The roadtrip

By on November 1, 2008

Morning all,

Firstly, to correct the update saying that the AGM debate thread closed yesterday – we set the auto reminder date wrong (hangs head). It’s still the 12th of Novemeber, so there is still time to put forward your motions for the AGM.

Now, to the point.

Myself and Ronan finally found ourselves with a few days to take a wee road trip. So Saturday Morning,  I dropped by and threw a bucket of ice over him to get him up. We hit the road in or around 11am bound for New Ross and the latest large airsoft retailer outlet that is South East Airsoft.

South East Airsoft

We met up with the owners there and they gave us the grand tour. The store is due to open today (monday) so there were still workmen pottering around and things were quite busy. We were far more than impressed by both the security arrangements, which were put in place under direct communications with the local Gardaí, and with the size of the store (it’s HUGE!). Once this place is up and running it will be well worth a visit and has the potential to be a crackin’ store altogether.

They already have in stock a huge range of AEG’s and snipers, ammunition, clothing, accessories, ration packs (which we tried – and they aren’t bad, I finished one and my jaws weren’t even tired), kit bags and just about anything else you can think of. They are carrying a decent range of brand names and everything is chrono’d and tested by an actual gunsmith, before leaving the store.

The website is under construction, we got a preview and it’s well on its way but not gone live just yet. Once up and running it will be found at www.seairsoft.net – this link will be available in our affiliated retailers list… …once I finish getting this written.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish them the very best of luck with the venture.

SAS-C

The following day we went on to meet up with Paul from Cork Airsoft, and he brought us out to the guys at SAS-C. The club playing area is located about 14km west of Macroom, and up a very windy, slippy wee road – so it’s not the easiest place to find unless you know where you’re going. However, once you get there you immediately see what makes it worth the trip.

The playing area is located on about 9 acres of land which is a combination of both coillte land (with full permissions for use) and private land. The terrain is widely varied with rock outcrops, small trenches, heavy foliage, and densely populated woodland. The abundance of cover means that despite the size of the venue, the engagement ranges are reasonably short so there are never any concerns about being out of range. Overall, the playing area is complex and challenging, whilst carrying a wonderful realism (anyone who has seen the pine tree area will instantly know what I mean when I say “Bastogne”).

However, the most striking point about the site is that owing to the amount of plantlife, the whole dynamic changes with the weather – this genuinely is a whole different site in each of the four seasons.  This point is so apparent when you actually look around the site that it was no surprise when we were informed that even desert camo can be devastatingly effective at the right time of year.

The guys run the site as a club – and this particular arrangement works very very well for them. Everybody in the club helps out with maintaining, improving, and designing the site and facilites. The membership fee’s cover the insurance for the site. Everyone pitches in for food for the BBQ, and for any facilities the group decides the site could use. The biggest advantages of all then lie in the sense of common purpose which the group displays, and in the gameplay – everyone knows everyone else, they all know the terrain, and the marshalls are there solely for compliance with insurance requirements – the games then, needless to say, are intense!

The club precedent which SAS-C have set works, and works well. The group is dynamic, varied, fun, and very welcoming. Everyone takes on an interest, a measure of the work and a measure of the funding. It’s not just a playing field to those attending – it is their playing field.

What the guys in Cork have done is to provide a model for what can be achieved by a small number of players with the drive to do things right rather than just leaving it all for someone else to do for them. The site they have at the moment, though far from complete, is a testament to their efforts, all the trimmings will come with time but even as it is, it’s fantastic!

In closing now, we’d just like to thank everyone we visited for their hospitality and particularly Stephen Raymond, Paul Horgan, Rob Tingay and Chris Morris. Hopefully we’ll manage to get down to you all again in the reasonably near future.

*edit: something I forgot to mention earlier – As part of the conditions of use of Coillte land for the site, SAS-C only permit the use of biodegradable ammunition. Needless to say, that this is a practice which should be encouraged by all sites, regardless of who’s land is in use.

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