The soldiers vied for a spot on the area team that will go on to compete at the national Canadian Forces Small Arms Competition (CFSAC) this fall. As the participants fired C7 service rifles and 9mm Browning pistols, the LFAA Small Arms Team’s organizers looked beyond the scores. They evaluated the soldiers based on their performance and potential.
A soldier prepares to fire during the Area Small Arms Competition.
MCpl Tatyana Danylyshyn, member of the Princess Louise Fusiliers and former National Team member and winner of the coveted General Grant Trophy for Top Rifle Shot, reiterates that point.
“A week or two of serious investment can dramatically improve people’s abilities,” explains MCpl Danylyshyn.
In the end, Master Corporal Jeff Haynes, Prince Edward Island Regiment, and Corporal Jonathan Palmer, 1st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders (North) (1 NS Highrs), bested fifty-one other competitors from 36 and 37 Canadian Brigade Groups. MCpl Haynes and Cpl Palmer tied for Best Shot and Combat Pistol shooting.
This was MCpl Haynes’s first time competing and he was genuinely surprised at his win. “I thought it was awesome — really good training,” said MCpl Haynes.
Reservists selected from this competition will travel to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown to join their Regular Force teammates for a two-week training camp to take place August 13–24. Once finalized, the LFAA Small Arms Team will include twenty-one shooters from the Regular Force and twenty-one from the Primary Reserves. The combined team will then compete for the Queen’s Medal at the Canadian Forces Small Arms Competition (CFSAC), held at the Connaught Ranges in Ottawa, September 9–22.
Article and photos by Master Corporal David McCord, Canadian Army Public Affairs, Halifax
