Life Lessons from Target Shooter Vera Koo

Vera Koo: On What’s Next after the Shooting Sports

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published July 26, 2018 I hear many people talk about what they want to do “some day.” Too often, though, “some day” never arrives until the window of opportunity has closed and they can no longer do what they always said they wanted...

How to Become a Public Speaker and Influencer

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published June 17, 2019 More than 20 years ago, my husband, Carlos, and I attended a self-improvement seminar. Probably 100 people were there, and we were all asked to stand up and say what we were afraid of. In an interesting twist,...

Retro WON: Yuanfen and 2 Pieces of Jade

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, February 21, 2019 In the Chinese culture, we believe in a concept called Yuanfen, which is when fate brings two people together. If you have Yuanfen with another person, you will feel comfortable with that person. You can talk with...

Vera Koo: Why College Matters

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, February 11, 2019 When I enrolled at San Francisco State after graduating high school, I do not think I realized just how valuable the next 4 years of my life would be. I attended college because my friends were going to college. It...

Vera Koo: Three Helpful Things to Make Your Dreams a Reality

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, January 8, 2019 What do you want your life to be about? What are your goals? What would make you happy? Have you ever thought about those questions? You should. Because you can make your dreams become reality. We can all be so much...

Vera Koo is Back in School

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, November 7, 2018 I am a college student again. Yes, at 71 years old, I returned to school. I enrolled this semester for a class called “Introduction to Digital Imaging” at Cañada College in Redwood City, California. It meets twice a...

Vera Koo: On Giving Back Through Writing

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, February 7, 2018 I remember attending a political fundraiser about 13 years ago and noticing how few Asian-American women were seated in the room. Asian-Americans make up a strong percentage of the population in the California Bay...

Squaw Valley Spartan Beast a Beauty of a Fait Accompli

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, January 17, 2018 Squaw Valley Ski Resort holds a special place in the hearts of my daughters, Christina and Shane. They spent winter days skiing there growing up, and it remains a popular gathering spot for my family. This fall,...

Vera Koo: My Faith In God

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, May 3, 2017 This is Vera Koo’s fourth column in a 6-part series that is inspired by the writings in her memoir, which will be published later this year. Vera is known throughout the shooting industry as a gracious woman who exudes...

Retro WON: Applying the Philosophy of Sun Tzu to My Life

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, February 2, 2017 "Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?” ~Sun Tzu Great athletes are perfectionists. We have a strong work ethic, and the tenacious ability to bite into something and never let go. We stay with it....

Vera Koo: Why You Must Shine Through

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, November 29, 2015 Vera Koo describes her journey to becoming one of the world’s finest shooters and how she overcame cultural obstacles and why you must shine through, too. My husband, Carlos, likes to tell a rendition of an old...

Vera Koo: How Windsurfing Kick-Started My Quest to Learn Other Sports

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, August 4, 2015 Before I met my husband, Carlos, I had no background in sports. I did not even take physical education classes in school. Carlos and I met before I turned 18 years old, and we married in 1969. One of my marriage...

Vera Koo: On God’s Plan

By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, July 2, 2015 Learn why Vera Koo accepts and moves forward through accident and injury, again and again, and about how she looks for, and accepts, God’s plan in the process. The manner in which I tore the anterior cruciate ligament...

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