I believe in my shotgun, because it teaches me that I can find success in overcoming the challenges that come my way. Five years ago, my step-dad Kevin drove us out to Colorado Clays. It was a frigid Friday evening in March. I sat in the passenger seat of his blue Chevy truck, anxious but excited. Finally, we had arrived at my first 4-H sanctioned shotgun practice.

With my Browning 12-gauge pump action shotgun and a box of 25 target load shells, I stepped onto the line. I placed one shell into the loading port, turned the safety off, and held the shotgun up to my right shoulder. Although there was extra padding on the butt of the gun, I still cringed when I called, "Pull!" The bright orange clay came flying out of the forest green trap house. I aimed somewhere in the distance, closed my eyes, and squeezed the trigger.

Months went by, and I still could not break more than a clay or two each round. My coach, TJ, established that I was left-eye dominant and should be shooting left-handed. He told me that if I did not switch to shooting left-handed he would start throwing shells at me until I did. In other words, the best option was to switch hands. At first, it felt awkward and uncomfortable. I could not hit anything with either hand. Despite the fact that it felt hopeless, I refused to give up.

My hard work paid off and as a result, year after year, I began to get better. For example, I was hitting 7/25, 13/25, even 17/25. My scores fluctuated from week to week and month to month. At one time, I went through a period of severe depression. My therapist and family felt it was best if I did not shoot my shotgun until I was more stable. It was a rough time in my life, and I struggled with finding the push to get back to the sport that I loved and wanted to conquer. With guidance from my support system, I decided to give shooting another chance. In particular, it was hard not to beat myself up because some of the 10-year-olds were shooting better than me. I felt as if I had let my coaches and myself down. When I stepped onto the line to shoot, I would practice deep breathing to help clear my mind.

Within a few weeks, I was back in the groove of it all. I have shot in competitions for years, and I continue to work towards making it on the trap team to compete at the Colorado State Fair. At the Adams County Fair Shotgun Shoot in July of this year, I shot a new personal best. I hit 20 out of 25 targets in my second round. In addition, my overall score was 37 out of 50 clays. I came in eighth place, just two places away from making the state team. That day, I scored higher than many of the boys that had been my inspiration and mentors. I was one point away from seventh place and two points away from sixth place.

In summary, shooting trap in 4-H has not been easy. I have had to overcome many challenges along the way. Shooting provides a means to relieve stress and escape from the world around me. It also provides a source of healthy competition and pushes me to do my best each time that I step out on the line. By persevering through adversity and overcoming the challenges that have come my way, I have learned to appreciate the shooter that I am today. I am not defined by my failures, but rather by the challenges I have overcome. With my shotgun on my left shoulder and a flying clay in my sight, I know I can shoot for the stars. This I believe.