Two girls who take part in the Vashon Sportsmen’s Club youth marksmanship program are now making their mark on the competitive shooting scene.
Lily Voynick and Corinne Blair, both 15, along with two other off-Island girls, were part of the Vashon team that recently won the NRA National Indoor 4 Position Smallbore Championships with a score of 1573 out of 1600 points.
The girls competed in West Seattle, but their scores were compared with those of young shooters across the country.
Voynick placed second in the nation and brought home a silver medal, shooting to earn 398 points out of 400 points. She finished just one point shy of the gold medal winner.
In the course of the match, the Vashon team shattered the National Women’s Team record in this event, a record that has stood since 1969.
Voynick and Blair, who became interested in shooting after participating in a Harbor School program put on by the Sportsmen’s Club, follow in the footsteps of former Islander Marisca Mozeleski.
Mozeleski had a successful shooting career as a high schooler on Vashon and now shoots for Murray State in Kentucky. Earlier this year, Mozeleski won the USA Shooting National Junior Olympics state qualifier for smallbore, with a score of 566 out of 600. She then attended the National Championships, where she finished 26th in the nation.
At the NRA National Indoor 3 Position Air Rifle Championships, the Vashon team, again competing in West Seattle, put together another outstanding performance. The girls won the 15- to 17-year old age group and finished fourth overall, with 2309 out of 2400 points. They were just one point away from winning the bronze medal. Voynick also finished 11th in her age group, with a score of 581 out of 600.
At the NRA National Indoor 3 Position Smallbore Championships, the team again shot in West Seattle and finished second in the 15 to 17 age group with a score of 2203 out of 2400.
There the team set two more national team records. They set a record for the National Intermediate Junior Team Score, for ages 15 to 17, and the Women’s National Team record.
Earlier in the year, the team qualified for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National 3 Position Air Rifle Championships when they won the state qualifier. The team’s qualifier score was the fourth best in the nation this year. Next week the team will attend the CMP Championships, as well as the NRA 3 Position Air Gun Championships, in Anniston, Ala.
— Joe Matter, Vashon Sportsmen’s Club
