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Taking aim at the Olympics
By Barb Bierman Batie C-H staff writer 01/05/2008
LEXINGTON - From shooting chocolate-flavored drink mix cans in the backyard to competing in the Olympic Trials in Colorado Springs, Courtney Anthony has come light years in the venue of shooting sports.
She started shooting with a BB-gun in the backyard of her rural Lexington home at age six. Her Dad, Tim, was on the University of Nebraska rifle team in college, and was eager to share his love of the sport with his daughter. Birds and mice became early targets as well as her paper ones, and when it became evident Courtney had a natural talent for the sport, her parents searched for an avenue to develop that talent.
As luck would have it, Alvin Christensen, a former Dawson County Rural Superintendent of Schools, was a certified shooting instructor and had started a 4-H Club that met at the Dawson County Fairgrounds.
At age 8, Courtney started with an air rifle in 4-H, then progressed into both
air rifle and pistols.
When Christensen left Dawson County, the Anthonys searched for a new instructor and found another, more advanced, 4-H shooting group in Custer County.
The Great Connections 4-H Club met once a month in Broken Bow and practiced every Tuesday night. "I remember Tim saying, 'Well, maybe if we go once a month.' We ended up going once a week and putting 5,000 miles on our vehicle that first year," recalls Courtney's Mom, Marita.
Courtney excelled in competition and qualified for the U.S. Junior Olympic Championships in a round at Broken Bow, which along with Lincoln is one of two qualifying sites in Nebraska.
She also honed her skills through the NRA, where she is a double distinguished junior expert in air rifle and air pistol.
As with any sport, the only way to improve is through practice, practice, and practice. To help Courtney step it up a notch, five years ago Tim developed a 10-meter range in the house that starts in the office, crosses in front of the vet refrigerator, goes the width of the living room and ends at the front door. He installed a pulley system so she could raise and lower her targets, because at the time she was still shooting the air rifle. Now that she's focused on pistols the target remains fixed. She also has space set up in an outbuilding, as the .22 pistol on full-size targets requires distances of 25 meters.
By age 13 she made the U.S. Olympic Developmental Team and for the past four years has been groomed for potential Olympic competition. In addition to trips to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, she has also traveled to the Poole Shooting Complex on the grounds of Ft. Benning in Georgia.
She now specializes in air pistol and the .22 pistol and invests three to four hours each week in practice, balancing that between homework and activities at Cozad High School, where she is a junior.
"With the air pistol competition, you shoot 40 shots in one hour and 15 minutes," she explained. "With the .22 pistol it is a 60-shot match with two different courses of fire. The timed portion is five shots in five minutes and in the rapid fire or dual portion there is one shot every three seconds then seven seconds of rest before the next series," explained Courtney.
Her most recent trip to Colorado Springs was for the 2007 USA Shooting 3X Air Match Championships on Nov. 30-Dec. 2. After three days of competition Courtney was in the top eight.
The accolades have come fast and furious in the past two years. In 2006 she was the silver medalist in air and sport pistol at the Junior Olympic Championships and a silver medalist in women's junior air and sport pistol at the National Championships.
In 2007 she set a new air pistol record in the Nebraska State 4-H State Shooting Championships, shooting a 381 out of a possible 400.
Last year she received a gold medal in sport pistol and a silver medal in air pistol at the Junior Olympic Championships and was a silver medalist again in the women's junior air and sport pistol at the National Championships.
This year she has been invited to the Olympic Trials set for March in Colorado Springs.
The trips to Colorado Springs have been beneficial, note her parents. "Courtney has received help and encouragement from top shooters and Olympians," notes Tim.
At the center technology is employed to help shooters develop to their fullest potential. There are turning targets with the target exposed for three seconds on each of the shots, said Courtney. "These are electronic targets with the hits recorded by four small microphones and scores computer-recorded down to one-tenth of a point," she said.
As she sets her sights on a possible trip to the Olympics, Anthony knows there are still many hours of practice and competition ahead. To take it to another level she and her parents know she'll need to start traveling to international competitions. In the summer of 2006 she got her first international exposure at a competition in Suhl, Germany, and they are looking at where the next overseas trip will be.
"I'll also need to be placing higher in the national matches. In practice I can shoot the lower 370s pretty regularly, but you need to be shooting in the 380s to win national competitions," said Courtney.
She's getting close to her goal, having shot a 380 and 381 in matches last year. "It's more mental when you get into national and international competition," she said.
While outwardly she doesn't appear nervous, the butterflies are still there confided Courtney. To help those butterflies fly in formation they come together as a family. "Before each match, Mom, Dad and I say a prayer. Then between shots I try and visualize the pellets going through the 10-ring (target center)," she said.
Staying focused could in four years take the 17-year-old farm girl all the way from her backyard beginnings to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
http://www.lexch.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19170500&BRD=284&PAG=461&dept_id=558509&rfi=6
By Barb Bierman Batie C-H staff writer 01/05/2008
LEXINGTON - From shooting chocolate-flavored drink mix cans in the backyard to competing in the Olympic Trials in Colorado Springs, Courtney Anthony has come light years in the venue of shooting sports.
She started shooting with a BB-gun in the backyard of her rural Lexington home at age six. Her Dad, Tim, was on the University of Nebraska rifle team in college, and was eager to share his love of the sport with his daughter. Birds and mice became early targets as well as her paper ones, and when it became evident Courtney had a natural talent for the sport, her parents searched for an avenue to develop that talent.
As luck would have it, Alvin Christensen, a former Dawson County Rural Superintendent of Schools, was a certified shooting instructor and had started a 4-H Club that met at the Dawson County Fairgrounds.
At age 8, Courtney started with an air rifle in 4-H, then progressed into both
air rifle and pistols.
When Christensen left Dawson County, the Anthonys searched for a new instructor and found another, more advanced, 4-H shooting group in Custer County.
The Great Connections 4-H Club met once a month in Broken Bow and practiced every Tuesday night. "I remember Tim saying, 'Well, maybe if we go once a month.' We ended up going once a week and putting 5,000 miles on our vehicle that first year," recalls Courtney's Mom, Marita.
Courtney excelled in competition and qualified for the U.S. Junior Olympic Championships in a round at Broken Bow, which along with Lincoln is one of two qualifying sites in Nebraska.
She also honed her skills through the NRA, where she is a double distinguished junior expert in air rifle and air pistol.
As with any sport, the only way to improve is through practice, practice, and practice. To help Courtney step it up a notch, five years ago Tim developed a 10-meter range in the house that starts in the office, crosses in front of the vet refrigerator, goes the width of the living room and ends at the front door. He installed a pulley system so she could raise and lower her targets, because at the time she was still shooting the air rifle. Now that she's focused on pistols the target remains fixed. She also has space set up in an outbuilding, as the .22 pistol on full-size targets requires distances of 25 meters.
By age 13 she made the U.S. Olympic Developmental Team and for the past four years has been groomed for potential Olympic competition. In addition to trips to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, she has also traveled to the Poole Shooting Complex on the grounds of Ft. Benning in Georgia.
She now specializes in air pistol and the .22 pistol and invests three to four hours each week in practice, balancing that between homework and activities at Cozad High School, where she is a junior.
"With the air pistol competition, you shoot 40 shots in one hour and 15 minutes," she explained. "With the .22 pistol it is a 60-shot match with two different courses of fire. The timed portion is five shots in five minutes and in the rapid fire or dual portion there is one shot every three seconds then seven seconds of rest before the next series," explained Courtney.
Her most recent trip to Colorado Springs was for the 2007 USA Shooting 3X Air Match Championships on Nov. 30-Dec. 2. After three days of competition Courtney was in the top eight.
The accolades have come fast and furious in the past two years. In 2006 she was the silver medalist in air and sport pistol at the Junior Olympic Championships and a silver medalist in women's junior air and sport pistol at the National Championships.
In 2007 she set a new air pistol record in the Nebraska State 4-H State Shooting Championships, shooting a 381 out of a possible 400.
Last year she received a gold medal in sport pistol and a silver medal in air pistol at the Junior Olympic Championships and was a silver medalist again in the women's junior air and sport pistol at the National Championships.
This year she has been invited to the Olympic Trials set for March in Colorado Springs.
The trips to Colorado Springs have been beneficial, note her parents. "Courtney has received help and encouragement from top shooters and Olympians," notes Tim.
At the center technology is employed to help shooters develop to their fullest potential. There are turning targets with the target exposed for three seconds on each of the shots, said Courtney. "These are electronic targets with the hits recorded by four small microphones and scores computer-recorded down to one-tenth of a point," she said.
As she sets her sights on a possible trip to the Olympics, Anthony knows there are still many hours of practice and competition ahead. To take it to another level she and her parents know she'll need to start traveling to international competitions. In the summer of 2006 she got her first international exposure at a competition in Suhl, Germany, and they are looking at where the next overseas trip will be.
"I'll also need to be placing higher in the national matches. In practice I can shoot the lower 370s pretty regularly, but you need to be shooting in the 380s to win national competitions," said Courtney.
She's getting close to her goal, having shot a 380 and 381 in matches last year. "It's more mental when you get into national and international competition," she said.
While outwardly she doesn't appear nervous, the butterflies are still there confided Courtney. To help those butterflies fly in formation they come together as a family. "Before each match, Mom, Dad and I say a prayer. Then between shots I try and visualize the pellets going through the 10-ring (target center)," she said.
Staying focused could in four years take the 17-year-old farm girl all the way from her backyard beginnings to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
http://www.lexch.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19170500&BRD=284&PAG=461&dept_id=558509&rfi=6
