European Steel Challenge Championships - Part 4

On Sunday, the last day of the match, I had nothing to do except hang around the range, visit with other shooters, and, follow KeeWee around as she shot the six stages of the match. I also had a bit more time to take a few pictures since my shooting for the match was completed.

Each of the stages was well lit, although some of the pictures don't show it too well. The tires and other framework surrounding the targets was to catch any bullet fragments so they couldn't find their way to any of the lights. It worked well. Close to 30,000 rounds were fired, and only two lights failed.

Five to go.

Roundabout.

Hanneke shooting her Ruger in rimfire.

"Smoke and Hope"

Not sure who this guy is, he kept walking in front of the camera......

Some of the plates looked a LONG ways away!

KeeWee going after the plates.

Check out the rimfire flame thrower! (Click for bigger) That's KeeWee again.

Focus!

After Sunday's shooting was completed, it was time for the trophy ceremony. Hans Wigger, the match director, and Jolanda, Hans' wife, handled giving out the medals and prizes. At the start of the ceremony Hans summoned KeeWee and I to come up to the stand for recognition. We were the only two shooters to come to the match from America, and the match officials and RO's had taken up a collection and had two specially embroidered polo shirts made for us with the European Steel Challenge and a windmill on the back and our names and some tulips on the front. Absolutely beautiful shirts, we were sort of dumb-founded and probably just stood there like a coupe of country yokels with our mouths hanging open! (I've got an entire post on the shirts of the European Steel Challenge, so I'll have pictures of the shirts there.)

Hans and Jolanda.

Hans runnin' the mike.

Overall winner, Jorge Ballesteros.

More winners. If I'd take notes I'd be able to tell you who everyone is, but I didn't, so I can't! (Just can't get good help anymore.....)

Outstanding sportsmanship was apparent throughout the match.

The three top ladies, Karin, Hanneke, and Jolanda. Those look a lot like Brownell's range bags!

More winners, with Saul Kirsch on the right.

After the awards ceremony was complete, it was time to say our good-byes to all the wonderful folks we had met in Winterswijk. Then we joined Wim for the car ride back to our hotel in Amsterdam for our last day and night in Holland. After checking in to the hotel ,we went for a long walk around Amsterdam visiting squares, walking along canals, walked through the flower market, and visited the red light district, the Amsterdam Sex Museum, tried a marijuana lollypop, other places of educational value and interest.

The next morning we caught the train from the Central Train Station out to the airport for our flight back to Seattle. Ten hours on an Airbus - Oh Joy..........