The event, one of four selections for the national team, marks a significant return after more than a decade's absence at the Valbo club. Participants have gathered from locations ranging from Storuman in the north to Visby in the south, united by their interest in shooting. Among them is Patrik Wahlberg, who traveled from Visby and was previously ranked number one in Sweden.
Wahlberg has competed in the national team for 25 years, but he is not very worried about whether he will secure a spot this time. According to SVT Gävleborg (official), Patrik Wahlberg described the event as a chance to reconnect with the community, noting that some attendees haven't seen each other in over half a year. He has observed that interest in the sport has cooled, with fewer people turning to shooting in recent years.
Some of us haven't seen each other in over half a year, so it's fun to meet everyone again and have a nice day together.
The event format involves clay pigeon shooting, a sport where things move quickly, with each shooter getting 25 pigeons per round and shooting five at a time in batches. Over the weekend, a total of 150 pigeons are to be shot per participant. Johan Alkberg from Ockelbo, who found the sport through elective courses in elementary school, believes more people would start shooting if they had the opportunity to try it.
According to SVT Gävleborg (official), Johan Alkberg described the satisfaction of achieving a proper hit during the competition. The exact number of participants and specific selection criteria for the national team remain unclear, as do the event's dates and any measures to increase accessibility to the sport.
It's a certain feeling when you get this proper hit.