McNair family excels in TSNZ Outdoor 50m Smallbore Nationals

Three McNair women (the redheads) in the NZ Randall Women's Team.

At the TSNZ Outdoor 50 Metre Smallbore Championships held at Christchurch over the week of February 20-25 all four of Dannevirke’s McNair family (Robbie, Ruth, Stephanie, and Caley) made the NZ Slazenger Open team.

It is very rare that four members of one family would make a New Zealand team together. Ruth says “it shows what a great sport Smallbore Shooting is involving all genders and ages which are able to compete equally.”

Caley showing the technique that earned her a Bronze.

The junior member of the family, teenager Caley, also made the NZ Drew Junior team, NZ Drew Junior Women’s team, NZ Randall Team and scored the bronze medal for Junior Women’s 50m prone competition.

Big sister Stephanie (who is now at Canterbury University) made the same teams as Caley plus the Wakefield (top 10 shooters) team. She top-scored in the Slazenger team, she also won the gold for the Junior women 50m prone competition, silver for the Open Women grade, and gold in the Junior women’s 3P competition (kneeling, prone, and standing)

Ruth also made the Wakefield team.

The “McNairly There” team of Caley, Robbie and Ruth McNair who made the NZ Slazenger Open Team at the NZ Outdoor 50 Metre Nationals.

Every year New Zealand competes against Australia in a postal shoot. The New Zealand teams shot their match at Christchurch but the results of the Trans-Tasman battle will not be known until the Australian team shoots at the beginning of April at their Nationals in Perth. The McNairs are actually all heading over to compete at their nationals so will be there when they shoot.

Within the week there are other competitions, one of them being the Inter-Association Shoot. In their inter-association match the SHB team of Rob, Ruth, and Caley won the best name – ”McNairly There” which is quite appropriate as they also came a very creditable second overall.