*** BULLSEYE ***

you have reached THE COACH !

Mr. Robert D. Kierstead,
Head Coach

of. . .

1. Canada's Olympic Pistol Shooting Team, (Our able bodied athletes) and...

2. Canada's Paralympic Pistol and Rifle Shooting Teams (Our disabled athletes).

Bob KIERSTEAD, Coach/Entraineur, Pistol / Pistolet, Fredericton, NB, CANADA

Bulletin Board...

David Olmstead's contribution
to the New Brunswick Throne Speech Debate Dec 2, 1998...Dec 11, 1998


Highlights of the 1998 Team Results...Dec 11, 1998




Shooting: a founding Olympic Sport

So, did you know that shooting was an Olympic sport, and that Canada has an active team competing against the best in the world. Perhaps you're wondering why shooting would even be an Olympic sport.
Actually shooting is one of the original few founding sports in the modern Olympic games, which as you know were initiated in 1896.
In fact if it wasn't for a shooter, there would be no Olympic games today.
Now I bet that got your attention, and you're wondering what does a shooter have to do with the origin of the Olympic games.
Well I'm glad you asked, because now I have the opportunity to tell you.
The founder of the modern Olympic games is, as everyone knows, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, from France. The Baron put his personal fortune into the development of the games, in addition he also spent his wife's fortune on the development of the Olympic games, and she had more money than he had. He worked with a single minded obsession on the Olympic games, and as history has shown, he was successful.
The Olympic games are now the largest sporting event in the world.
The Paralympic games are the second largest sporting event in the world.
All this was given to the world by de Coubertin, a pistol shooter, yes a pistol shooter, and a very accomplished shooter at that. In fact de Coubertin was the French national champion on more than one occasion. So if there is any sport that has earned an honored place in the annals of modern Olympic history, it is the shooting sports.


Canadian Olympic Sports Shooting

Now, what about Canada's shooting team, who are they, how have they done, what events are we involved in, where is the team from, etc.etc.
I am not going to present the long and distinguished list of international medal winners from Canada, who have represented our country, throughout the years, in the world of high performance shooting. I will however give you a high level overview of some of the impressive achievements of our country's top shooting athletes.
Firstly you will probably be interested to know that we have won medals in all of the major international sporting competitions, which includes the Olympic games, the Paralympic games, the Commonwealth games, The Pan American games, the World championship, the world cup series, the North American championship etc. etc.
With some of these events our Canadian team didn't just win the championship, but we set records as well. For instance, our pistol team holds the current Commonwealth Games record which was set at the last Commonwealth games in Victoria BC in 1994.
By the way, your team won an incredible 22 medals at these games, more medals than any other Canadian team, in fact your shooting team won more medals than the total medal count of most countries.
Too bad Canada's national public radio and television broadcast service, the CBC refused to give your team media coverage of this remarkable performance. The Government of Canada and it's controlled media attempt to deny the existence of firearms use by anybody but criminals, police and the military.
The pistol team also set a Pan American games record at the championship held in Havana Cuba, in 1991. The female members of Canada's shooting team have achieved particular distinction in the world of international competition.
Pistol team member Linda Thom took the gold medal for Canada at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. Trap shooting team member, Dr. Susan Nattrass, has won the World women's Trap shooting championship an unprecedented 6 times.
Both of these women have been named Canadian athlete of the year, and both have received the Order of Canada.
The Commonwealth and Pan Americam games records were also set by female members of the team.
The Canadian team is composed of members from all across Canada, from British Columbia to Halifax. The team includes male and female athletes from as young as 14 to senior members in their early 50's. The majority of team members have usually come from Ontario and Quebec, with a few spread across the West and BC. The Maritimes, which is home to me, has only rarely developed a Canadian shooting team member.


Canadian Paralympic Sports Shooting

The Olympic / Paralympic shooting program includes pistol, rifle, shotgun and running target events. The Canadian shooting team is unique in Canadian sport, and for that matter, is a world leader.
It includes both disabled and able bodied athletes on the same team.
In early 1995 the shooting team was the first Canadian sporting team to include the disabled high performance athletes with the able body high performance team. Since then both teams have been training together and have participated simultaneously in international competition. The initiative to include the disabled and able body athletes is being lead by myself and my colleague from Ontario, Bruce Wilkins.
Now your mind is probably trying to vision physically disabled rifle and pistol shooters taking part in high performance international shooting competitions. You may be wondering, how good are these disabled shooters anyway?
Well I'm glad you're wondering because I'll take the opportunity to tell you just how good these shooters are.
At the Paralympic games in Atlanta, the winning score in the rifle event was 600 out of 600, how many shooters do you know, able body or disabled who can match that.
While we're on the subject of disabled athletes, you may be wondering how good some of the other athletes in other sports are. OK, try this on:
We have a one legged high jumper in Canada who can jump 6 feet 8 inches, how many able body high jumpers do you know who can top that?
The Americans have a sprinter on their team with both legs amputated who runs the 100 metres in 11.3 seconds, that's less than 2 seconds behind Donovan Bailey, the Olympic gold medalist, picture that!
There is also a blind swimmer who came within one tenth of a second from making the USA able body Olympic swim team.
I could go on and on with performances by so called disabled athletes that would astound you, the shooters on Canada's team are made of the same championship stuff.


The Canadian Government wants to terminate Sports Shooting

Its really a crime what the Canadian federal Justice minister is doing to all these talented high performance male and female, young and senior, able body and disabled, Canadian athletes. He has passed legislation through Parliament which can without further parliamentary approval eliminate the ownership of firearms by Canadian citizens of good character. What a shame to end such a long and respectable history of representing Canada to the world with our high performance international competitive shooting teams.
There are shooting clubs and associations in this country that are older than Canada as a country. The Royal New Brunswick Rifle Association for instance, which is my home association, was formed prior to the Confederation of Canada, whose members have time and again defended Canada through active involvement in the police, the military and militia. We have a Justice minister who feels these institutions and their members, pose a threat to the safety of Canadians. I would suggest to you that this Justice minister and the concepts he promotes poses the real threat to Canadians, through his deliberate disregard for the democratic principles upon which our country was founded.
If you'd like to read more on this subject visit: Bob Keirstead's presentation to the Senate Committee

Thanks for dropping by

A few of the comments we have recieved:

Great Work Bob
Barry

A Few Links:

Under Construction --- more soon

Since Jan 5, 1997 you are visitor No.

This page prepared and maintained by: Marysville Rifle and Pistol Club Inc. and

hosted by Get your own free Free Home Page