THE Limestone Coast will be well represented when two South East shooters head to the National Skeet Championships at Wagga Wagga in May.
Kongorong’s Ken Atkin and Penola’s Liz Rymill earned their places in the 14-member South Australian Skeet Team following the weekend’s SA Skeet Championships at the State Shooting Complex in Adelaide.
The duo are both members of Mount Gambier Gun Club and earned their places over 200 clay targets at the three-day competition on the weekend.
Both are old hands at the championships and Rymill – who said she took up the sport later in life – will contest her seventh straight national championships.
“I made my first team after I had been shooting for about eight months,” she said.
“I stuck with it and have really tried to focus more on the mental game.
“I think you get technically as good as you are going to get, then it is about the mental performance which is something I think you can always improve.”
South Australia has won the team’s event in the past, but Rymill said they would need to perform at a high level, with the remaining states proving to be tough competition in the past.
“The other states are all very competitive, particularly the eastern states,” she said.
“They shoot a lot more competition than we ever do in South Australia.
“It is pretty big over there – they shoot most weekends and a lot of target events, where we shoot a bit of field and game, down the line, even a bit of hunting.”
While Rymill said shooting was generally a personal sport, it was a pleasant change to be part of a team.
“When you do get the opportunity to shoot as a team it is really nice,” she said.
“You can support each other as you are going around and for a sport that can be quite individual, it is nice to have that camaraderie.”
Rymill said that also carried over to having Atkin in the team from Mount Gambier, with the remaining members from the Adelaide region.
While both Atkin and Rymill have been involved at the highest level for many years, Rymill said it was easy to remain focused and motivated in such a demanding sport.
“It is one of those sports where you are always looking for improvements, the one-percenters here and there,” she said.
“When you really perform well and get into the zone it is such a great feeling.
“You always want to get back to that feeling of shooting well in a relaxed state, where you are mentally switched on, able to see the targets well and use your natural eye/hand coordination without over-trying.
“I think that is the key to it all.”
