Shania Harrison-Lee has an eye for the future. Photo Adam BurnsShania Harrison-Lee certainly found her niche – like a shot.

Within a couple of years since she first began getting involved in the local smallbore rifle scene in 2016, she would be representing her country.

The results, milestones and trophies have continued to flow towards the Ashburton College senior, however there is a bigger bullseye in mind as far as the 18-year-old is concerned.

Right now she is gunning for selection towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“I’m definitely embracing it but it’s absolutely terrifying,” she laughed.

Now in her fifth year, Harrison-Lee has continued to operate at a pre-eminent level as a master grade shooter, where she has emerged as one of the best in the country.

And it has been a marked rise, considering she first became interested in the sport from a humble starting point when she was a Year 9 pupil.

She said her interest was first piqued when she stumbled across a smallbore table, set up by teacher Stephen Millichamp, during a school orientation day.

“I walked past all these activities and then stumbled across smallbore rifle shooting,” she said.

“I signed up and wrote my name down.”

Even after receiving an e-mail reminder a few weeks later, she was still hesitant about tackling the sport.

“At that point, I had completely forgotten about it,” she said.

However it was local master grade shooter Steve McArthur, who is a good friend of her dad’s, who persuaded her to give it a go down at the Coronation Target Shooting Club.

“I went down near the start of the season and absolutely fell in love with it.”

The following year she was shooting competitively when she competed in the Inter-School Match for the South.

However it would be 2018 before she really staked a claim, by making the New Zealand women’s and junior teams after shooting the second top score in the New Zealand women’s match (296/300) during the New Zealand team postal shoot against the British Home Counties.

She admits she was star-struck when she first donned the silver fern as a 16-year-old.

“You always have the goal to get these things, but it’s quite breathtaking when you actually get there and you get to take home this silver fern pocket to put on a blazer.”

These moments will only become more profound for the Mid Canterbury teen.

A pinnacle showing at the Oceania Championships in Sydney ensued last November, where she scooped a gold as part of the 50m Prone B Team grade and an individual bronze, knocking off two Oceania records in the process.

Her biggest shooting moment thus far, she was also preparing for NCEA Level 2 exams at the time.

“Thinking about that now even though it was a year ago seems like such a silly concept, to not even be at the end of your high school education and you’re already overseas representing your country,” she said.

“It was very exhilarating to stand up on a podium in Sydney, at a mostly Australian event and be standing with my two senior team members (Rachel McLaren and Kirsten Birrell).

“It’s like you’re going completely against the grain.”

Having led the way for her school, region and country, a thriving smallbore talent pool was now following in her footsteps.

Pre-Covid she believed she was in peak shooting form, before lockdown prevented any live firing.

She bounced back to come second in the overall individual category in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ competition, whilst leading the top AshColl team to a record breaking win.

“The other day Charlotte (McKenzie) beat me by one point in a club match and that’s quite a big thing,” she said. “She’s two grades below me and she’s one of the next ones who is going to come up.

“It’s a really proud moment to see her doing so well.”

Her source of motivation comes from a very subjective place, where she strives to better herself each time.

“It is definitely the enjoyment of the sport, but also trying to beat the person you were yesterday,” she said.

“My biggest competitor is myself.”

Next year, Harrison-Lee will be at the University of Canterbury studying a Bachelor of Commerce but has every intention of going full noise towards the Commonwealth Games.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” she said.

“But it (shooting) can’t take too much of a backwards step.”

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 3 October 2020