IDPA now in Malta thanks to AACTS

Sunday, 25 February, 2007

On Thursday, February 1, 2007 four AACTS members of the IDPA Malta Club travelled to Albenga in the Italian province of Savona to take part in an International Match, Safety Officers training program and Classification exercise utilising modern cartridge pistols and revolvers.

Along side the shooters from Malta were Russians, Swiss, Slovenians and Italians who were all there to enthusiastically embrace the principles of the IDPA shooting discipline.

Saturday and Sunday mornings were taken up with lectures and training on the weapons used, their classifications and course development, terminating with a debriefing and scoring assessment on the second morning. Saturday afternoon was the 'main event', where the local shots proved themselves capable, a special mention being reserved for Mark Cassar who in his first pistol shooting competition finished second in his division and category, he is likely to improve quickly and seems destined to be a name to follow for the future.

Sunday afternoon was taken up with the grading event known as a 'classification' in the IDPA sport. This was held by the experienced and helpful Slovenian contingent, who have not only competed in the American World championships but also assisted in the running of that competition over several years. Once more the AACTS shooters proved their mettle and all qualified as 'Marksman' at the first attempt, enabling the visiting team to return to Malta as fully qualified Safety Officers of the IDPA discipline and qualified to classify those shooters who wish to take up this exciting sport for themselves here in Malta. Malcolm Bonnici was nominated as the IDPA Area co-ordinator for Malta.

More shooting experienced was gained the following day, where everyone practised in earnest their newly learnt skills at the Eagle Shooting Club.

A special thanks from IDPA Malta and AACTS go to Giorgio Acerboni, Italy IDPA Area Co-ordinator, for his organising skills as Match Director and the numerous Carabinieri for their help in enabling the Maltese contingent to compete and also to all the Slovenian IDPA Safety Officers for their invaluable support.

IDPA is a shooting sport that uses regular equipment including standard ammunition to solve simulated scenarios. Accuracy is as important as speed of execution and procedural errors are penalised harshly to ensure strict adherence to regulations. Any 'unsafe' action is immediately penalised by disqualification. All gear is standard and no 'competition-only' equipment can be used. The main goal is to test the skill and ability of the individual, not the equipment or gamesmanship.

IDPA principles promote safe and proficient use of guns and equipment and allow competitors to concentrate on developing skills and fellowship with like-minded shooters.

For full details and match results visit the IDPA Europe website www.idpaeurope.eu and the AACTS website www.aactsmalta.org.
by di-ve.com