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As Christian's passion and skill grew, the sport quickly became a family affair. His parents and sister would travel with h i m t o a t t e n d c o m p e t i t i o n s , a n d h i s mom took a part-time job at the shooting complex so she could help homeschool him. When he'd g et a break from doing schoolwork, he'd go out on the range to practice. At the end of each day, he'd carry a five-gallon bucket full of empty shotgun shells home, and his parents would help him reload them. "Everybody sacrificed some time and effort to get me to where I am today, so I'm super grateful for them," Christian says. Being performance oriented and com- p et i t i ve i s a q u a l i t y t h a t C h r i st i a n h a s c a r r i e d w i t h h i m s i n c e h e wa s a y o u n g athlete, both on and off the range. Whether it's bowling, playing in a golf tournament or doing group PT on the pickleball courts, he is driven to win. " I d i v e h e a d f i r s t i n t o m o s t o f m y h o b b i e s," h e say s. " I m e a n I c a n 't p l ay a p u tt - p u tt g a m e f o r f u n . I t 's g o i n g t o be competitive with me. I do value that aspect of my life." TRIP TO THE TOP Christian began shooting competitively in 2009 where he excelled through a local t e a m . C o m p et i n g , h e say s, wa s a g r e a t s p r i n g b o a r d n o t o n l y f o r h i m , b u t f o r other developing athletes as well. While he initially also shot trap, he ultimately fell in love with the challenge of skeet and has stuck with it to this day. NOVICE I think there's only a few really key points for a novice or a beginner. Gun fit is probably up there towards the top, it's crucial. If you don't have a gun that fits and it beats you up, it takes the fun away from the game. A piece of advice I was given was what we called "flush it." That's a mentality reset. Let's say you miss a target; you can't let that miss consume you, so you've got to flush it. You can't do anything about it now, so you've got to let it go and then shoot. COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS: 2025 » ISSF World Cup Gold Medalist in Buenos Aires, Argentina » Team USA World Cup Team » USA Shooting Spring Selection Bronze Medalist » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Team 2019 » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Team » USA Shooting Spring Selection Silver Medalist » ISSF World Championship Team Member » ISSF World Championship Mixed Team Silver Medal » ISSF World Cup Korea Open Men Silver Medalist » ISSF World Cup Final Mixed Team Bronze Medal » Pan American Games Gold Medalist » Graduate of the MCOE Leadership Development Course 2024 » USA Shooting National Champion » National Record Holder with 250/250 in qualification » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Team 2022 » USA Shooting National Championships Bronze Medal » Team USA World Championship Team Member » ISSF World Championship 5th » ISSF World Championships Team Silver » ISSF CAT Games Mixed Team Silver Medal » ISSF CAT Games Team Gold » Marble City Open Gold Medalist » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Member 2021 » USA Shooting National Championships Silver Medal » U.S. Army Advanced Leadership Course » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Member 2020 » Kerrville, PTO Gold Medal » USAMU Shotgun Demonstration Team An Elliott Education Staff Sergeant Elliott shares some quick tips for novice, junior varsity, and varsity clay target athletes