Bang on target, despite shortcomings

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A horse-shoe shaped quarry site at the scenic Thondayad in Kozhikode is home to shooting, one of the upcoming sports in north Kerala.

And last week, the Calicut Rifle Club that functions there was buzzing with nearly 40 children who had come for a three-day summer camp.

P.K. Sajeevan, former coach of the Indian Navy shooting team, who after retirement has donned the responsibility of handling the trainees at the Club, says the sport has become popular among youngsters despite it being a costly affair.

“It was amazing to see the number of youngsters at the camp. A lot of boys and girls between 8 and 18 years had come for the three day camp and I’m sure quite a lot of them will come back for our routine training on Sundays,” says Sajeevan.

The shortage of standard weapons, which is expensive, has not stopped enthusiasts like Jerin James, a state champion in ‘open fight’ (base category) event, from taking to shooting.

“I don’t have a ‘teet fight’ weapon, which is required to compete at the higher levels and that has left me with no option but to compete in the ‘open fight’ category, in which the best I can make is a pre-national,” says Jerin, a B.Tech student.

Jose Joseph, secretary of Kozhikode District Rifle Association, agrees that the dearth of quality weapons has not affected the determination of the trainees and they continue to be among the best in the state in the ‘open fight’ category.

“Last year, our trainees won 11 golds at the state championship, the best in ‘open fight’ category. However, Idukki and Palakkad are the best because they have quality weapons and standard shooting ranges,” says Jose.

The best performers from the club, apart from Jerin are, are Merin, his younger sister, Akhil C.P., who had qualified to open nationals, Aswin K. Das, Aishwarya G.M., Elizabeth Olga Marandez and Vishal K.P.

Coach Sajeevan, who is also a former national champion, is impressed with the enthusiasm shown by the upcoming shooters. “While I was in the Navy, we had nothing to complain about when it came to the weapons or the shooting range. That is the advantage of being in service.

Unlike that, these children need to adjust to the conditions and learn to live with the shortcomings, which they are doing and that to me is highly appreciable,” says Sajeevan.

But the cost factor is something the coach does not want to shy away from. “It’s not easy to afford a standard rifle, as it costs around `1.8 to `2.25 lakhs. A few of our trainees have such rifles and it shows in their performance as well,” adds Sajeevan.