Setting the example: IPSC shooting, on wheelchair

[Nordeste]

Hi all. I would just like to bring you guys the opportunity to watch a friend of mine , whose name is Fernando, but is well known in the Spanish IPSC community as "El Paple", in action during an IPSC match last year. He's got lots of videos in his Youtube channel, either about shooting or reloading, another one of his hobbies. He chose himself his nickname, as it is a short for "parapléjico", which is the kind of spinal injury he's got.

Above all, he's a great guy. Sharp sense of humour and always willing to give a hand to less experienced shooters and reloaders. And he is a heck of a shot, too.




He has set an example for many of us at our shooting club. Here goes my acknowledgment to him.

 

[stargeezer]

Hey! Thanks for posting that. I'm a wheelchair user myself. Although I mostly shoot rifle from a bench, I'd love to try that!

I'm in a power chair that doesn't do well in loose sand or gravel, so the prospect of rolling out there and getting totally stuck is a strong possibility. How does the rules address the time it takes to "recover" a stuck chair? Is that why El Paple have the other guy following him?

Again many thanks, I've been looking for any info or leads to this sort of thing.

 

[Radagast]

The guy following him is the range officer, watching for safety and rules violations. He's holding a timer that counts the shots as the score is time based. If you get bogged down your time increases and your adjusted score goes down.

We had a paraplegic in my club about a decade ago, he shot from a wheelchair. He bolted the holster to his chair rather than wearing a belt as required by the rules. I queried the IPSC Int. Secretary about this, his unofficial ruling was that anyone objecting was to be beaten up.
Realistically you will find it hard to be competitive, but you can still have a lot of fun. We had a profoundly deaf shooter with his own custom timer with a visual countdown, an 86 year old with a ported 686 who shuffled between shooting positions, a few guys missing fingers, etc, etc. Its just a matter of finding a club that is willing to accommodate you.

 

[jwrowland77]

That is awesome! I'm a 35yo disabled vet that uses a cane. I hadn't tried this because of all the moving around...I may just have to give it a go after seeing this video just to have some fun.

Thanks for posting it.

 

[Nordeste]

Glad you liked it, gents .

There is, of course, a range officer following Fernando with a timer, but the guy wearing the blue hearing protectors trailing him is another member of my shooting club who happens to be a close friend of his. He's there, sometimes, "just in case" Fernando gets stuck, depending on the stage's particular kind of surface. Fernando uses a "manual" (not powered) wheelchair, as you can see, but in competition or training he replaces the regular wheels for a set of mountain bike wheels, so he can move around a bit easier. This little "help" of having someone behind him in some stages has never been objected by any other competitor. Perhaps by the same reason Radagast says. The rest of us would beat the cr*p out of him .

He shoots and competes for the joy of it. He's aware that he's in a serious disadvantage but he stills presses on and is able to beat other shooters in those stages that do not require much moving around.

If this post and his vid has encouraged those of you in a similar situation to go ahead and start shooting practical, that would make me really happy. As you see, it can be done , and your fellow shooters will be proud and happy to have you amongst them.

 

[Trent]

Hey! Thanks for posting that. I'm a wheelchair user myself. Although I mostly shoot rifle from a bench, I'd love to try that!

I'm in a power chair that doesn't do well in loose sand or gravel, so the prospect of rolling out there and getting totally stuck is a strong possibility. How does the rules address the time it takes to "recover" a stuck chair? Is that why El Paple have the other guy following him?

Again many thanks, I've been looking for any info or leads to this sort of thing.

At the Havana range, near us, there are a couple of somewhat more sandy stages. But mostly the ground is pretty firm in the shooting zones (you might get in deep sand patching some targets, so on those stages, let others do the patching). I don't think you'd have a problem getting around, and squads are usually 5-6 guys, so if you got stuck, you wouldn't be stuck long. Usually there's 6 stages, 3-4 of which are mostly stationary, and the others some short navigation required.

The only concern I'd have is muzzle direction, as you move about the stages, but with your motorized chair you could "drive" with one hand and keep the gun pointed in a safe direction with another!