VIENNA - It's in that moment just before she takes aim that Amanda Luoma is able to shut the rest of the world out and focus.
The 17-year-old stands her ground and concentrates on the target in front of her. She lifts her rifle and then, gracefully and gently, pulls the trigger.
She waits quietly and watches as the bullet hits the mark.
Then quickly and effortlessly, she earns the respect of her peers and once again stakes her claim as an expert markswoman.
"It's what I do," explained the soft-spoken teenager. "I enjoy it. I've always liked shooting, since I was young. I grew up around it."
And she's always been comfortable with a rifle in her arms, her father, Roger Luoma of Cortland, said.
Amanda started shooting at the age of 12 and hunting with her dad not long after. Since then, she has earned numerous prizes, awards, commendations and accolades while climbing to the top of her game.
In July, she competed at Camp Perry, a National Guard training facility on the shore of Lake Erie near Port Clinton, in the National Smallbore Rifle Championships. She earned second overall behind Staff Sgt. Shane Barnhart of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Team. Additionally, Amanda was crowned National Junior 3P Champion, National Women's 3P Champion and Civilian 3P Champion.
"It's quite an event," Roger Luoma said. "There are many good, great shooters there. For Amanda to have done this well says a lot. She has a lot of skill, and what she's done is very impressive. It's not easy, but she's done it."
Every summer, the nation's finest civilian and military marksmen and women square off for five weeks of rifle and handgun competition in a variety of formats and events at Camp Perry. The event is considered by many to be America's "World Series of the Shooting Sports" and has been a tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, according to organizers.
Each year, Amanda's coach, Russ Evans of the Fish and Game Club of Vienna, conducts a civilian marksmanship program. Operated in conjunction with the National Rifle Association, the course introduces students to rifle and gun safety and to Olympic shooting sports. At the conclusion of the 10-week course, young people who score well and have an interest in the sport are invited to fill openings on the club's Cougars Junior Rifle Team.
"There's a responsibility when handling a weapon and she knows that," Roger Luoma said. "She takes it very seriously. But it is an extremely safe sport when everything is done the right way. You never hear of anyone being shot at a rifle match because the people there know the responsibility.
"You find that kids who excel in shooting sports also excel in other areas, including school and even other sports," the avid hunter and Fish and Game Club and National Rifle Association member said. ''She knows what she's doing when she picks up her rifle. She's sure of herself and that carries on into other areas."
At least once a week Amanda practices at the club and participates regularly in various competitions and events. Although she is embarking on her first year of college this fall, Amanda, a 2010 graduate of Maplewood High School, will enter The Ohio State University as an honor student, having earned enough credits in high school to qualify her as a sophomore. She also has been named to the OSU Rifle Team.
"I'd say it has given me more discipline," she said. "You have to have discipline to do this. There's a responsibility with holding a gun, handling a rifle or any kind of a weapon. It really teaches to respect that."
Amanda and her father said that in recent years they have noticed more young people participating in shooting sports and more girls and woman competing in shooting events.
"The nice thing about this sport is that anyone can do it," Amanda said. "You don't have to be a certain height or weight or even athletically inclined or anything to excel at this. I plan to shoot for the rest of my life. There's no limitations, really. I plan on shooting into my 90s."
