It started with a Driver's Education Police Ride-along

I often get asked how long I've been in competitive shooting and how I got into this sport. For me, it all started at age 15 when I took a police ride-along, a requirement of my driver's education program at my Golden Valley, Minnesota high school.

For that unforgettable ride-along evening I rode with Officer Roger Marx, who in addition to letting me tag along on traffic stops and other calls had told me about the Police Explorers, a uniformed, co-ed division of the then Boy Scouts of America (now Scouting America) that allowed youth to explore various careers hands-on.

I remember coming back home and letting my parents know I wanted to join, that I needed to have a police uniform for the next week's meeting, and that I got to go on the police range and shot a revolver. I was so excited!

On a TV show with the Minnetonka, MN Police Explorers after my transfer from the Golden Valley Police Explorers (Photo: People & Causes)

I was elected the President and Chief of my Police Explorer Post, one of the only girls at the time, which was the start of a lifetime of leadership positions and service across three police departments. I started as a Police Explorer and once I was old enough, served as a Reserve Officer, Community Service Officer and paid Park Ranger (park police).

Although I loved the community service, I naturally gravitated further into competitive shooting, attending my first national match at Ohio State University at age 16, the beginning of many medals and trophies.

My very first shooting awards as a Police Explorer.

There was a very big break in shooting competitions for me from 1982 to 2002, where I was coaxed into trying air rifle for the first time at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. This was my first NVWG, and I attended as an incomplete tetraplegic due to a 1988 Air Force service-connected training accident. But I'd never shot an air rifle before, surprising myself by taking 1st place. I was sold!

That first year at the NVWG I borrowed a very basic, unadjustable "sporter" air rifle and shared a long lunchroom-type table with other athletes, making it hard to be still during my shots. From the time I got home I started exploring a higher-end air rifle and my own table, which was a game-changer.

My first air rifle match using a very basic model. (Photo: NVWG 2002)

A few years later I was at a Blaze Sports camp for coaches learning advanced techniques for wheelchair basketball and met someone scouting for the Paralympics. I approached him, and explained I knew I could compete in target shooting at the Olympic or Paralympic level. Although I got a little bit of the proverbial eye roll, as I'm sure everyone says they are good enough to reach the pinnacle of the Olympics or Paralympics, he headed me in the right direction, connecting me with the Paralympic rifle national coach. In 2005 I attended my first camp through USA Shooting at the Olympic Center (now the Olympic and Paralympic Center). I soon after became the top female Paralympic rifle athlete in the U.S.

There wasn't much competition back then and I had awesome coaching!

So here I am in 2025, having only competed in one annual recreational match from 2002-2005 and then one more in 2012, all without any practice or coaching time in between. In the summer of 2024 I entered the Maryland Senior Olympics and took home four 1st place medals, reigniting my love for shooting sports, leading me to contact the national coaches to pursue the top once again. The competition is much more rigorous now than it was 20 years ago, but that only makes me more determined!

2024 Maryland Senior Olympics, 1st place in air rifle and air pistol events .(Photo: Dave Markland)

My first match was this past April and was again recreational, taking 1st place in my division and 1st place overall. This was followed by the National Championships this past June, then the Grand Prix international match in Arequipa, Peru late July through early August, and then two preliminary tryouts (PTOsI at the Olympic and Paralympic Center during a weeklong training camp a few days later. Each match has been a new personal record and my scores are coming back up very quickly!

That's how this started for me: a police ride-along as a requirement of driver's ed. Hopefully my journey in competitive shooting sports will culminate on the medal stand at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a Paralympic rifle athlete!