Not all NRA Women come to shooting as youngsters, but when we do, it's quite a thing to see. Just one year ago, our friends at NRA Family highlighted (then) junior shooter Haley Robinson's trajectory as a Rising Shooting Star. Now, at 21, Robinson competes in both Junior and Women's categories ... and she absolutely dominated at the Civilian Marksmanship Program's (CMP) 2021 National Rifle Matches.
Robinson's performance at the National Rifle Matches resulted in three record shooting scores: the President's Rifle event, in which she garnered 395-15X and won both High Junior and High Woman records; and a new Women’s Rifle Trophy national record score of 496-25X in the National Trophy Individual Match. As the only junior shooter to appear in the 20-person shootoff that accompanies the President's Match, one must marvel at Robinson's nerves of steel.
Hailing from Mill Spring, North Carolina, Robinson's story highlights the importance of teaching gun safety and handling skills to children. She has been shooting nearly her entire life. “My dad had me on the range when I was about probably 4,” she says. “I killed my first deer at 5.”
Robinson has been competing in the National Matches since 2018, inching closer to the winner's podium with every match. The cancellation of the 2020 matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic merely delayed the inevitable.
“This year (2021), I made it my goal, and I practiced hard before we left,” Robinson said. “I was nervous—very nervous—but once I got up there, after the first shot, I was calm. My dad blames it on my low blood pressure," she joked. "I'm just always calm."
Robinson acknowledges that NRA Women do occasionally face unique challenges on the firing line. “It’s very different, especially when people don’t know who you are,” she mused. “And it’s different being out here and being female, because they treat you a little different.”
She welcomes tips and advice, but to those who may underestimate her talents because of her age or her gender? Well, she lets her scores do the talking.
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