LAST UPDATE MARCH 2020
Erik Varga, Slovak, year of birth 1976, has been using Gemini chokes for his competitions over many years. He was awarded the World Championship gold medal for two consecutive years. During the 7th Perazzi World Championship he triumphed in the final competition against 4 gold medalists!
1. How did your passion for clay target shooting begin?
As a child I was thrilled when I had the chance to touch my father's or grandfather's shotgun even for a few fleeting moments. To be honest the passion for clay target shooting has been handed down in our family for generations; first my grandfather and then my dad, the latter teaching me everything I know about clay-pingeon shooting, were both formidable athletes. My wife is a Slovakian shooter too. I can truly say that we are a nice shooting family!
2. How did you realize that Trapshooting was your discipline?
When as a kid I used to attend the competitions with my father and grandpa I was extraordinarily fascinated by Trapshooting, hence I couldn't resist taking up uch sports discipline at the age of 21. I have tried Skeet and Double Trap, but Trap was what excited me the most, so, I've always remained faithful to it. That all started when I was just a child, it's by far the most beautiful and enthralling sport I've ever experienced.
3. What was your most exciting victory?
There have been few. Each victory boasts obviously its own value also, the more important the competition, the more the medal weighs! As a young man I was unbelievably happy to win the Junior European Championship and the World Competition.
I proudly remember the year 2015 when I later attained my second world title competing against Pellielo. Those who know me well are aware that the field of Lonato is not optimal according to my characteristics, technically it isn't quite my speed. Every time I'm there for a competition my heart is in my mouth. I was even happier to have won on that "cursed" field.
Besides that, as all of you already know, I had a really serious accident, leading to an inevitable surgical intervention of the shoulder joint. By now the replacement has been achieved through a titanium screw. I didn't really know whether I'd ever be able to shoot again. In these difficult moments I had many thoughts on my mind and I appreciated even more when I surpassed myself attaining the second place at the 2018 Korea World Championship, furthermore achieving two quota places for Tokyo Olympics. For me such silver medal is worth like a golden one. Moreover alongside with that Silver medal I was able to win a Mix Trap gold one, and it was really great for me!
I am grateful to all those who have supported me through these difficult times.
4. What’s your way to concentrate?
I have no particular habits. My preparation is always the same, whether it is a simple training or I am competing for the World Cup. I always try to do my best. Besides my warming-up routine, I undergo training in order to concentrate and then I shoot. The accident I had requires a serious rehabilitation and I have to pay more attention to my muscles, which need to be prepared properly. For this reason, every time I go shooting, I wake up an hour earlier than usual and do some extra exercises, specifically designed for my recovery. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes my brain struggles with my muscles.
5. To what extent are the Gemini choke tubes essential for the success of your sporting achievements?
For me they are definitely important because they eliminate the recoil of the first shot, which in turn reduces the weight on my operated shoulder. They also have a positive impact on controlling the second shot, stabilizing the position of the shotgun thus avoiding any “kickback”. This obviously affects positively the shooting performance.
6. What’s their strong point in your opinion?
With Gemini the pleasure of shooting multiplies, the shot is very comfortable and the shooter manages to avoid getting tired even with the use of hard shotshells. They allow the first shot to be absorbed and do not undergo the dynamics linked to the hardness of the cartridge.
7. What weapon do you use and what choke tube do you prefer?
I am used to shooting with a Perazzi MX2000 shotgun and I use Gemini Ported 0,7 and 0,8 choke tubes. In most cases I prefer the 0,7 ones.
8. What advice would you give to a young person approaching this sport?
First of all you must love this sport, when you shoot putting your heart into it, you live an incredibly amazing experience. Don't pay attention to the defects of the shotgun, learn from the most experienced shooters. My advice is to never have 10 coaches training the athlete, it would make absolutely no sense. The constancy and the expertise gained over the years are essential … in addition do not forget that the competition ends exclusively after shooting at the last clay target.
9. Your la test sporting achievements and next endeavours we can follow?
In this season I would like to have time to relax and recover through rehabilitation, but obviously I cannot disregard taking part in some important competitions. I performed outstandingly at the competition in Qatar and attained the gold medal at the 2020 Open. Besides that I’m taking part in some home competitions, so as to recover the fighting fit.
10. Would you like to give us some advice to further improve our product?
You are specialists in the world of chokes and by far the best ones in this field. Should any advice pop into my head for the future ... I won't hesitate to contact you :-). For now I wish you all the best and may you have as many satisfied customers as possible!