As a continuation of our profiles on the 2011 Brownell's/NRA National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, we'd like to introduce you to 19 year-old Courtney Anthony, from Lexington, Nebraska who is representing USA Shooting. Although she started out with a BB gun, Courtney is best known for her success as a pistol shooter.
My name is Courtney Anthony and I am a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying Fisheries and Wildlife. I am an only child and grew up on a farm in central Nebraska. I enjoy reading, writing, singing, and working with animals, whether they are domesticated or wild.
My career in shooting began when I was eight years old and my Dad taught me the basics of shooting and gun safety with an old BB gun. I joined the Great Connections 4-H Club when I was nine years old and began shooting BB gun competitively. While in the Great Connections Club, I became interested in Sporter and Precision air rifle shooting. When I was ten, I decided that pistol shooting was my forte. After several years of competing in air rifle events, I also began shooting in .22 caliber sport pistol matches.
While shooting air and .22 caliber pistols, I have competed in several National Junior Olympic Championships and I was the 2010 National Junior Olympic Champion in Women’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol. I am currently part of the National Junior Development Team, which I was names to in 2004.
I have also competed in the U.S. National Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 2010, I was the Junior National Champion in the Women’s Air and Sport Pistol, and I placed third and fifth overall in those events, respectively. My shooting career has also taken me overseas. In 2005, I was named as part of a team of juniors to compete in Suhl, Germany in an international junior competition.
Shooting has been a major part of my life for over a decade. I have enjoyed competing and developing many friendships. I intent to continue participating in this great sport for years to come.
Courtney is just the third of six 2011 Brownell's/NRA National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, so check back for more information about the remaining three young people we'll be featuring from Boy Scouts of America, Venturing, and Royal Rangers.