By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published March 16, 2020 When I consider my life and how fortunate I have been, it is almost as if I am in a play with a perfectly written script. My story has had countless hurdles and challenging times, but just when it seems as if...
Shooting
A Peek Into the Life of Vera Koo and the Book She is Writing
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published September 20, 2016 I met Vera Koo a few years ago and have been intrigued with her ever since. It’s no secret that I think she is an absolutely amazing person. As I read her recent column, my respect for her grew all the...
Vera Koo: Why the Bianchi Cup Shooting Tournament is My Favorite
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published February 22, 2016 I have been told that I am the type of person who will take a bite of something and hold onto it and not let go until I have it mastered. I gravitate toward activities and tasks that take a long time to...
Vera Koo: How the Shooting Sports Saved My Life
More than 20 years ago, I found myself at the lowest point of my life. I had experienced a terrible personal crisis. Suffice it to say that this crisis was an external force that shattered my core values. I had built my beliefs based on certain principles, and this...
Vera Koo: From Dolls to Guns — My Journey to the Competition Shooting Sports
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published January 6, 2015 I did not grow up playing with toy guns. I grew up playing with dolls. In fact, as a child, I never had any interest in guns. I was raised in a very traditional Chinese family that valued women as nurturers...
Vera Koo on the NRA World Action Pistol Championship & Bianchi Cup
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published May 8, 2018 Two years ago when I competed at the World Action Pistol Championship in New Zealand, I figured it might be my final time participating on the world stage. Turns out, I am getting another opportunity. I am one...
Twenty-Five Yards: Set Small Goals – For Shooting and Life
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published March 20, 2017 Twenty-five yards isn’t far to travel – unless, of course, your leg is broken. That’s the situation I found myself in during an April day in 2013 at the gun range near Columbia, Mo. I was training for the...
Vera Koo and Her Zombie Apocalypse Experience
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published April 7, 2020 Life with Carlos is an adventure, so much so that I often think I have lived 2 or 3 lifetimes compressed into one. Throughout our 50 years of marriage, we have not had a dull moment. We raised a family. We...
Retro WON: Why You Must Train in Inclement Weather for Shooting Competitions
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published February 16, 2017 Champion competition shooter Vera Koo continues her series on practical and common sense advice for competition shooters and training regimens. In this installment, she lays out why you must train in...
How to Prepare for a Shooting Competition
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published September 24, 2014 Shooting, like any sport, requires practice, persistence and dedication. In competition, it’s preparation that can help you win, or at least provide comfort and confidence in your abilities. Ask any...
Shooting and the ‘Ming’ Thing
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published December 3, 2014 Vera Koo explains the concept of the ming thing in relation to shooting. Have you ever seen “Madama Butterfly?” It is Puccini’s hauntingly beautiful opera that illuminates a world of love, loss and tragedy...
The Future of Women in Shooting Sports
By Vera Koo, Women's Outdoor News, Published February 20, 2014 Everyone has something that could make our world more extraordinary. People spend their entire lives perfecting that skill; ask any athlete, any diplomatic leader, Nobel Prize recipient or Oscar winner. As...