Shooting team brings home a big win
Fort Simpson Canadian Rangers win marksmanship competition
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, November 6, 2014
HAY RIVER
Speed and accuracy were what counted as 14 teams of Canadian Rangers from around the NWT competed in an event designed to test their marksmanship.
Ranger Cpl. Derek Erasmus, second from left, and Sgt. Sandy Kidd of Fort Simpson, accept the first place team award at the NWT Annual Small Arms Training in Hay River from Navy Cpt. Brad Peats, the Deputy Commanding Officer of Joint Task Force North, left, and Sgt. Stephane Gelinas, a ranger instructor with 1 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group. - photo courtesy of Cpt. Stephen Watton
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When the crack of the last shot faded away, Ranger Sgt. Sandy Kidd and Cpl. Derek Erasmus of Fort Simpson were left holding the team award at the NWT Annual Small Arms Training that took place in Hay River from Oct. 25 to 26. It was the second time both of the Rangers competed in the third annual event.
"We were elated," said Kidd.
"We talked about it all the way home."
The event is designed to give rangers the opportunity to develop and improve their marksmanship abilities and receive training in weapons handling. It also provides a chance for friendly competition.
Over the two days the 28 rangers competed in approximately seven different matches that each tested different aspects of their shooting abilities. Kidd's favourite was shooting at paper targets 274 metres away. Kidd was the only ranger to get a bullseye at that distance, which gave the Fort Simpson team 10 points and also situated Kidd well in the individual competition.
"It's something you normally don't do," he said about shooting from that distance.
The team also did well in the match where there were 13 different targets and they each had seven bullets.
"If you're really good you have one bullet left," Kidd said.
Given his success with the long distances Kidd went for the farther targets, successfully popping a balloon on a moose figure at 228 metres and one of two bears at 182 metres. Erasmus, meanwhile, went for the closer plates and five balloons attached to a pole.
The competition was close throughout, as evidenced by Saturday's action. The top shot changed during each of the first four matches, but Kidd managed to finish the day in first place while Erasmus worked his way into second.
Every year the matches are changed a bit, which makes the competition more fun, said Kidd. It was the dueling tree, a new match, that was a deciding factor in the individual rankings.
Rangers were challenged to hit three plates attached to a pole so they would swing to the other side while their competition did the same. The ranger with the most plates on their opponent's side after 10 rounds won.
When only four rangers were left they were given unlimited rounds to get all of the plates on their opponent's side in order to win. Both speed and accuracy were needed to do well, Kidd said. If you were accurate but slow, it didn't work.
Kidd was knocked out in the first round of the match while Erasmus made it to the third. Although Erasmus finished fifth in the individual competition and Kidd finished seventh, their team score of 130 was enough to keep them ahead of Hay River, which finished in second place at 116.
Kidd said he and Erasmus will be under pressure next year when they have to go back as the defending team champions. Previously, Kidd and Cpl. Randy Sibbeston finished third in 2012, while Erasmus and Sibbeston finished fourth in 2013.
