Courtney Hollihan has something to be excited about.
The 15-year-old came home for the provincial air cadet marksmanship championship, held in Edmonton (April 15-17) with a second place in the standing competition and seventh place overall.
The performance in Edmonton has earned Hollihan a place on Alberta’s provincial team, and she will head to nationals in Whitehorse, Yukon, next month.
“Actually, I tied for first place, but they didn’t have two first medals,” she said. “I was surprised when I was told how well I did, because I made a big mistake and I’ve never done well at marksmanship before.”
The sport, sanctioned by the Air Cadet League of Canada, consists of firing air rifles at targets in both prone and standing positions.
Two teams from each province head to the nationals; the best team overall and then the best five individuals, who together form a second, composite team. Hollihan will be part of the composite team
“Last year was my first year in competitive shooting, but I’ve been shooting rifles in the squadron since I first got here, which was four years ago,” said Hollihan.
Originally from Ponoka, Hollihan became interested in the cadets soon after moving to Banff with her family. She is now a proud member of the 878 Banff/Canmore Cadet Squadron.
“They came to our school and made a presentation, and I thought that was interesting,” she said, describing how she became involved with the cadets.
“I like planes and the military aspect of life, that sounds pretty interesting to me,” she said. “I do want to go into the military and become a paramedic.”
The national competition will be Hollihan’s first visit to the territories.
“I’m really ecstatic,” she said. “I’ve never been up north and now I’m going for a competition.”
A CCHS student, Hollihan was coached by Lieutenant Brad Petty.
