This video, created by photographer Shun Chu, features clips of Vera Koo at the Bianchi Cup. This competition, also known as the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, is an annual event that takes places in Columbia, Missouri, at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Range. It is a 3 day long event, open to both male and female competitors. Music in this video is from the movie Gladiator.
Continue reading for an excerpt from one of Vera’s blog posts, detailing how to become a champion shooter at events like the prestigious Bianchi Cup.
Vera Koo: How to Become a Champion Shooter
There is no real formula for becoming a champion. What works for me is focus and a single mindedness that sometimes causes people to think I am aloof. I am hard on myself and do not want to fail. Becoming a champion shooter, especially at the Bianchi Cup, the premier competition held every May in Columbia, Mo., is not unlike being a warrior. Every single time I face the challenge of competition it is like I am preparing for battle. I see myself as a general, preparing strategy and anticipating the enemy, which in most cases, is me.
The Rise to Success
The Bianchi Cup is one of the most mental challenges that competitive shooters can inflict upon themselves. There are only a limited number of shots to be taken at each of the 4 stations of the competition, and if you are not focused for even a split second, it can throw off your entire rhythm and change the outcome of the battle.
I entered the sport of competitive shooting when I was 45-years old. It was the last thing I expected to be doing. I took a class about gun safety and found that I had aptitude. I also worked very hard, like I do with most things, because I wanted to be the best at it. I have a natural competitive drive; however, the competition is not really against other people, it is to challenge myself to be the best I can be.
Continue reading this blog entry, here. Watch other videos on Vera’s YouTube channel, here.
The Most Unlikely Champion
Read more about Vera Koo’s life and rise through the world of professional shooting, in her memoir, The Most Unlikely Champion, sold here.
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