Two days of some of the most competitive airsoft practical pistol shooting action took place last 13-14 August at the StrikeForce CQB in Gloucester, United Kingdom. The Airsoft Surgeon Practical Pistol European Championship 2016, the fourth in the series, saw over 150 shooters in the various divisions and categories. This makes it the largest international airsoft practical shooting event in this part of the world, if not the whole world.

I arrived on Friday, the 12th of August, taking care of work concerns and totally missed the RO Pre-match which was handled by the ROs in the UK, led by Justin Cooper of the Watford Practical Pistol Club (WPPC). They came in early in the week together with the Airsoft Surgeon himself and RedWolf Airsoft UK to set up the courses of fire and ensure that shooters get a nice welcome when registration opens on the 13th.

It was already early evening when I checked in at the hotel. I had barely set my bags down when Luuk van Hulten, a member of the Dutch shooters and of the NABV, sent a text message informing me that they had reserved a table at TGI Fridays in Gloucester Quays, the place to go to for a night out when you are in the city. After a quick shower, I rushed to join them there. Also joining us were Paul Wignell of Team ASG and Lars Hagemann of the CZ IPSC Team who flew in from Denmark for ASG to try competing in Action Air  for the first time and at the same time had a scheduled knockout single stage competition against the Airsoft Surgeon himself.

It was a pleasure to see the Dutch shooters after being with them during the Dutch Open 2015 where they were magnificent hosts for those who competed in the event and will do so again late this year.  As always, it was always a racket whenever I join them, and taking advantage of the reputation of Fridays whenever somebody celebrates a birthday, the whole restaurant staff come in full force to greet the celebrant a happy birthday. And our group had two celebrants for that night (sorta) and it was a riot.

Too bad the night was just starting but we had to call it early since the big day’s tomorrow and all the shooters will need to be rested. By 2200H, we said our goodnights with me walking back to my hotel as others went back to Travelodge or Ibis as most were billeted there.

Arriving at the StrikeForce CQB at the Morelands Trading Estate the next day, I saw the shooters all geared up and ready to go. It was around 0900H when Chris Kong and Clarence Lai, the Airsoft Surgeon, called the shooters for the final briefing before the competition officially opened, with Justin Cooper, the Chief Range Officer, setting the rules of the Championship. Also for the first time in the European Championship, a 9-year old boy in the form of Kiko, will be competing in the Junior Category. The Hong Kong shooters were in attendance as well and they have been sweeping the awards in the past three years, and they were expected to do so again this year.

16 Stages were prepared for this year, with 10 needed to be accomplished on the first day, and the remaining 6 for Sunday.  The Courses of Fire (COFs) were of various degrees of difficulty. Some will be quick to do go through, others will need shooters to move fast on their feet, and some will test their ability to balance themselves whilst trying to do accurate shooting.  All courses have been designed by the organizers to ensure that they will challenge and bring the best out of the shooters.

Since it was a warm summer weekend, it was somehow even warmer inside StrikeForce CQB, heated up some more by the intensity of the shooting competition as shooters try to best the times of their competitors as well as their own. Even for me, who was not a competitor, felt the need to rehydrate always, as I needed to follow the shooters with my cameras at the various COFs.

By 1600H, most the shooters have gone through the stages and those who were done for the day were already at the fun shoot area, which was the knockout stage in the “Airsoft Surgeon vs Lars Hagemann” bout. Before 1700H, the single-stage shootout took place and all of those present were treated to some of the best airsoft practical shooting skills shown by two legends. The stage had revolving targets, making it harder for the shooters to hit them quickly as the rotation will surely confuse the shooter. The audience were held in suspense as the results were not announced and instead Chris Kong of RedWolf Airsoft UK, invited everyone to join them for a BBQ night at the RedWolf Airsoft UK HQ in Tewkesbury.

For those who still had energy, which fortunately, were most of the shooters, found their way to Tewkesbury. I rode shotgun in the car of Surawoot “OB” Tanasen of Airsoft Media Ops and already found some already there by 1800H. More cars arrived with Chris Kong and Clarence Lai firing up the grill to start the burgers and ribs as hungry shooters arrived and started queuing up for food and drinks. The night was spent talking about what transpired during the day and anything about airsoft. For those who haven’t visited the RedWolf Airsoft UK store, they were inside admiring what was on display and even doing some evening airsoft shopping.

By past 2100H, the tiredness started to set in, which means we had to call it a night since it’s going to be another long day on Sunday, even if it is the last 6 remaining stages.  Though for the Dutch, they had a night cap at TGI Fridays again, going for a round of their beloved Long Island Iced Tea before their day was finally complete.

I came in a bit later than the rest the next day. I had to check on some online stuff that delayed my going back to StrikeForce CQB. I was an almost an hour later, as the shooting resumed before 0900H and I arrived around 0930H. Good thing I was not missed so I quickly got my “shooting gear” on, meaning my cameras and do what was expected of me for the weekend, cover the event and show all the shooters at their best.

The day actually went fast and past 1300H most shooters were already done with all the stages, although there was a bottleneck at Stage 6, delaying the closing ceremonies. Oh well, the shooters who were already done tried their luck to best others at the fun shoot, going through the Knockout stage course used yesterday to win a CZ P-09 airsoft pistol, courtesy of ASG.

Finally, by 1530H the closing and awarding ceremonies started, with the Airsoft Surgeon and Chris King being the masters of ceremonies. They first congratulated and thanked all the shooters who came and making it another successful year; and they then thanked and showed their appreciation to the sponsors such as MadBull Airsoft, RWA, ASG, Airsoft Action, Shield Sights, Viper, and PTS Syndicate and also their partner sponsors such as the various shooting clubs, Airsoft Media Ops, and StrikeForce CBQ.

From there, a long period of raffle announcements and giveaways followed; ensuring that most, if not all, of those present were be able to go home with something, a raffle prize, a giveaway, or even better, an award in the shooting divisions and categories. Even Popular Airsoft got to get home with a glass appreciation award.

After some waiting since it took more time to calculate all the scores, Justin Cooper was able to submit the final scores and winners for the emcees to announce. Trophies were given out though I have lost track the names of the winners. I will be posting the list of winners as soon as Chris Kong sends me the list as an update to this report.

The winners were ecstatic for having won in their divisions and categories. For them it is much deserved for giving their very best and being better than others. For those who did not win, commiserations to them, and for them to work even harder for next year’s championships. There are preparations for the Inaugural IPSC Action Air World Shoot that will be hosted by Hungary in 2017. So far we have not received much information regarding preparations for this world shoot which will be the highest level Action Air match.

The Airsoft Surgeon European Championship's growth over the years has been constant, with this year having over 150 shooters joining, shows that more and more airsoft players are trying their hand in airsoft practical shooting. Of all the various types of competitions in Airsoft, only airsoft practical shooting or Action Air (which is the official designation by the IPSC), is the most mature and institutionalized competition. With clear cut rules, matches, levels, and even schedules, Action Air competition shows a lot of potential for even further expansion in Europe. If you are a competitive airsoft player, you better look into Action Air if you want to start bringing home medals and trophies.

Hopefully, as Nigel Streeter of Airsoft Action Magazine puts it, the Airsoft Surgeon European Championships will soon have a change in name and be called the “Airsoft Surgeon World Championships”. It does have a nice ring to it and hopefully gets organised before the decade is over.

Photos of the Airsoft Surgeon Practical Shooting European Championship 2016 are now online at the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page. Videos of the event will be posted on the Popular Airsoft YouTube Channel.

Congratulations to all the shooters, winners, ROs, supports, and organisers of the event!