A BEAD of sweat slowly trickles down the side of his face; his eyes are fixed in concentration, ears pricked to attention, waiting for any movement in his peripheral vision or sound.
The judge sounds the start of the stage with an electronic beep, he’s up in a flash, running to take up his position at the first window of the course. He shoots at multiple targets, his hands and eyes work in unison as he hits the mark dead centre. He moves to the next window, and so it goes on.
This is a glimmer of what Durban North resident, Thomas Affleck, experienced recently at the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) world shoot in Florida. The Northwood School Grade 10 pupil was part of the South African junior production team.
This was the youngster’s first call up to the national squad. Thomas placed 11th in the junior production division, placed 91st overall and helped the SA Junior Production team finish third overall.
“It’s a dream come true, representing South Africa. It was unexpected, but awesome. Being able to compete at one of the biggest events in this sport was fantastic. It was always going to be tough. The judges allow you to walk through the course to mentally prepare yourself for what’s ahead. I’ve worked extremely hard this year and worked on improving my accuracy,” he said.
Last year Thomas became the youngest member in the history of the Natal Practical Shooting Association to be awarded his KZN colours.
