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The birth of an Olympic shooter
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National 4-H shooter and Junior Olympian Kaitlynn Vincent is not your average teenager.
"I don't want to be a princess," Vincent said. "I want to be an Olympian."
Vincent, a 16-year-old sophomore at Nevada High School, has been raking in increasingly prestigious awards since she became a competitive pistol shooter two years ago.
At the annual 4-H shooting sports banquet on Nov. 5, Vincent was recognized for her accomplishments. She placed first in both air pistol and small bore pistol at the 2016 Vernon County Youth Fair. That earned her a trip to state competition.
At the state fair small-bore pistol and air pistol competition, Vincent took first place in both events. In small-bore pistol, she scored a 376 with seven bullseyes.
"It went OK. I had some competition," Vincent said about the state fair shoot.
The win at the state level has earned her a trip to the 4-H national shoot next summer. This will be her second trip in to the national stage.
Vincent competed in small bore pistol individual and team events at the 2016 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in June. She placed 17th out of 60 shooters in the individual competition. Her team finished fourth overall and took home the sweepstakes award.
"I wasn't disappointed," Vincent said.
Aside from her accomplishments in 4-H, Vincent placed 23rd in the 2016 National Junior Olympic Championships 25 meter pistol competition on April 23.
"It is more endurance, keeping your hand up," Vincent said of the longer Junior Olympics matches where she competed against teens from other states and from the armed forces.
She has already started down the path to return to the Junior Olympics next year.
"If I place in the top two next year, I will qualify for the development team," Vincent said.
"The 1480 she shot the other day would have earned her second place in the Junior Olympics." her father, Ronald Vincent, said. "Who would have known two and a half years ago she could shoot a handgun."
Vincent's pistols were also a hinderance in April and one even required factory service, but her family has recently upgraded her to Olympic grade Pardini pistols.
Her father said Kaitlynn Vincent's scores have been steadily improving since switching to the higher quality pistol.
It is not all in the gun though. Vincent said she could tell a difference if she did not practice the day before a competition.
With the pistol upgrades, and a little more experience, Vincent may be on her way to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.
"I don't think it's out of the question for her to be an Olympic contender four years from now. Her scores say she can be," Ronald Vincent said.
Part of her success, she says is in advice her 4-H coaches gave her.
"Don't jerk the trigger, squeeze it like a grape," Vincent said praising coaches Dusty Stong and Steve Burchell.
Her father said Kaitlynn practices four to five times a week.
While she entered 4-H as a Clover Kid when she was 6, her shooting career began later with air rifles before switching to pistols two years ago.
"I persuaded my mother and father to let me do air pistol," Kaitlynn said. She only became eligible to compete in small bore pistol when she turned 14.
"I feel I am more capable at pistol than rifle," Vincent said.
The firing range is not the only area in which Kaitlynn excels. Her ducks and eggs won Grand Champion accolades at the 2016 Vernon County Youth Fair. She also did well with her hogs, placing second with her Yorkshire class and fourth in Cross-bred.
She competes in track and golf and won the Hazel Gordon award for her accomplishments in golf.
Kaitlynn said post high school plans include a university with a shooting team, and mentioned Ohio State.
"I don't know. I really don't know," Kaitlynn said of a future profession although she is considering becoming a veterinarian.
She did say she would like to continue competitive shooting as an adult.
"It has been fun watching her mature." her father said.