ACE Target Sports

Sarah only asked me if I had an ACE Target Sports leaflet she could give to her friend. The next thing we know we are up at ACE Base booking an Air Rifle session with the owner Matt. Now I have shot a few times but Sarah hadn’t so we decided to give it a go.

About ACE Target Sports

The brainchild of Matt Harrison, ACE Target Sports is an upcycled, outdoor activities base with massive green credentials. Located a couple of miles outside Portree on the Struan Road ACE base is completely off grid and generates all it’s own power and water needs. The centre itself is built from mainly recycled, rescued wood and timber from around and about Skye. Not only a passion project but completely necessary for the success of the site.

ACE offers Air Rifle Shooting, Archery, Clay Target Shooting and Axe Throwing. As well as monthly Air Soft games in the many acres of woodland on site. Despite it being an outdoor space there is plenty of cover from the inclement Skye weather. And most importantly there is always a fire lit in the fire pit. In winter this keeps you warm and in summer it smokes out the midges. ACE Target Sports is a year round attraction on Skye and one definitely not to be missed.

With accessibility in mind most of the paths are level with a wood chip surface. Where there are a couple of steps you can find other ways around to get to the area you need. From personal experience we know that Air Rifle shooting is seated, Archery can be done seated and Axe Throwing can most likely be done seated, all of these areas are wheelchair accessible. However if you are unsure just speak to Matt and he will put you at ease.

There is a toilet on site which has a step up to it, but Matt can very easily create a ramp to get you up there if needed. In the next few years there will be a major redevelopment coming to the ACE base so fully accessible toilets will be built. The nearest fully accessible disabled toilets is just back down the road at the Co-op on Woodpark Road.

Air Rifle Shooting at ACE

We chose to try Air Rifle shooting as Sarah joked that she couldn’t be trusted with throwing an axe. We will get into that later!

Your session starts with a briefing with your instructor, for us it was Matt. Matt takes time to find out a lot about you and is very engaging. Safety and comfort when doing target sports is paramount and this is top priority. You are there to have fun and be safe whilst doing it. In no time at all it was Sarah’s turn to sit on the shooters bench and give it her best shot.

Comfort is important when shooting and it took Sarah a while to get a comfortable position but we got there. Benches were shuffled and sandbags altered to make things just right. Matt is very patient and wants you to get the most out of your session so will encourage you to take your time and get comfy.

A pause for a tactical biscuit!

With ongoing coaching and encouragement from myself and Matt, Sarah soon lost her nerves and cleanly hit her first two targets. These were two balloons blowing in the breeze at the far end of the range. Next up were some closer targets but these proved a little trickier so Sarah took a break and munched on some “Tactical Biscuits”. What are these I hear you cry. Well…a Tactical Biscuit is a distraction from over thinking hitting a target with an Air Rifle. That little break from the range and a munch on a biscuit refreshes the old grey matter.

I took the Air Rifle and fired a few shots whilst Sarah was munching. Then she was ready to go again. Next up was the playing card challenge. Being a Rock Chick Sarah chose the Ace of Spades and off Matt went to pin it up at the far end of the range. Sarah looked defeated before she even picked up the rifle. A few positive words later and BANG – three shots right on target! Despite having limited vision and poor mobility This Girl Can!

Finally for us we had the Target Challenge. Consistent shooting and obviously looking for a high points score. Nothing was going to stop Sarah now. Her attitude had changed from one of nerves to one of complete confidence in her ability. This was evident in her shooting. She relaxed and completely enjoyed it. Just look at our combined results – not too shabby!

Axe Throwing

Now don’t get me wrong here, we did not book to go Axe Throwing but Axes did get thrown. Due to Sarah’s positive, can do attitude Matt insisted she try throwing an Axe. It was something she did not really feel she would be capable of throwing but Matt is very good at reading people and finding their inner strength.

After a little bit of coaching Sarah stepped up to the Axe Throwing Range. This was much harder as she is a little unsteady on her feet and kept her walking stick in her non throwing arm for support. Initially the Axe was missing the targets by a fair way but after a bit of adjustment and assistance from Matt the smile returned. The Axe was hitting the targets but not sticking.

Sarah was most definitely having fun and definitely doing something she did not think she was capable of doing. We hadn’t booked the Axe throwing session on this occasion so we had to stop as other guests arrived. However Sarah has definitely whet her appetite for getting an Axe to stick in a target. Her parting words were ” I’ll be back for some Axe throwing”. In just over an hour at ACE Base she had gone from I can’t do that, to I’ll be back to do that! In my view that is testament to Sarah’s attitude and Matt’s excellent people skills. Never under estimate yourself! Give something new a try, and if you are on Skye then look no further than ACE Target Sports.

A return for more Axe Throwing

Sarah was not going to rest until she had got an axe to stick so once Matt was able to open again when lockdown restrictions were lifted, we returned to ACE for a full axe throwing session. We did this activity standing but if this is not an option for you we suggest you contact Matt to discuss your specific requirements. Matt is very patient and understanding of different needs that people have. Don’t be scared to talk anything through with him before or during your visit.

At the side of the axe throwing range is a bench, so Sarah was able to take a seat and rest every time it was Melanie’s turn. Melanie has done this before and was soon sticking axes like a pro. At first Sarah still found she was unable to do this but Matt suggested another method, the Lobster, that might help and it did. It is an under arm throw which needs less arm strength. In fact this was the method that gave Sarah her first Axe in a target!

Then Matt produced some Ninja stars, actually old Rotavator blades, for us to try. Matt says anything with a point can be thrown at the targets! We may have to see what we can come up with for our next visit. Again the stars don’t require much arm strength to throw so Sarah go a few of these in the targets no problem.

Then Matt came up with some competitions for us to play against each other, scoring different points for hitting different parts of the targets and playing cards pinned to the targets. While Melanie did soundly beat Sarah at these, Sarah didn’t really care as she was so happy to have achieved her goal of sticking an axe, more than once as well.

Next time we visit Ace base we will have to give archery a go.

Archery at ACE

We popped up to ACE to say hi after one of our walks and decided it was time we gave archery a go. We arranged to return the following week. With Sarah’s balance as it is she would probably have ended up on her back shooting at the sky if she had tried to do it standing. However there are a few different seating options that you can use if needed. Sarah perched on a stool for the occasion and the guys at ACE will be happy to help you find what works best for you. As you position yourself sideways for archery it would probably be possible in a wheelchair as well. Just watch the Paralympians during wheelchair archery, they are machines!

At first Sarah started with an 18lb draw weight bow. She initially found this a struggle so changed to a 12lb bow. This has a lower tension so was easier for her to pull back. After some coaching from Melanie and Steve and some practice with this bow she was able to switch back to the bigger bow. Sarah soon had the arrows flying. By the time we had to stop as her arms were too tired for any more she was regularly hitting red on the target and even got the occasional gold. She didn’t manage to hit the playing card in the middle of the target this time so is keen to go back and try again. Once her arms stop aching. You don’t need lots of upper body strength to do archery. But, you do use muscles you didn’t know you had!!