Local top pistol shooters are set for explosive rounds of competition on the range when they compete in the high-profile Fast and Furious at Jamaica Rifle Association’s (JRA) Mountain View Avenue base today.

The annual practical pistol shooting tournament — which is executed under the rules and blessings of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) — is to get going with a ceremonial first shot at 9:30 am, with Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake down to do the honours.

Fast and Furious, which was started back in 2013, will be staged this year in honour of one of its protagonists, the late Harrison Chin Hing.

According to regional director of ISPC Jamaica Lennie Moulton, some “50 to 60 persons” are expected to compete in four divisions — Open, Standard, Production and Production Optics.

Champion of the Standard division Ryan Bramwell is eager to face the competition in defence of his title won in 2019, the last time Fast Furious was staged. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“The nature of this match presents a different challenge, as the targets are all open. There are no partial targets, no shoot targets and no steel that would require a higher level of accuracy. A shooter can ‘spray and pray’ and end up with a good score in the match, but the best shooter will prevail in the end, and I always believe that I will win,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“COVID has severely affected the size and frequency of competitions since 2020, but I am very happy that we are able to host competitions of this nature once more, and I look forward to defending my title,” Bramwell added.

The 49-year-old has had many bites of the winning cherry.

“I won the inaugural competition in Standard division in 2013, and have won it again in both Production and Standard divisions since then, but not sure how many times,” shared Bramwell.

The financial controller by trade, Bramwell will have to keep an eye on the high-quality field of competitors gunning for his crown

“The Standard title will be decided between myself and Andy Yap, who is the other masterclass shooter in the Standard division. For the unofficial high overall winner Adrian Randle and Chris Hart in Open division will challenge as well,” he said.

Bramwell said that preparation coming into the championship was bittersweet.

“High ammunition costs and time constraints always leave us feeling as if we could train more, but I think we are all putting in the same amount of work, so I am fairly well prepared for this match,” he shared.

Bramwell described practical pistol shooting sport is an “adrenaline rush”.

“You go from a calm and relaxed start position to aggressive movement and fast and accurate shooting over courses that vary from five seconds to probably 30 seconds maximum. During that time, you will shoot anywhere from eight to 32 rounds of ammunition, so a lot of shooting takes place in a very short time.

“The person with the highest mathematical combination of the fastest time and highest score wins, so the sport balances speed and accuracy,” said Bramwell.

The top shot used the opportunity to make a sale and marketing pitch on behalf of his sport.

“I would say that shooting sports are real character builders. From as early as the Cadet Force, it teaches responsibility and safety in the handling and use of firearms. There is a large number of licensed firearm holders who can be a target audience/market for the sponsors and their products,” Bramwell ended.

Meanwhile, Adrian Randle, who competes in multiple divisions, has high hopes of knocking off the competition.

“I’m seen as one of the top contenders for winning that section (Open), and Fast and Furious is one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year by many competitors across this region.

“It is a very exciting match where, through stage design, shooters are truly able to express themselves freely, running and gunning the whole way,” said the 42-year-old.

Randle, who is in his second year of Fast Furious, comes into the match with the boast of having won the trophy for the Open division at the David McMorris Memorial Match in April.

“I’d say my preparation overall has gone well. Recently I’ve been hitting the gym three to four times per week, and the range two to three times per week. It’s been hectic, but should have me peaking right in time for the season which begins with Fast and the Furious,” he said.

Randle offered tips on how a shooter can possibly develop into a worthy sport competitor.

“Basic skills like gun handling, ability to put accurate shots on a target, and the ability to move around with a gun with extreme emphasis on safety can start off any shooter at this format.

“Of course, to be a top level competitor, it gets a lot more technical. In addition to mastery of all the required basic skills, it takes time, dedication, access to information (reading, coaching, videos, etc). Like any other competitive and Olympics sport, discipline and passion are a must to become the best,” said the director of Waterfalls Limited.

Another shooter of pedigree and championship ambitions is businessman Michael Bradshaw, who has pulled together key elements of his preparation.

“I have been training physically, mentally and spiritually… essentially, I have been building awareness and a high degree of focus,” he asserted.

“I am happy being at my best. I am more focused, more relaxed and have a comprehensive knowledge of the sport,” Bradshaw added.

Competing since 2016, he has “lifted many trophies islandwide” and expects tough competition in the Production Optics division at Fast and Furious from Adrian Randle, Chris Nunez and Dwight Bancey.

Also, competing today is the high-flying Super Six all-female shooting team which created a storm last month when they dominated a field comprising a number of male teams at the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) Round-up Twickenham Park, St Catherine.

This year, there will no overseas competitors due to prohibitive Disaster Risk Management Act protocols.

In the 2019, there were visiting contestants “Cayman, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago”.

On the shooting course, “competitors would be spread across the entire eight stages” so not to not exceed protocol specifications.

— Sean Williams