The UKPSA Mourne Mountain Challenge

UKPSA Mourne Mountain Challenge Grader

                                       
                                             THE UKPSA MOURNE MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE

                                               GRADED PRACTICAL PISTOL COMPETITION

The UKPSA’s Handgun Commission organised their second graded IPSC practical pistol competition, the Mourne Mountain Challenge, in a series of graded matches. Held at the Ulster Small Arms Shooting Club range in Kilkeel, County Down, in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains.

The Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. The highest of these is Slieve Donard at 850 metres (2,790 ft). The Mournes is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has been proposed as the first national park in Northern Ireland. Each year the Mournes are visited by many tourists, hill walkers, cyclists and rock climbers.



                   The Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of       
                      Northern Ireland and are a magnet for tourists, hill walkers, cyclists and rock climbers

The Mourne Wall is among the more famous features in the Mournes. It is a 22 mile or 35 kilometer dry stone wall that crosses fifteen summits, constructed to define the boundaries of the 8,900 acres area of land purchased by the Belfast Water Commissioners in the late 1800’s. This allowed the establishment of a water supply from the Mournes to the growing industrial city of Belfast. Construction of the Mourne Wall was started in 1904 and was completed in 1922.

The Mournes are also very popular as a destination for Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions. The Isle of Man and even Snowdonia in Wales can sometimes be seen across the Irish Sea from the Mournes on clear days.

You can see more of what Northern Ireland has to offer at

www.discovernorthernireland.com

 


                                   A long time UKPSA member, Paul Kirkpatrick won Standard Division
                                         in the Mourne Mountain Challenge IPSC graded competition

 
A properly run graded IPSC competition requires properly trained and qualified match officials to ensure the smooth running of the event. To ensure this the UKPSA had organised an IPSC Range Officer Training Seminar in March that was conducted by UKPSA Trainers Martyn Spence and Jim Gibney. They put a group of 12 new range officers through the IPSC two day training course, which is a blend of both classroom work and practical training in situations that they will encounter in a competition. Martyn and Jim also re-qualified UKPSA members who were previously range officer qualified.