The Dutch Open 2016 Int'l. Airsoft Practical Shooting: Bigger, Better, Awesome!

OptimusPrime

26 Nov 2016

On the 10th of November, while on the train travelling from King’s Cross St. Pancras to Brussels (to grab some Belgian Beer and Waffles along the way), then Brussels to Amsterdam, I wondered how the Dutch Airsoft Players Association (NABV) and its International Airsoft Practical Shooting group (IAPS) would be able to pull an even more successful Dutch Open 2016 International Airsoft Practical Shooting given that last year’s Dutch Open was a big success on its own.

The Dutch Open 2015, the first to be hosted by the NABV, was hard to criticize as it was an excellent in so many areas, from organization to venue, from officiating to people, from being efficient to being a great airsoft event overall.

I was pretty much sure that the NABV had a few more tricks up their sleeves and will provide an even better Dutch Open 2016. In Amsterdam, I met up with Owen/MasterChief to brief him further on what to expect at the Dutch Open. Over beer and some stuff that I would rather not write here somewhere along Amsterdam’s world-famous Red Light District, we talked about who will do what and what he can expect being as it was his first time to be at the event, and curious how far has airsoft practical shooting in Europe has gone.

The next day, after spending going through the usual sights and sounds of the Amsterdam, we met up with a good friend, NABV’s Luuk van Hulten at Schiphol Airport where he picked up Lars Hagemann, the Danish Champion shooter in real steel and who is now going to airsoft practical shooting competitions. He will be representing Action Sport Games (ASG) as the company was a major sponsor of the event. I first met Lars during the Airsoft Surgeon Practical Shooting European Championship 2016 in Gloucester and he is such a great chap to be with. In the car on our way to Papendal Sports Centrum, the same venue as last year, the conversation was very much animated that we never noticed the travel time and thought it was short ride though the ride took over an hour.

Dropping off our bags in our hotel rooms, we met up with the organizers and competitors at Restaurant 20 28 for dinner, which is a pretty good restaurant inside the hotel. Many have already arrived, including the shooters from the UK who have driven all the way, crossing the Channel loaded with airsoft guns to compete at the Dutch Open. The food, as always, was excellent.

After dinner, we made our way down to the Dug Out bar, always the watering hole for the shooters and athletes at the Sports Centrum after a long day. There, we saw Nigel Streeter of Airsoft Action Magazine together with his wife and daughter. It was the first time for the magazine to cover the event, which was a welcome thing as airsoft practical shooting needs more media coverage. Other shooters were having a glass or two before calling it a night as they needed to rest for a long Saturday. By around 2300H we decided to call it a night as we all needed to prepare for the weekend’s big event.

Saturday, the 12th of November, saw us quickly moving as it was the first day of the Dutch Open 2016. After a quick breakfast, Master Chief and I hurried to the range where Chief RO Bart Verwijst was already doing the briefing to the shooters. For this year, we saw shooters from Germany and Slovakia competing for the first time and apart from them, the shooters came from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, and the host country, The Netherlands. Bart made quick work of his briefing on the rules and courses for the Dutch Open 2016 as he wanted to get going right away given that there are around a hundred shooters going through 24 stages for 2 days, divided equally into 12 stages for each day.

Just like any other practical shooting competition, the shooters started slowly as they got to see the layout of the stages and seeing how other shooters cope with the obstacles and surprises designed by the organizers. As the first day of the Dutch Open 2016 got underway, it got warmer inside the venue as competitors try to better their times and bets others’ times even if the temperature outside was 2 degrees below freezing.

Last year, the stages were compartmentalized or grouped together where shooters had to go out into the main corridor just get into the other stages. This year, the dividers to the stages were removed and it was easier to move up and down the venue, easier also for me and Master Chief to go around and cover the action.

The first day was very much straightforward as the squads and range officers went about their tasks of shooting and officiating like clockwork. Everything that is needed by those inside the venue is there, no need to go somewhere else such as getting food and drinks. The IAPS-NABV staff was always on hand to take care of whatever is needed by the Range Officers and Players. As for us in the media, we were free to go up and down the stages to get the best angles that we can provided that we don’t get in the way of the shooters.

Now, about the stages, they were designed to different degrees of difficulty and duration, from short to long which means that the shooters had to adapt to the layout of the stage and to shoot at the targets in the fastest or efficient way and prepare their ammo accordingly. The Cow stage, which was introduced last year was still there but the crocodile stage was replaced by a cute yellow duck. Other stages forced shooters to shoot with their non-dominant hand, or do single-handed shooting while carrying a bag or a package. Whatever the organizers can think of and squeeze into 24 stages, the stages were either easy to go through or extremely frustrating. Only the most competitive airsoft practical shooters will not be fazed by the challenges.

By around 1800H most of the shooters were able to go through the first 12 stages of the first day. They could still go for more, but even 12 stages will take a toll on the energies of everyone, including us. The first day was then concluded and after resting for about two hours, we were then treated by the NABV with a buffet dinner at the hotel restaurant. Everybody looked fresh, none of the shooting smell (if ever there is such) remained, and we enjoyed the food with much gusto. From that special dinner, it was time again to go through the day’s highlights at the Dug Out bar, ordering drinks until we decided to call it a day as there was still another day of competitive shooting.

On the second day, the shooting action continued as the shooters remaining (there were already 10 disqualifications the day before), worked through the remaining stages. It was the second day on which they will have to work harder to go increase their scores and go up the leaderboard as there won’t be another day. Bart had to take out a stage when there was confusion on the layout where a gap in the wall was disputed if shooters can shoot through it or not, to make it fair for all the shooters who went through that stage. Of course, the second day, the shooters were tenser as they all want to take home a trophy or two.
In terms of scoring, the scorers and Range Officers went high tech as they have been equipped with tablets so they can input the scores to the Shoot and Score it web application for quick tallying of scores. The players themselves can see their scores and progress but they won’t see the scores of others and leaderboard tallies. It was the first time that such a system is being implemented and for the organizers it is a great tool to use as time won’t be wasted doing manual scoring.

Even if there were 12 stages left for the day, by 1600H most of the squads were already done with all the stages. By around 1615 the awarding ceremonies commenced with Gerard, the Match Director, as the emcee of the awarding ceremonies, starting with a Remembrance Day observance led by Tim Wyborn. Appreciation for the staff and sponsors were announced and raffle prizes from the sponsors such as RedWolf Airsoft, Gunfire, ASG, Cybergun, Valken Tactical Europe, Ghost, B-501, Armorer Works, and Action Army were given away. Then came the most awaited part of the afternoon, the announcement of winners in the various divisions and categories of the Dutch Open 2016, including the Dutch Champions.

By 1700H, the Dutch Open 2016 was officially concluded. As for those who live nearby made their way back to their homes, the other shooters stayed for another night to have some dinner and unwind in Arnhem. For me and Master Chief, we treated ourselves to Indonesian food in the Arnhem city centre.
The next day, the 14th of November, we checked out together with Lars Hagemann and made our way back to Schiphol airport by train as we finally take our journey back to our own homes.

What is there to say about the Dutch Open? It’s hard to really find fault with the event as everything was just excellent. If the Dutch Open 2015 was already a benchmark in organising an airsoft practical shooting tournament, the Dutch Open 2016 raised the bar even higher. Of course, there were minor hiccups, and not everything is perfect, but given how the IAPS-NABV delivered the Dutch Open 2016 is worth the time and money that all the shooters put into it. With more participants and more countries participating, the Dutch Open is getting to be a must-attend event for airsoft practical shooters in Europe and hopefully other non-European shooters will check the event out.

We can’t just recommend it enough and if you are a shooter looking for exciting airsoft practical shooting, the Dutch Open experience is something that you should have in your airsoft practical shooting bucket list.

Will the Dutch Open 2017 be even better? We do hope so and it might be held at a new venue. Stay tuned on this until the NABV formally announce the new venue.

Here are the winners of the Dutch Open 2017:

Super Senior Open Division