By Shelby Hicks
There are many women in shooting sports today, including Lena Miculek and Gabby Franco. It may sound surprising, but women are quickly entering the shooting sports arena and have been for a while. Are you interested in discovering how you can also get into this world of fun and competition? Let us look at how Lena and Gabby got started and how you can begin or how you can encourage other women to follow their dreams and desires.
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Lena Miculek
If you follow Lena on Instagram, YouTube, or any other social media platform, you will be aware of this twenty something’s success. As an eight-time world shooting champion and has recently received the Gundie’s Most Influential Female Award. This woman is a firecracker, climbing her way up the competition boards and helping others learn how to do the same, all while keeping safety and defense at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Lena began practicing the art of shooting at just 8 years old, but do not worry if you are a bit older than that! Practice always makes you better, and you can begin a regimen at any point in time. Let Lena be an encouragement to you, not a source of comparison.
Even though she started young, Lena Miculek was not a pro from the moment she picked up her first gun. She has said in many interviews that she failed repeatedly in her first competitions, referring to them as “train-wrecks.” She has grown much since then and has learned, especially from her parents, that it is best to never stop learning and redeveloping the way you do something.
From Lena Miculek, you can learn that persistence is key to achieving your dreams and getting into shooting sports, but it is also keeping an open mind that help you improve. There will always be new ways to develop yourself and your skills, and you should always be open to learning those new ways.
Gabby Franco
Gabriela “Gabby” Franco made the Venezuelan shooting Olympic team when she was just 19, the first female shooter to represent Venezuela in the Olympics. She now is a firearms instructor who writes manuals and helps others improve their game. When Gabby was a child, her father learned that there was a junior shooting team on the range he frequented. He got Gabby involved, and that is where her journey to the world of shooting sports began.
Gabby is a big believer in perseverance and working hard for what you want. She has said in many interviews that she keeps a philosophy of thinking, “you don’t get to be mad or frustrated about something you have done nothing about; get back to work!” It can be easy to let the world tell you that you are not made to participate in shooting sports. However, women like Gabby Franco have proven repeatedly that gender does not matter. If you have a desire to compete, do it!
From Gabby Franco, you can learn that you can compete anywhere—she travels often with her husband who is in the active military, and she is a mom of a young boy. She has a busy lifestyle now, but she does not let that stop her from participating in the activities she enjoys.
How Can I Get Involved?
Are you interested in getting involved in shooting sports? It can feel daunting at first if you have never been involved before. But you can get into a competition in a moment if you put your mind to it. When beginning these competitions, keep in mind that you may fail a few times before you learn the tricks of the trade and begin getting better. Remember, Lena Miculek failed many a time before becoming an eight-time world shooting champion.
Look in Your Area
First thing is first; look and see what is available in your area. There are bound to be at least a couple of competition groups around for you to join. You can start by looking at the Nation Shooting Sports Foundation website. They partner with many organizations to help bring you a sense of camaraderie and a chance to improve your skills no matter where you live. Another idea is to look at what recreational shooting opportunities the National Rifle Association has coming up. They often have women-only getaways to help you improve yourself alongside other women. You can also look at your local gun range and see what they have to offer.
Volunteer
You can make the world of shooting sports feel more accessible and more normal by volunteering in different activities. Volunteering you set up a competition in your area or to spread the word will make it more exciting for you as the day draws near, and it will increase foot traffic on the day of. This opens shooting sports to any area you live, no matter how big or small, young, or old, urban, or rural. Volunteering is always a terrific way to further a cause you care about.
Get Your Family Involved
Getting your spouse and kids involved in the fun will encourage them to continue supporting competitions as they come to your area. It will also help you to have some good family time doing something you love! Spread your passion for shooting sports and have it become a familial passion that will be passed on for generations.
Getting involved in shooting sports as a woman can feel daunting at first. It is a world that has been predominantly male. However, getting yourself into a competition does not have to feel scary. Take your inspiration from women who are already competing, like Lena Miculek and Gabby Franco. They have both worked their way into the competitions and have improved their skills by practicing, even when they were not the best. If we can learn anything from them, it is to not give up! Follow your passions and get yourself into the shooting sports you enjoy.
What are your thoughts on shooting sports?
Do let us know in the comments below. If shooting is really up your alley, looking into the world of hunting might also be of interest to you.
Hello! I am a Momma of 2 angels and 1 earthside baby. They are the sweetest blessings and are my reason for living! I am a born and raised East Tennessean, living in the valley of the Smoky Mountains. My pastimes include hiking, camping, gardening, and preserving food by way of canning. All these things have brought me joy, but even more so now that I have gotten to share the magic of the outdoors with my son. My favorite things about camping are laying in the hammock by the creek, and cooking in cast iron over the open fire.
- Shelby Hickshttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/shelby-hicks/
- Shelby Hickshttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/shelby-hicks/
That sounds great and it’s nice to see more women joining shooting sports more often.
Shooting tends to be a rare activity for women, in general. However, learning the techniques can help develop new skills.
It is nice to see women doing things like shooting. I would like to learn how to use a gun myself. I would be curious to know what kinds of opportunities are available in my area.
This is such a great sport for women!
I know I certainly enjoyed practicing it during a scouting camp, and surprised myself at how much I enjoyed it (maybe it was also because either out of pure luck or some innate hidden talent, I did pretty good on the range!!)
Ohhh, I may look into trying this. These days we all need to defend ourselves.
I need to share this blog post with my husband. I’ve been wanting to try this and he’s a bit more concerned about it.
Thank you for sharing! This is definitely a talent that some people master well.
Interesting. Not sure this a sport I would do though but thanks for the information.
I used to be pretty good at shooting, it’s been a while though. Awesome that there are more women in the sport.
Sounds like fun, but sadly, Japan doesn’t permit shooting as a sport. I would have to go back home to the US to do. But it is encouraging to see such women participate in this sport.
Shooting sports is kind of interesting. I’ve seen a few showing in my Instagram of women having fun with this kind of sports.
This might be super fun, I’ve never tried it before. I would love to try this out soon, super cool.
Gabe and Lena proved that women can be as competitive as men in sports long dominated by men. More power to women in all field of expertise.
Ramil,
Thank you for reading! Lena and Gabby are definitely some strong women with inspiring stories!
My dad was a sports shooter, so I learned it too
Renata,
That’s so exciting! Did you enjoy getting into the sport alongside your father?
Thank you for reading!
Have never tried shooting sports, so thank you for this informational post! Agree that involving kids and family members would be helpful
Nishtha,
Thank you for reading! It is always more fun when you get to participate with the ones you love.
Wow, soooooooooo cool! I will show this to my daughter. She will love it for sure.
Boogie,
Thank you for reading! Best of luck to your daughter—I hope this inspires her to reach for her dreams!
More and more women are excelling in different fields. I am glad more women are into this kind of sports.
Ramil,
Me, too! It is wonderful to have so many different people from different backgrounds participating in such a fun sport together.
Sounds fun but a bit scary. I’m sure instructors are there to help you at every step of the way. Would love to try this out for sure!
Irena,
There are definitely instructors along the way! If you are interested in starting out, it may be helpful to call your local shooting range to see if they have any connections to instructors or have any on their staff. Best of luck to you!
This is awesome, it might be a struggle at the beginning but it will be fun. I love shooting.
Frank,
Anything worthwhile is often difficult at first! I encourage you to try this out if you are interested. You never know where it can lead you.
I think this would be a fun sport. I really would love to try, but I’m hesitant about holding a gun
Dorry,
It’s okay to feel hesitant! If you are interested in trying, I’m sure there are some kind and patient people at your local gun range that would love to help you out. Thank you for reading!
I’ve never shot a gun. It’s not really for me. We don’t really have many shooting sports in the UK.
Melanie,
Thank you for sharing that info! I had no idea there weren’t many opportunities for this type of sport in the UK.
This sounds and looks so fun. I’ve never been out shooting before but would love to go out with friends and family.
Barb,
It’s never too late to try something new! Thank you for reading ❤️
I am fully aware of shooting as a sport, but have never taken part. I know there are several shooting ranges nearby- need to check them out!
Bryan,
Let us know how it goes when you check them out! This can be such an exciting endeavor. Best of luck to you!
I am not a huge fan of anything related to guns, so I don’t think shooting sports would be the best option for me or my family.
Heather,
And that’s okay! I’m so happy you are able to discern what is best for you and your family. That’s all any of us can do! Thank you for reading 🙂
I always forget that they have sports for shooting. I find these women very inspiring. I am hesitant about holding a gun but I think it would be fun to do shooting as a sport.
Michele,
It’s okay to be hesitant! I’m sure there are many who would be willing to help you get into shooting sports if you want to pursue it!
My daughter seems interested in this sport. She will start in the fall… We’ll see how she’ll do😁
Marina, that sounds so exciting for your daughter! The best of luck to her!
That’s very cool. I feel like shooting sports could be a lot of fun. I’ve never really thought about doing it before until now.
Beth, shooting sports are a wonderful thing to get into. You can talk with different people at ranges and gun shows for their views on it, too!
Sounds like good sports. I would love to experience shooting.