Super Six Pan-Am Championships bid gets major boost at Carry Gun Nationals
Published:Sunday | May 29, 2022 | 2:00 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
With the Pan-American Championships in their sights, Super Six shooting team captain Sasha-Gay Mullings says that she is grateful for the strong support which has seen an uptick in women competing in the sport.
Mullings was speaking yesterday at the Super Six Carry Gun Nationals held at the Jamaica Rifle Association (JFA) headquarters, which saw 87 shooters participate, with team competitions also taking place.
Super Six, the first all-women’s shooting team, was formed a few months ago but used the championships as a fundraiser for their preparations for the Pan American Shooting Championships this September.
Mullings said that they could not have anticipated the strong response to their entry into competitive shooting since the group’s inception.
“We did not imagine having the support that we are getting now, especially from the men because, being that practical pistol shooting is a male-dominated sport, we were prepared for resistance from the men,” Mullings told The Sunday Gleaner. However, they have been welcoming. They have been really good to us. They have been assisting as much as possible, even with training.”
TURNOUT ENCOURAGING
Rohan Wilson, first vice-president of the Jamaica Rifle Association, said he was encouraged by the turnout, which he says bodes well for the sport’s future, with more participants than they have gotten at events in previous years.
“We have today (yesterday) seen the largest number of shooters in the competition here at the Jamaica Rifle Competition for five years. And this represents positive and solid growth in the handgun competitive world,” he said.
“It’s something that is relatively new. We always had female shooters but we now have a group of six women who are blazing the trail in the competitive shooting industry.”
Wilson said that the event saw various teams from law enforcement agencies, including the Jamaica Customs Agency, who were making their competitive shooting debuts.
Wilson said that he owed the growth of women in competitive shooting locally to the efforts of the Super Six.
“There is no question that there is lasting interest from women to become involved in the sport of shooting. We have had women walk in just to find out how to become a part of the Super Six,” Wilson said.
“The representation that the Super Six have been putting out there has helped significantly to garner the interest of females in shooting sports.”
Mullings said that the event has not just been a motivator, but has also helped in the team’s overall growth as they look to make their own mark later this year.
“It is definitely boosting our skills because the turnout has been tremendous. This will now boost our confidence in preparing for the Pan-American Championships in September,” Mullings said.