Shooting on target despite pitfall
Capt. Harsha Weerasuriya (below pic) imparting his knowledge at a training session - Pic by Indika Handuwala
There was an era when almost all the sport’s governing bodies in Sri Lanka were entangled in disputes while the Sri Lanka Shooting Sports Federation (SLSSF) had a smooth run with an excellent track record until recent times. But today the status quo has changed — shooting sports has joined the rest of the disputed governing bodies with internal crossfires. Despite such a background, faced today, Captain Harsha Weerasuriya has stood tall with his positive instinct with the sole intention of promoting shooting sports, especially among the schoolchildren. He become one of the handful to achieve the status of a qualified coach sanctioned by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) alongside SSP Gamini Walgama and Shirantha Peiris, who qualified this status through Clay Target Shooting.
However, Weerasuriya and Walgama did not stop there — by attending a self-paid residential training camp and making use of the qualifications they gained to their own benefit they chose to share what they learnt with others in Sri Lanka. They helped, especially the coaches, affiliated with Sri Lanka Schools Shooting Sports Association (SLSSA) where Weerasuriya is heavily involved as a voluntary Technical Officer. “If we had just moved on with the trend, where usually the documents involved in the training are not given out to others by the individual. But both of us thought that it would be better to share what we learned. Share the knowledge and impart whatever the good things we got to know.
We conducted a successful training session, where almost all the coaches attached to the SLSSA and SLSSF took part and it gives us a humble pride in what we did,” stated Captain Weerasuriya. The comprehensive training session for coaches affiliated with the SLSSA and SLSSF was held at the Nalanda College Auditorium, and it was conducted under the SLSSF’s Youth Shooter Development Programme. Weerasuriya and Walgama made sure to get all documents they received at the overseas training camp copies and reprinted, so it could be distributed among all participants.
Captain Weerasuriya, alumni of Nalanda College, was a highly involved shooter during his schooldays. He has won the national championships at four occasions until 1994, during which time he played a pivotal role to initiate shooting among schools. With that aim, Weerasuriya and a few others formed the Nalanda College Rifleshooting Association in 1990. In 1992, the newly-formed schools shooting body conducted its Individual Qualifying Meet followed by the first-ever Air Rifle and Air Pistol Meet in 1994. Since 1995 the schools meet was not held until 2005.
“I joined the Army and for unknown reasons meets were not held for a decade. When I got the opportunity to get involved again with shooting I became an integral part of it unknowingly.
I could not keep myself out, as most of the schools officials, after the revival of SLSSSA, heavily relied on me. Since then it has become my daily routine to help schools, young shooters and the SLSSSA and when needed help the SLSSF too,” recalled Captain Weerasuriya. However, today, individuals in the caliber of Weerasuriya are regarded as ‘freely available people’ by those who come in and go out at administrative, which is totally the other side. Weerasuriya and a few others who loved shooting sports have worked tirelessly to make SLSSSA one of the strongest affiliations of the SLSSF today.
The service he renders to shooting sports at school level is priceless and it would be dearly felt the day Weerasuriya decides to call it a day. But Weerasuriya is still of the view that his output, to popularise shooting sports among schools, needs to be doubled, despite offering a voluntary and honorary service. His efforts are further blighted by the dispute among officials of SLSSF which has overshadowed the development of the sport dearly. This is something to grieve about for a man who had worked tirelessly to increase the number of schools and young shooters in a big way during the past 12 years.
“My concern is the schools. I work hard to get young talent to its potential stage and help them achieve what they aim for, while looking into the development of shooting and its officials. It’s not an easy journey and it’s not that easy as picking a gun or a rifle and pulling the trigger. We conduct coaching camps, qualifying meets and two major events annually at school level but we all know that with a bit of extra hard work, we can more than what we do at present. But having ourselves organised sometimes, is not enough. We need the support of our mentors, the SLSSF, who are presently not in a position to help anyone out due to disputes. This must change, for the betterment of shooting,” he added.