What have you been up to since leaving school?
I spent the summer relaxing after my A Levels, including a week’s holiday in Wales to take in the Welsh Target Sprint Championships. In September, I started an integrated masters degree in Forensic Science at Nottingham Trent University. One of our first modules involved setting light to a living room set up in a shipping container to observe and explain the different phases as the fire progressed. I wasn’t seen as a high-achiever at LHS, so I was thrilled to be awarded a first in that assignment. I’m really grateful that LHS taught me how to pay attention to detail and write clearly.
In addition to my studies, I have joined the university version of CCF called UOTC (University Officers’ Training Corps) and the cycling club, competing for NTU in the BUCS hill climb. At Christmas, I was invited on to the British Shooting Talent Development Pathway for Target Sprint.
What competitions were you involved with during your time at school?
I took part in many competitions for a variety of sports and other activities. This included winning gold with my friends from LHS in the team event at the British Schools Shooting Championships, where I was also placed 6th in the individual 6yd sporter category. A few days later, I won the brass section at the LSF music competition, which is probably why I won the Waghorn Prize for commitment to extra-curricular activities and not an academic prize.
Throughout my time at LHS I competed in orienteering (thanks to Mrs Bedwell) and looked forward to the British Schools events each year. After 9 years, I was thrilled in Y13 to finally win gold at the British Schools Orienteering Score Championships (Score orienteering is where you collect as many controls as you can in 45 minutes).
How did you get into Target Sprint?
Mr Murphy suggested that with my ability to shoot and run I apply for the Target Sprint Development Pathway. We had just done a match against Trent College, which was great fun, so I thought ‘Why not?’. I was rejected, but it encouraged me to enter some events. My first race was held during a storm. It rained heavily and the field was worse than any cross country event and I came last, but all the other competitors were so welcoming that I became hooked and determined to improve.
What is target sprint?
Target sprint is similar to biathlon. It is a combination of running and air rifle target shooting. The course consists of three 400 metres runs with a round of shooting at 5 knockdown targets in between each run. It is fast and fun.
The National Series events shoot at 49.5mm targets and Grand Prix at 35mm, both at a distance of 10m. Usually there are two legs, with a rest between, and the two times are added together to find the winner.
What training is involved?
I need to train for the two different sports and also train to combine the two. I do some 5-8km runs and also some sprint and 400m sessions. At the weekends I do a long cycle ride with the cycle club to increase my endurance (not just for the cake stop – honest).
When at school, I was able to shoot most days – down in the range at LGS and at home. There are strict rules for handling and shooting air rifles, but I am lucky that we were able to set up a range in our garden. Unsurprisingly, they won’t allow me to keep a rifle under my bed at university, so my shooting training is currently restricted to the holidays and the monthly trips to Llandovery, where we can fire 1,000 pellets in a day.
I also practice the ‘transition’ phase of running into the range, picking my rifle out of a stand, settling into a shooting position quickly and loading a pellet at speed. You need to be able to do this without looking at it when racing as it is important to keep your head and rifle as still as possible.
Tell us about winning the National Series Final
Winning the National Series final was amazing, but at the same time very tiring, nerve wracking and a relief. I’d been improving throughout the season but was not confident against people who had been doing it for longer than me and had the support of a club coach. I’d started uni on the Friday and had to say no to drinks and get an early night as I was travelling down to Surrey for the race, which was on the Sunday. I’d qualified for both the Grand Prix and National Series finals and decided to race both, so had a full days racing in hot sunshine.
My first leg went well, I didn’t miss a target and finished ahead of my closest rival. She had chosen not to race the Grand Prix, so went into the final leg much fresher than I did. It was my fourth race of the day and I was starting to suffer. We ran into the range for the first shoot together and I messed up. I put the pellet in wonky and had to reload, then I missed – twice. Leaving the range some way down, I had to try and forget those mistakes on the second run and refocus for the next shoot. Target Sprint is complicated, run too hard and your body is shaking when you shoot – not good for accuracy. I had to be calm when picking up my rifle and concentrate on one target at a time, forgetting what had happened before. I shot cleanly, but was still trailing and ran as fast as I could on a course with dead turns. My lungs were burning at the finish. I could tell I had closed the gap, but had no idea if I had made up enough time to win overall. It was a nail-biting wait to find out if I had won. I was so happy when they announced the results.
Between races I’d been introduced to new flatmates over WattsApp. Afterwards, my mum raced me back to Nottingham (whilst I slept in the car) and I made it just in time to get on a bus for Rock City for a belated start to Freshers week.
What next?
I am delighted to have been selected onto the Target Sprint Talent Development Pathway for 2025. The training is in Llandovery, which means a long journey to Wales each month, but it is worth it for the expert coaching and being able to train alongside the country’s top target sprint athletes. My goal for this season is to make the minimum consideration time for international events.
I love racing, so am looking forward to the official British Shooting ranking event being hosted by Loughborough Grammar School on 6 May.
