Whitehorse handgun shooter John Simmons is on a roll.
In addition to a few top finishes as of late, Simmons has received an invite to represent Canada at the International Practical Shooting Confederation World Shoot.
“I didn’t actually think I’d make it in,” said Simmons. “I thought I’d be just on the outside because of the limited amount of slots available and the amount of people who want to go.
“So I was a little bit surprised.”
Simmons is one of only 60 Canadians selected for the triennial IPSC world championships to compete against shooters from about 80 countries. The championship will be the first held in North America, scheduled to take place at the Universal Shooting Academy in Polk Country, Florida, this October.
The invite came between a string of wins for Simmons.
He placed first Saturday and second Sunday in the master class at a double-qualifier for the International Practical Shooting Confederation of British Columbia over the weekend in Terrace, B.C.
“I’m definitely happy with it, I’m doing very well,” said Simmons.
Saturday’s win was his third straight. Simmons produced two first-place finishes at an IPSC B.C. double-qualifier in October, which, having taken place following the B.C. championship, was considered part of the 2014 season.
Making the podium in events is not new to Simmons, but winning three in a row is.
“I’m more relaxed. Because I’m more relaxed, I’m able to focus more quickly during a competition, per stage,” said Simmons. “And the practice is paying off. I’m always seeing things I should learn and practice. When I see mistakes I go home and go ‘this is what I did wrong’ and then I practice that until I correct it.”
Every season his numbers are getting better.
Simmons shot his way to a seventh place finish in the open division at the 2013 IPSC B.C. Provincial Championships last September, up from 13th the year before.
He also produced a career high at the IPSC Canadian Nationals last year in New Brunswick. He cracked the top-20 with a 17th place finish, up from 22nd in 2012 and 25th in 2011.
The six-time Yukon steel-shooting champion placed fourth in the open handgun division and fifth overall at the Alaska Speed Shooting Championships near Fairbanks last June and plans to improve on that this year.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com