Jr. pistol siblings compete
By Karen Mann

GOAL's Junior Air Pistol Team (l-r) Russ Doucette, coach, Chris Tourigny, AJ Tourigny, Tyler Imig, Gov. Mitt Romney, Kelsy Imig, and Dick Parker, coach.

Although there is a five-year age difference between the youngest and oldest member of the team, there is something that each member has in common, a heightened maturity level.

According to team member Kelsy Imig, there is a certain level of maturity that goes along with the sport of shooting because it is a mental game. Kelsey along with her brother, Tyler, are members of the Massachusetts Junior Air Pistol Team.

The Westminster siblings each started shooting around the age of 10. Tyler, who is now 19, started shooting air pistol competitively six years ago and joined the national team three years ago. Tyler said he started shooting competitively because the opportunity was there. Now, he likes the aspect of the competition.

"It is about manipulating your body and mind to slow down and concentrate so you can produce the perfect shot," said Tyler.

Sixteen-year-old Kelsy only starting shooting air pistol about a year ago but jumped onto the national team right away.

Although there are four members on their team, only three compete at an event. They have an extra at each competition as a precaution. The team members said they decide ahead of time who will sit out.

According to Tyler, in an air pistol match, 60 shots are taken over the course of 1 hour and 45 minutes. For females, it is 40 shots and 1 hour and 15 minutes. Tyler said this averages out to 75 seconds per shot, however one can take as long or as little time as he/she wants on each shot.

The air pistol is filled off of a scuba diving tank of compressed air. This shoots out pellets, which are loaded into the gun individually. The competitor stands 33 feet away from the bull's-eye target. A perfect shot is scored with a 10, so a perfect match adds up to 600. According to Tyler, the average score ranges between 550-560.

He said it is easy to get your score up quickly when you first start shooting, then it plateaus. Going up one or two points is considered major progress.

"The goal is to reject what you think will be a bad shot, and to keep the good shots," said Tyler.

The teammates agreed that it is a mental game, not a physical one. Tyler said it starts out being 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental, then quickly changes to the opposite degree once one gets their technique down.

According to Kelsy, the only real physical thing is building up strength in one's shooting arm. She likes that the game is a mental one.

"Your technique can be perfect, but your mindset can ruin you while you are shooting," said Kelsy. "It is important to not think about anything at all besides your shot while you are shooting."

She says she stays calm and keeps her mind clear before a match by listening to music. She said before a competition, most of the people there are listening to their IPods and MP3 players. The members of this team agreed that Tom Petty is a good choice to listen to before a match.

The team practices on Tuesday nights in Hudson. Both families have shooting ranges in their basements, so they can practice at home as well. Right now, they spend about five to seven hours every week shooting.

Tyler said as they get closer to their next competition, which is in December, they will train harder. He said it is important to not peak before the competition. They also all compete in individual events as well.

The team is sponsored by Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL), the official firearm association of Massachusetts.

Team members said Massachusetts is not a very gun-friendly state. It is hard for manufacturers to sell guns in the state because of strict laws in place.

In July, the team went to the Statehouse not only to be honored for winning the silver medal but also to witness Gov. Mitt Romney sign new legislation pertaining to their sport.

According to Tyler, guns in Massachusetts are subject to the "drop test," which tests whether or not a gun will go off when it is dropped. This is costly to manufacturers, so it discourages them from selling guns in the state. Tyler said their air pistols would not pass the test.

The new legislation makes certain guns, such as ones used for formal target shooting competitions, exempt from the drop test.

Team members agreed that relaxing the laws would lead to more competitions in the state. They said the states that are gun friendly are also home to the teams that win the competitions.

Kelsy believes that education is the key. She said most people are unaware that shooting is one of the safest sports.

Statistically, it has the least amount of injuries, less than even Ping-Pong, according to Tyler.

As for the future of the team members, all four members plan to continue competing at the national level, and aspire to make it to the Olympics.

Kelsey has four more years in the junior class and plans on taking full advantage of it. If she places first or second individually, she could be on the National Development Team, which is a training team for the Olympics. She would then be sponsored to go to national competitions and train with national coaches.

Due to his age, this will be Tyler's last year with the junior team. After he leaves the junior class, he will enter into the Open Men's League. He hopes in his last year, the team will take first place.