SPORTS 11
“WHOEVER SAID, ‘IT’S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE THAT COUNTS’ PROBABLY LOST.” - MARTINA NAVRATILOVA | APRIL 2008
SARA BLAKELY
Staff Reporter
LEWIS AND CLARK
The sport of rifl e shooting is
traditionally associated with
weekend warriors gunning
down game. So when Mead
senior Amanda Furrer talks
about her success in shoot-
ing, it does not take much for a
person to be impressed.
Not to say she hasn’t accom-
plished anything. Amanda
currently holds six national
records, has attended three
world cups, and is currently
ranked third in the U.S. and
thirty-fi fth in the world for
women. But that’s not all:
looking at her credentials and
aspirations is enough to make
you reconsider what you call
skilled.
Starting at age seven and
competing at age eleven,
Amanda was inspired by her
dad and her sister to join the
sport.
“He used to shoot on a team
in the Army ... he got my sister
involved in a junior program
and being the little sister I am,
I had to beat her. So of course
I joined the team and every-
thing took off from there.”
Nothing like a little sibling
rivalry to inspire desire. As
Amanda continued to im-
prove, she was able to compete
at the Brazilian Pan-American
Games, World Cup Munich,
and the junior cup in Czech
Republic. Earning a bronze
medal, tying the fi rst place
score in practice, and earn-
ing a gold medal in the latter
two inspired Amanda to con-
tinue practicing two to three
hours each day (unless she’s at
the Olympic Training Center
where practices reach four to
fi ve hours long).
However, no matter the
length, Amanda believes that
the key to success is mental
toughness.
“Once you get to a high level
of shooting, a lot of it is men-
tal. So for training without
physical shooting, I do yoga to
help improve balance, fl exibil-
ity, and focus,” she said.
In her minimal free time,
Amanda loves “to dance and
do pretty much anything ath-
letic. I am semi-addicted to
the gym and I do yoga as well.
Whatever fl oats my boat at the
mo