28Jun
The Czech Extreme European Open Match
Martin Kamenicek competed at the EEO with his CZ Checkmate
EXTREME suitably describes just about everything for this match, with 30 stages, 548 minimum round count with the top IPSC shooters across all Divisions. This year’s event also included an extreme weather event, not just in the location of the range, but across Europe. Looking at images posted on the competition web site showed everyone that the stage build and pre match were taking place in heavy rain, which caused everyone to pack their wet weather gear.
The Cesks Zbrojovka Extreme European Open
The Ceska Zbrojovka Extreme European Open Practical Pistol Competition
Hodonice, Czech Republic 2013
EXTREME suitably describes just about everything for this match, with 30 stages, 548 minimum round count with the top IPSC shooters across all Divisions. This year’s event also included an extreme weather event, not just in the location of the range, but across Europe. Looking at images posted on the competition web site showed everyone that the stage build and pre match were taking place in heavy rain, which caused everyone to pack their wet weather gear.
Appalling weather conditions were taking place across Europe. Both the Danube and Rhine rivers were at their highest recorded levels for many years. This was causing a lot of severe flooding problems for the villages, towns and cities along the course of both these rivers and the tributaries that flow into them. Driving across Austria and then into the Czech Republic every river we crossed had broken its banks and many fields were flooded. For the competition we had a big change in the weather conditions, with sunshine and cloud on the Wednesday. For the three days of the match the temperature got progressively warmer, creeping up towards 30 degrees Celsius requiring more sun screen to be applied!
CZ Shooting Team member Martina Sera finished in second place in
Ladies Open Division with her CZ Czechmate 9mm major calibre pistol
Organised by the Hell squad - Moravian IPSC Club and the Czech Republic IPSC Region, the Ceska Zbrojovka 2013 Extreme European Open ( EEO ) was a huge event. The match organisers took on the mighty task of running a 30 stage competition for the 604 competitors who started the match, with a minimum round count of 548 rounds. A competition this size required a larger than normal group of match officials. This event was organised under the guidance of Match Directors Lubor Novák and Milan Trkulja ( CZE ). The Range Master was Germany’s Johann Kurz, who was assisted in this task by area CRO’s Kurt Kreuzer ( AUT ), Cees van Diepen ( NED ) and Linas Karosas ( LTU ). Wieslav Geno Sioda (POL), Jan Jumbo Stanek, Vaclav Venny Zvonar and Vitezslav Kristus Kubac, from the Czech Republic, looked after the stats. The competition was supported by an excellent match web site, which you can view at www.extremeeuroopen.eu
Having dominated IPSC Open Division for so many years
Eric Grauffel is now competing in Production Division with his
9mm Tanfoglio and won this division at the EEO
Competitors came from all over Europe, both the established IPSC regions and the newly emerging IPSC regions in Eastern Europe. As well as the competitors from European countries, in which Israel and Russia are included, competitors from other countries around the world also participated in the match. Outside of continental Europe, competitors travelled from as far away as America and South Africa to participate in this match. The international attendance of over 40 countries helped to add to the atmosphere of what was a big event outside of Level 4 Continental and Level 5 World Shoot IPSC competitions.
From the USA Team Glock's KC Eusebio finished in sixth place in
Open Division with a compensated Glock in 9mm Major calibre.
Limit Match Ammunition
Limit Match AmmunitionMost European countries and other countries from around the Globe were represented at the 2013 Extreme European Open. This meant that many competitors flew to this competition. As the minimum round count for this match was 548 rounds, this exceeded the 5 kilogram maximum weight of ammunition that you can carry on a flight. The solution to this was for the organisers to provide official match ammunition for the EEO. The organisers of the EEO asked the Limit Ammunition Company ( www.limit.cz ) to provide the match ammunition for this event. As well as providing the official match ammunition Limit also had a stand displaying both their ammunition and associated reloading products.
The Limit Ammunition Factory supplied the match ammunition for the EEO.
As well as various types of ammunition Limit also had their range
reloading products on display as well
The range officers and match officials registered for the event on Saturday 1st June and the event started on Sunday with a three day Pre Match for all the range officers and match officials. Competitors based themselves around Znojmo and arrived in the town on Wednesday to register for the match. Wednesday was a day off for the RO’s and associated staff; to steel themselves no doubt for the three days ahead!
One of Russia’s top Lady Production competitors,
Svetlana Nikolaeva finished in first place at the EEO
The Main Match started on the Thursday morning of 6th June and consisted of 30 stages, shot ten per day over three half days. The competitors were grouped into 54 squads of 10 shooters, which shot for half a day alternating between mornings and afternoons; 7.30 am to 12.45 pm and 1.30 pm until 7.00 pm. The way the match was organised meant that 27 squads shot in the morning and another 27 squads shot in the afternoon. Each stage was run by a range officer and / or an International Range Officers Association ( I.R.O.A. ) official. Although the competitors spent half a day at the range for three days, the RO’s were there for the whole day, every day. All the range officers put in a lot of effort to keep everything running smoothly and on time and with minimal delays.
One of the group of competitors from Israel, Yael Dagan
finished in fourth place in Ladies Open Division
Match Statistics
Match StatisticsWith the popularity of practical pistol competition in Europe on the increase, this translated into all five IPSC Competition Divisions being well represented at the EEO. This also spread into the various categories of lady, junior, senior and super senior. Production and Standard Division were the most popular with 246 and 163 competitors respectively. Open Division had a total of 124 shooters in this category. The number of competitors in Production Division has steadily increased so that it now exceeding Open and Standard Divisions in popularity. This is borne out in other major matches around Europe. Revolver Division continues to have its devotees with 17 entries. Classic Division, in which you use a M1911 single stack pistol, attracted 25 competitors. A total of 575 competitors completed the competition.
From France STI European Team member Emile Obriot
took second place in Open Division with his STI Grandmaster
competition pistol in .38 Super calibre
The 30 stages were grouped into three areas and consisted of 15 short stages of 12 rounds; eleven medium stages of up to 24 rounds and four long stages of up to 32 rounds for a minimum round count of 548 rounds for the match. As well as static full sized and partial versions, the IPSC Classic targets consisted of moving, bobbing, rise and fall and swinging versions placed between two and 30 metres from the competitors. All of the 30 stages included different forms of reactive targets.
Anastasia Chernenko, a member of the winning Russian Ladies Production Team
at the 2011 IPSC World Shoot, finished in fourth place in Ladies Production
with her Tanfoglio 9mm pistol.
All of the stages offered different degrees of challenges, with different ways to complete the stage. With lots of small steel plates, many swingers, movers and a couple of longer range poppers and paper targets, difficult targets were combined with “run and gun” targets in most stages. Included again this year were a number of rise and fall paper targets, which still left a small portion of the shoot target visible in its lowered position, thus miss penalties still applied.
The top junior in production was Russia’s Pavel Torgashov,
who also finished in a credible tenth place overall
Results
ResultsIn Open Division Spain’s Fernandez Jorge Ballesteros came in first place. Less than 1% separated STI European Team Members Emile Obriot from France and Saul Kirsch from the Netherlands for second and third place. In Ladies Open Division Lenka Horejsi and Martina Sera from the Czech Republic took first and second place. Burgi Hasenkopf from Austria was in third place. In Standard Division STI European Team member JC Jamie Diaz took the top spot from Italy’s Cosimo Panetta and Adriano Santacangelo.
The Czech Republics Lenka Horejsi finished in first place in
Ladies Open Division with her STI Grandmaster .38 Super calibre pistol
In Production Division Eric Grauffel chalked up another win over the Czech Republic’s Robin Sebo and Serbia’s Ljubisa Momcilovic. In Ladies Production the Russian girls continue to dominate. Only 0.13 % separated Svetlana Nikolaeva in first place from the current IPSC Lady Production World Champion Maria Gushchina. In third place was Serbia’s Snezanna Momcilovic. The top junior in production was Russia’s Pavel Torgashov, who also finished in a credible tenth place overall. This Division was the most popular at the Extreme Euro Open. It continues to grow in popularity at matches, due to the fact that the cost to purchase the equipment to take part is lower. As well as being the perfect entry level into IPSC matches, Production Division at the top level is also as competitive as any other Division.
Russia’s Maria Gushchina, current Ladies World Champion in
Production Division,finished in second place in Ladies Production
with her 9mm Tanfoglio at the EEO
In Revolver Division Austria’s Gerald Reiter was in first place, with Italy’s Valter Tranquilli in second and Germany’s Markus Schneider in third place. In Classic Division Italy took a clean sweep with Edoardo Buticchi, Stefano Iacomini and Davide Cerrato in first, second and third place respectively. The debate continues as to the best calibre for this Division, with M1911 pistols in 9mm and .40 S&W calibres having their devotees.
The prize giving took place on Sunday afternoon and in the morning before this there was a steel plate man v man shoot off for the top placed finalists in each division. Always a crowd pleasing spectacle, a large number of spectators gathered to watch. Have a look at the competition web site for a full set of results.
A bullet streaks from the muzzle of Ralf Jensen's
STI Executive .40 calibre pistol
The Czech Extreme European Open accommodated the 575 shooters who completed the match, with 07.30 am starts and approaching 7.00 pm finishes. The match worked due to the pre planning and organisation and the dedication of the range officials and range staff. Even with this years very warm weather, congratulations are due to Hell Squad - Moravian IPSC Club and the Czech Republic IPSC Region, IROA the match sponsors Ceska Zbrojovka ( www.czub.cz ) for giving all the competitors three action packed days and a thoroughly enjoyable match.
STI European Team member JC Jamie Diaz
took the top place in Standard Division.
Well done to all the competitors who battled on to the finish. A BIG thank you is due to all those who worked at this match. They kept the match on the rails despite the conditions of heat that we all had to cope with. Take a look at the competition web site www.extremeeuroopen.eu for the match results of EEO 2013. The details of EEO 2014 will also be announced on this web site.
