesting final. Dean had an average final but ended up in 6th even though his last two shots were 10.8 and a 10.9. Jack was looking strong and fighting all the way. It was a close final right up to the last shot, shot 19 Jack was 0.2 behind first place, but he held his nerve and won the Gold Medal by 0.1.
Philippa shot in the afternoon but had a few problems, one of which was a broken blinder, so she tried to use her new glasses, having never used her glasses before it was a whole new experience.
Day 3 of Intershoot 2015
Onto the last day of the competition, all the qualifiers are run in the morning and then the finals in the afternoon. The second shoot of the day was Philippa’s Junior Woman Air Pistol; she had her best shoot of the competition with 350 placing her 9th just outside the final but still below her average. Next up to shoot was Emily; she did not shoot as good as the last two days, but had a word with her coaches and has a few things to work on.
The last qualifying match of Intershoot 2015 was the Junior Men Air Rifle match. Jack this time led the way and shot a qualifying score of 617.8, which was a new PB for Jack and another British Shooting Minimum Consideration Score (MCS). Dean shot well and both boys were through to the final, showdown number two. Dean started very well and took an early lead, with Jack close behind, it was starting to look that the boy’s normal rivalry was back in full force. Dean managed to maintain his lead right to the end with Jack chasing all the way. After the 19th shot and only one shot to go Dean was 1.4 in the lead. With Jack and Dean the last two standing the pressure was on, Dean was to increase the difference on the last shot giving him Gold and Jack Silver with scores of 205.7 and 203.3.
All in all, two Gold Medals, one Silver Medal and two British Shooting’s Minimum Consideration Scores (MCS) the boys did themselves proud. Watching each day's events over the Internet with live scores, finals, webcams and photos was very emotional to see the children on the highs and lows. The children like shooting this competition because it's well run and they get to make new friends from all over the world. A great Intershoot 2015, thank you to all the organisers for another great event, the Bales will be back next year! Jack will be back to try and take Gold on Day 2 for the third year in a row.
