For those of you who may not know, I go to school on a rifle scholarship. Before you ask… Yes, rifle is a NCAA sport. Yes, we have real rifles. No, I do not twirl them, I shoot them. No, I do not shoot people, clay pigeons or animals. Yes, I shoot targets. I think that covers most of the questions I usually get when I explain why I moved from suburban Massachusetts to rural Tennessee to shoot for the division 1 rifle team at UTM.
Because of how precise our guns are in precision shooting sports, our scoring system must be precise too. That’s why a 10 is not the best score you can get in precision shooting. A 10.9 is considered the most perfect shot you can take in the sport. With that being said, today is October 9th, also known as 10.9 day. In honor of this very special day, here are 10.9 things rifle has given me.
1. Patience
Rifle is harder than it looks, and it took a long time for me to get the hang of things. You can’t just lift the gun, aim and shoot. Rifle taught me that if I want to succeed, whether it be in the sport or at life, you have to be patient.
2. Discipline
I learned that if a shot isn’t there, not to take it even if I want to. The same goes in life. What we want isn’t always what we need.
3. The ability to wake up in the morning
Being on the range at 5:30 am isn’t fun, but I’ll never complain about an 8am again.
4. HER CAMPUS
The first CC of our Her Campus chapter was my teammate my freshman year. Without rifle I would never have found this amazing organization or become CC myself.
5. Pride
Pride in myself, my teammates and my university.
6. My coach
MJ Vowell is the best person I know & my team is so lucky to have her.
7. Friendship
My roommate is one of my best friends in the world. I can tell her anything while we sit in our pjs in our kitchen or sharing a motel room on team trips. I would never have met her, or any of my other amazing shooting friends, without rifle.
9. UTM
I adore UTM but other than guns, how would a Jewish girl from suburban Massachusetts end up in Martin, Tennessee?
10. Family
We all may not be the best of friends but my team is like a family. Our coach takes care of us like a mother hen and we all bicker, tease, joke and laugh together like siblings. I could never imagine shooting with a team other than mine.
10.9. Joy
At the end of the day, shooting makes me happy. What else could I ask for?