RECENTLY crowned West Indies Fullbore rifle shooting Individual Grand Aggregate champion, Guyana’s Ransford Goodluck, is seeking sponsorship to the tune of Guy$700,000 in order to make his presence felt and at the same time, bring Guyana glory at this year’s Bisley, World Long Range Championships in England, slated for August.

In an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport, the multiple West Indies individual champion said he is disappointed that he would not be able to compete at the Bisley if he does not get funding.

He informed that the Guy$700,000 needed would cover his air fare, entrance fee, boarding and lodging while in England. “I feel disappointed because I know my chances, as well as that of the Guyanese team are good.

“The others - Mahendra Persaud and Richard and Dylan Fields – would not be able to shoot as a Guyana team, so they will have to get another West Indian shooter to make up a West Indies team” the former Inspector of Police lamented, adding “with my experience we would have a good opportunity to win the junior team championship.

“We (Guyana) have the top three shooters in the Caribbean at the moment, myself included, but sadly, I will be missing from Bisley.

“You see, the Guyanese motivate each other and this has caused us to perform well as a team over the years and with my experience, we share ideas and then again, it’s a big plus being together as a team.”

Goodluck who has competed five times at the Bisley meet, the last being in 2003, and who represented Guyana at four Commonwealth Games, the last being in 2006 at the Melbourne, Australia Games where he placed 55th overall from a field of 1200 shooters from around the world in the individual grand aggregate, said his greatest achievement since being involved in the sport, was in 1996 when a British team which included Andrew Tucker, who was regarded as the greatest shooter in the world for the 20th century toured the West Indies.

“That year when they came to Guyana, there was a prize of a solid two ounce hand crafted gold medal for the winner of the individual Grand Aggregate winner and no one here ever thought a Guyanese could win it, but surprisingly, I won it, so to me that was one of my greatest achievements. There is only one such medals in the world and I own it.”

Asked if his 55th place at the Melbourne was not heartening, Goodluck who took up the sport in 1979, the very year he represented Guyana for the first time answered in the affirmative, but had this to add “I could have done better, but that year there was a rule change where we had to shoot two ranges on the opening day instead of one and I finished third in the first range, but with one hour rest for lunch, which to me was not my type of food, then again it was cold, I went into the second range kind of hungry.

I don’t ever eat cold food, you see, hunger at home and hunger abroad are two different things.”

Asked what are some of the challenges he has face in the sport, the national top shot pointed out that getting proper equipment and gear, as well as being able financially to compete at international meets are a few challenges.

“I can remember in 2002 at Bisley, my shooting jacket let me down. It lost its ability to give me the support I required at the time and I didn’t recognise it until midway in the shoot, but I couldn’t change it and so had to continue with it and I was really shooting superbly.

So, to really perform well at the highest level, proper equipment and gear is necessary.”

Asked what or who inspired him to get involved in the sport, Goodluck was quick to respond “It comes from the family’s genes.

My father worked in the arms stores while the British ruled Guyana and during the Second World War.

He subsequently worked in the same position in the Guyana Police Force, so more or less, I was involved with the sport prior to conception, it was in my genes, and as a small boy, the last of three brothers, I had to prove myself that I can shoot a weapon.

“My brothers had an air rifle was no big thing at that time, but for me to get the opportunity to shoot it, I had to prove myself and until now, I have the same attitude of proving myself.”

Asked how much longer he plans to be involved in the sport, Goodluck said “as long as I can see and shoot and it’s not a case of being competitive later on, but just to be supportive of other marksmen like as a coach. This is the only sport in the world that do not discriminate against age, sex or disability.”