Shooting in South Africa: missing the black

[Alexander]

Here is the final (editorially reworked and shortened) version of the feature critique in the rather renowned South African weekly "Mail & Guardian". Let us now hope that the STC project

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=242676994781

soon _will_ make the necessary difference.

The sport must be saved, and this is only possible through popularisation and transformation, both of which shall make it accessible.

Article link is here:

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-19-missing-targets

Alexander

[Freepistol]

Thanks, Alexander, for exposing us to the perils facing shooters in other contries. I see the dilemma faced by parents:
Should I spend my money on shooting sports where there is no chance to get my money back, or should it go to another sport where I have the chance to get my money back more than 1000 times over even if my child only becomes an instructor?

Have the local clubs tried an open house "targeting" only kids who have never shot before or can they specify only black kids?
Ben

[Alexander]

FP: there are some rare exceptions from the continuing apartheid pattern. To quote one such (the field target air rifle association):

May I mention to those interested that SAFTAA has already launched a project to introduce FT at the Voortrekkerhoogte High School in 2009. This school with its 90% black learners has been incorporated into the Pretoria FT Club. Those of you that attended our 2009 Worlds at Mutango Lodge did notice the black youngsters that helped as asistant range officers - they are all pupils of the Voortrekkerhoogte High School.

SAFTAA submitted requests for financial support to purchase S200 rifles for the school to the Lotto and City of Tshwane Municipality. Both requests were unfortunately denied. The handsome sponsorship that Tshwane granted for the Worlds was however based on this development project.

Our 2009 Protea FT team contained two members (25%) from designated groups (Erica and Kurt), with Gary Govender (38%) just one place behind selection. SAFTAA to my mind has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of developing the sport among blacks and other cultures - if the equipment weren't so expensive, we would have been much further down the road.

Have not checked the statement, so take it at its face value or face credibility.

Alexander

[Misny]

The shooting sports in the U.S. are entirely dominated by whites. Most whites in competitive shooting seemed to have grown up in a gun friendly or gun neutral environment. Usually this means a rural or urban upbringing. Few inner city whites are interested in the shooting sports. I would conjecture that it is because of restrictive firearms laws in most major cities and lack of facilities, as well, as the prevailing negative attitude towards firearms in highly urbanized areas. As the population becomes more urbanized, I see the shooting sports nearly dying out.

I don't know what the answer is to break the color barrier in the shooting sports. It would seem that the prevailing attitude amongst blacks in the U.S. is very much anti-gun. I don't think that the average black parent in the U.S. would get many kudos from many other black folks when it was announced that their son or daughter was a champion shooter. It seems nearly impossible to break into the negative wall that many folks have built about firearms. Most can't see the value that competitive shooting sports offer the individual because of the negative images of firearms they have gained from the news media and movies. The inner city dweller also sees guns mostly being used in a negative way.

Golf, swimming, tennis and winter sports are dominated by whites. It took some prominent blacks to help break down those barriers. It would seem that the competitive shooting sports community needs some prominent blacks to get interested in the competitive shooting sports. We need inner city participation in the shooting sports, even if it is air gun only. The only people who can help these things come about are the folks that dominate the shooting sports. In other words, white people. Unfortunately competitive shooters aren't known for their community activism, and no matter what one sees on TV, whites and blacks in the U.S. live in their own separate worlds. Until the walls comes down (daunting tasks indeed) the shooting sports will continue to go downhill.

[Freepistol]

. . . . . Until the walls comes down (daunting tasks indeed) the shooting sports will continue to go downhill.

It's not quite that bleak, Misny. The bang-clang shooting sports are thriving.

http://www.psashootout.com/

Also, there is a military type of shooting that is doing well here. I can't remember what they call it, but it involves going through the woods with obstacles. Older rifles are competitive.
Here is a post I found about it:
http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/15822- ... in-pa.html

PA also has one of the few 1000 yard ranges in the country. I understand there are many competitors from around the country who come here.

http://www.pa1000yard.com/

It's the International pistol matches that are few in PA.

Ben

[Alexander]

Misny is quite correct in his assessment, and Free Pistol seems a bit stuck inside his colour cocoon (or as Misny called it: his own separate world), as so many SA whites also are. But not all, thankfully.

While things are bad (BAD with capital letter) in shooting in South Africa, there are also signs of improvement.

- The clubs - with exception of the mentioned Field Target people from SATAA - have been totally neglecting their duties of outreach and youth work; but others have jumped into the fray, notably SANSSU. Alas, SANSSU up to now only practises air rifle, but they intent to widen their scope.

- No South African juvenile pistol shooters were sent to the African Youth Olympic Games qualification match in Tipaza, Algeria, because they do not exist (!). But one air rifle shooter, Jaco Francis, was able to qualify against the strong Maghreb competition, and he will now represent sub-Saharean Africa in Singapore.

- The state of shooting facilities as a whole has been diminishing. But there is a nice private venue at Eagle Eye Shooting Centre, and the STC at Florida Hoêrskool ground is just being built.

- Apartheit still lives and flourishes in large sectors of the SA sports, as was and is regularly decried. Shooting thus is not an exception. But positive steps are visible. Two associations are headed by people of colour, namely SAPA and SAPSA, and more exponents of the majority (whites are only 9 + % of South Africa's population) have just been voted into SAPA's executive council a short time ago.

- The doping affair that has stained SABU and BPSU has not been resolved yet. It is more complex than what meets the eyes at first sight. ISSF and WADA have also been involved in it.

Alexander

[Alexander]

A brief update:

- STC is now under roof and already operational. An amazing achievement of civic spirit, altruism, and indefatigable idealism. A great example to emulate.

- The centre strives now to incorporate air pistol shooting as well, and thereby shows its wide-sighted and non-factional approach, which is otherwise unknown in South Africa. One can only wish them full success. Incidentally, SANSSU, whatever bad they else do, also now wants to embrace entry-level 3 P air pistol shooting, which is great.

- Beyond STC however, the in-fighting and the irrepentant, reality-blind racism has continued and if anything, become worse. You would think they clock 1962 there, not 2012. Verkrampte bitterenders !

- The (in a way, necessary) countermotion by the South African Olympic Committee robbed one certainly deserving high-class shooter of her duly won Olympic quota place, namely the rifle shooter (3x20) Esmari van Reenen. The African Championship quota place that she won in 2011 was handed back to ISSF. Sad.

Alexander

[jhmartin]

The shooting sports in the U.S. are entirely dominated by whites.

This is only your perception, probably because of where (the area) you live.

Maybe you really meant "non-blacks". Unfortunately this is true (generally) as is reflected by by his next paragraph about parental perceptions.

I invite you to the southwest where I could easily state that we have (at least) a 50% population of young shooters that are of latino, native american & asian backgrounds.

While the older generations are more predominately white, I see this as the result of the social restrictions up to the 60's. I think as time moves on and these younger folks approach middle age that division will shrink and reflect the population profiles.

I think the "walls" are coming down.