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Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK School Ra
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:38 pm
by Dangermouse
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/201 ... ment-36738
Interesting story,
DM
Alan Bell, the “Chief Starter” for track events at the 2012 London Olympics, has been called one of the “world’s top race starters“. Over the past 36 years, using his trusty blank-firing starter pistols, Alan has started over 25,000 events, including Olympic and World Championship races. Bell, the current Chairman of the IAAF International Starters Panel, is widely recognized as one of the most capable (and knowledgeable) race starters on the planet.
However, the regional Council in West Dunbartonshire (Scotland) recently decided that Bell should not be allowed to start a running race at a local elementary school. Bell had originally been invited as an Olympic VIP for the benefit of the student athletes in this small community near Glasgow. Bell was even planning to start the school race by firing the same starter pistol which will be used to start the 100m Finals in the 2012 summer Olympic Games.
Why did the West Dunbartonshire Council send Bell home? It’s all about gun-phobia. Council members feared “that the sound of a pistol discharge would frighten the children and, perhaps, psychologically scar them forever”. (Source: Outdoor Life Blog).
As might be expected, some locals lambasted the Council’s action. One parent told The Scottish Sun: “It was ridiculous. We were told that the children would be distressed by Mr Bell firing his starting pistol. Anyone who believes they would be frightened by a starting pistol has never experienced the noise at a typical three-year-old’s birthday party.” So worried was the Council over the firing of a starter pistol (which shoots blanks with no projectile), that it tried to find a “politically correct” alternative. One proposed solution was to use an iPod to play a recording of a starting pistol. The school’s administrators eventually decided to start the race with a Klaxon horn noise instead of the crack of a starter’s pistol.
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:45 pm
by Sim G
I just don't know what to say about BS like this anymore......
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:35 pm
by Gaz
It's getting well out of hand now. People are being conditioned to fear the existence of a lump of metal instead of its misuse. What we need is more positive stories from shooting to come out and drown this sort of madness.
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:24 pm
by saddler
Such things may well come to be classed as "...the Scottish disease..." given the stance that the SNP seem to be increasingly developing
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:33 pm
by bobbob
There is so much talk about the Olympics only being for London, using the actual official pistol would have given those kids a great memory of the day the Olympics came to them.
When I was in the SK we used to do talks at schools, even for the little kids. We sometimes got permission to fire a musket and once even a small cannon. The kids loved the noise.
Such a shame.
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 9:36 am
by andyh
I've just attempted to send Lord Coe an email with a link to the above story, with his olympic connections he might find this intresting,
Don't trust politicians :55: but you never know
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 9:53 am
by Watcher
When I was a kid we had a guy come and start our races using a Webly Mk VI. I even managed to blag a case off him! This was in the 60s though.
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 10:51 am
by Tower75
... I don't want to live on this planet anymore
It's just getting worse, isn't it? I always like to think that I am not a pessimist, I'm a realist - things will not get better, will they?
So... archery, anyone?
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:17 pm
by bobbob
Tower.75 wrote:
So... archery, anyone?
Oooh no, might have someones eye out
Re: Olympic Starter Can’t Use His Starter Pistol at UK Schoo
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:16 pm
by Blu
Geez that is just so fecking stupid, "scare the kids" gimme a break. A couple of weeks ago we were up in Mackinaw city having a look around the fort. There were classes of school kids there all around eight to ten years old. Now the staff who run the fort are all dressed in period costumes and one chap dressed up as a Redcoat complete with musket was giving the kids a history talk about the fort. During the talk he was explaining the number of motions the soldiers of the time went through to load and fire their muskets. He then went on to ask the kids if they would like to see a demonstration.
So the guy and another fella loaded up the muskets and let loose, the kids loved it. It was the same when they were demonstrating the loading and firing of a cannon, the kids just loved it. Scare the kids with a starting pistol for Christ sake. Those idiots wouldn't like living around here then, not a day goes by when I don't hear somebody shooting on their property. I guess the kids around here are made of sterner stuff but then again usually it's t
he kids and their parents that are doing the shooting.
Blu
