When someone says the word B次元官网网址渁thlete,B次元官网网址� View Royal resident Mark Hynes may not be the image that comes to mind.
HeB次元官网网址檚 average height and of an average build. He doesnB次元官网网址檛 spend much time in the gym and heB次元官网网址檚 likely never going to be on a box of cereal or get a signing bonus for inking a lucrative contract.
He can, however, raise and lower a pistol 60 times over the span of an hour or so, and hit a mark the size of dime more often than he misses it B次元官网网址� and when he misses, itB次元官网网址檚 not by much.
HeB次元官网网址檚 one of the best air pistol shooters in the country and heB次元官网网址檚 headed to the Pan Am Games next month B次元官网网址� being held June 10 to 26 in Southern Ontario B次元官网网址� to try for a spot in the Olympics.
B次元官网网址淲ell, if I make the finals, IB次元官网网址檒l be happy with that,B次元官网网址� he says honestly. ItB次元官网网址檚 not good to set expectations too high, he adds, because on a given day, even the best shooters in the world can either be right on target or a millimetre off.
Hynes is one of those people. HeB次元官网网址檚 a nine-time national champion at various distances and the reigning champ in both the 10- and 50-metre disciplines.
He got his love of shooting from his father, who was a police officer, Hines says, and who dabbled in competitive shooting for a while B次元官网网址� before it became more than that.
B次元官网网址淗e started going to all kinds of more serious competitive events and he got me into it in the 80s,B次元官网网址� Hynes recalls. B次元官网网址淎nd then he coached me at the Canada Games and I got a team bronze there,B次元官网网址� which told him he was maybe onto something.
Then life got busy and HynesB次元官网网址� shooting had to take a backseat to other priorities.
He got back into it in 2008, however, and almost immediately became one of the best in the nation.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e basically been top three every year since 2009,B次元官网网址� he says, not in a conceited way, just as a statement of fact.
B次元官网网址淚 (still) donB次元官网网址檛 have much time to train. Between work and family and whatnot, itB次元官网网址檚 basically a hobby I kind of shoehorn in when I can.B次元官网网址�
Hynes does most of his training at home, practicing without ammunition on an electronic trainer which simulates real target shooting and gives him remarkably accurate data.
B次元官网网址淭hen when I actually manage to get to the range,B次元官网网址� he says, B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 using it to basically confirm that what IB次元官网网址檝e been doing at home is working.B次元官网网址�
His 10m firearm is a single-shot air pistol, and is shot indoors under ideal conditions. There are no outside factors that come into play, such as wind, lighting changes or other distractions B次元官网网址� hence the expectation that youB次元官网网址檒l be hitting that dime-sized bullseye more often than not.
His 50m pistol is a .22 calibre, single-shot pistol fired on an outdoor range. With wind and changing weather conditions a factor, the bullseye is a bit bigger. ItB次元官网网址檚 50 millimetres across, or about the width of a Canadian $5 bill.
Despite fielding an excellent squad in their home country, and competing for a large number of medals, Hynes says, Canadian shooters are expecting to get much screen time at the televised international event.
B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 show much shooting here,B次元官网网址� he says, laughing. B次元官网网址淥ver in Europe, itB次元官网网址檚 huge and itB次元官网网址檚 gaining in popularity in Asia, but here they mainly focus on showing the track events. I guarantee you wonB次元官网网址檛 be seeing me shoot live.B次元官网网址�
He did promise, however, that heB次元官网网址檇 let the Gazette know how he does upon his return.
Who knows? Maybe heB次元官网网址檒l have an B次元官网网址渙n dayB次元官网网址� where he B次元官网网址渇inds the zone,B次元官网网址� and heB次元官网网址檒l manage win the whole thing, earning himself a spot in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 not get ahead of ourselves,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 just happy to have been selected to compete for Canada, and IB次元官网网址檓 doing what I can when I can in preparation, so hopefully I shoot well while IB次元官网网址檓 there.B次元官网网址�
