On November 23-24 the Dutch Open 2024 took place - the European Championship in dynamic shooting (IAPS), where our Polish 5-men team took part on 24 demanding tracks. Our competitors were victorious, but first I will introduce you to what the Dutch Open 2024 was all about. And it was something really big…
The competition took place in the Netherlands in the town of Geldermalsen in the NAVB hall, which is the official headquarters of the Dutch Airsoft Association. In order to enter the Netherlands with airsoft replicas, we had to provide our personal data during registration to receive an invitation to the competition and consent to "transfer" the replicas without membership in their NABV association. It is definitely more difficult to buy a replica there than in Poland.
The hall was prepared for this event perfectly! At the entrance registration of competitors took place, with a space to change cloches, toilets, a Safety zone and on the upper floor we could buy drinks and snacks and watch the tracks from a higher perspective.
It is not the first time that the Dutch have organized such a large competition and it always runs very smoothly. The organizer welcomed us, presented the shooting schedule and invited us to the official opening. After a speech by the owner and guests, the competition began. We also had access to a test range where we could adjust our equipment and sights before we went on the tracks.
This year's theme was video games. The decorations on the tracks were top notch! It was amazing to shoot on the tracks where there were made of cardboard "blocks" from Tetris, we moved next to coins, pipes and clouds from Mario Bros. or ran on the board from Monopoly!
I liked the "Duck Hunt" track the most, where the characteristic dog laughed at the shooters, and the ducks that were hit were placed in the background. The organizers outdid themselves with the huge amount of work put into the visual side.
On the first day we shot on tracks 13 to 24. Each of us did well, often with varying degrees of success. Our results were often very good, but we always strived for perfection and every mistake was our last. We also shot in a very good line-up, where, as it turned out later, medalists were also present. We gained momentum with each good run, both ours and our opponents', and often applauded after each run. The tracks themselves were pleasantly demanding, each of them requiring a different skillset.
Monopoly tested the ability to memorize quickly: after loading, we drew a "Chance" card and it determined which color of the target we had to shoot at out of three different ones (blue, yellow and red). Fortunately, there were no color mistakes on our end.
The Pacman-style track tested how fast we could run and shoot accurately, while the Bowling track highlighted how we could shoot with both our strong and weak hands, so there was something for everyone. Halfway along the tracks, there was a break for a meal, where both judges and competitors gathered energy for the second part of the competition.
Cichy's gun was a technical disaster, as it had two major failures during the competition and a large number of misfed BBs, which effectively ruined his result. Rafał also had several failures in his replica. In dynamic shooting, the rule is "after the timer signal is on, equipment failure is always the competitor's fault", therefore it was not possible to request to repeat a track. After the first day there was no specific leader in any of the classes.
At the and of the first day there was a barbecue made by the organizer, where we could eat grilled delicacies for a fee and possibly buy cold drinks. There was also a lottery where the competition sponsors prepared prizes (including Shooters global timers or Shield Sights).
Tracks 1 to 12, which we did on the second day, were easier in our opinion. We all shot with great pleasure, we had no delays.
There were individual situations where the differences between the IAPS rules and the ones we know from AA IPSC surprised us. Despite these differences, in most cases we managed to reach an agreement. However, it is difficult to understand when a judge would like to give a competitor a procedure for something that is not mentioned in the rules, but thinks that the competitor should receive it. When Cichy fell so unfortunately while changing a magazine on the course that he touched the base of a popper, which started to fall over, but he shot at it, so formally the course should be repeated or the hit should be counted, the second judge wondered whether to add a penalty procedure with negative points. Fortunately, he didn't give it to him and in our opinion, something like this shouldn't happen, so ultimately, most of these situations had a positive outcome.
After all competitors finished shooting all the tracks, we received certificates of completion of the competition, and Cichy and Rafał were invited to the Shoot-off. This is a tradition started in 2023 where the 2 best competitors from the same equipment class duel each other simultaneously in 3 different zones with targets. The zones are set up identically, and competitors start from the left and right. Whoever finishes shooting all the targets first - wins an additional medal.
Rafał started first, he finished the first round, but his equipment did not allow him to achieve a better result. Unfortunately, during the second round his equipment failed again and he was unable to finish his run.
Then Cichy started his duel - in the first round, despite three missed shots, he managed to win, and in the second round, when he had no problems, he definitely outpaced his rival by the entire shooting zone.
After congratulating ourselves on our runs with the other players, it was time to officially announce the results.
This year they were presented in the following order:
Standard Class
Piotr Paluszyński - 5th place - 91.40%
Jędrzej Sztandera - 3rd place - 94.08%
Rafał Tomanek - 2nd place - 94.46%
Open Class
Roch Piekarski - 5th place - 88.64%
Mateusz Cichecki - 2nd place - 99.44%
Jędrzej, Rafał and Mateusz received statuettes with the appropriate number of the place they won, and additionally Cichy received a medal for winning the shoot off (second time in a row).
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE EUROPEAN TEAM SUCCESS!
NABV also shared a video and photo report from this event, which we are adding so that you can feel the atmosphere of the competition and see our competitors.
We are very happy to take part in the competition and we will surely go to the next edition where we will show our skills again. And we will definitely come back with working replicas, as this year they were an important part of the game ;)
Photos: Mateusz Cichecki, NABV
