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03/08/2017 11:00 PMHarrison Callahan knows what it takes to line up the perfect shot. As a junior on the North Haven rifle team, Harrison has stepped up as the Indians’ top shooter on numerous occasions and averaged a team-best score of 190 out of a possible 200 per match in the recent season. Harrison’s skill at the range stems from all the time and effort he puts into rifle, as he’s been a competitive shooter for the past several years.
“I was very interested in rifle and the competitive sport of it. As soon as I heard the high school had a team, I was interested. I got to know the team members, learned more about how the sport works at the high school, and, eventually, tried out. I’ve made varsity each year,” says Harrison. “My dad shoots at a gun club, so I’ve always been interested in the sport and its uniqueness. It’s unlike any sport there is because you just need to be focused. I compete across the state, as well as competitions in states like Georgia and Indiana.”
As a result of Harrison’s experience with rifle prior to entering high school, North Haven Head Coach Brent Heidenis felt that Harrison was a great choice to lead his team as a captain. From the moment he stepped into that role, Harrison has served as a great influence for his teammates, according to Heidenis.
“Harrison is a really good role model for our team. He does go above and beyond just the high school level. He’s involved in shooting sport year-round, so he’s very dedicated to it,” says Heidenis. “He leads more by example than anything. If anyone on our team wants to see what right looks like, they just have to look towards Harrison.”
In high school rifle, competitors take 50 shots from each of the four positions: sitting, standing, kneeling, and prone. In addition to taking his 200 shots during a match, Harrison also acts like another coach who’s always quick to give his fellow Indians some tips and tactics on how they can get better.
“Even though I may be an individual shooter, we’re a team. It’s about pushing others to their limits. As a captain, I influence the others to shoot as well as they can. It’s about keeping people calm and focused,” Harrison says. “I think I give a lot of my experience to helping my teammates adapt to different ways of shooting. I think it improves their consistency as well as I can.”
Consistency is a key to success in rifle, but Coach Heidenis feels that Harrison has also grasped the most important factor, which is not getting anxious amidst the pressure of a match.
“Taking the four forms out of it, the best technique he possesses is his ability to stay calm, cool, and collected under the heat of a competition. That’s the highest skill set to attain in this sport—the ability to stay focused,” Heidenis says. “When people get anxious, their skills quickly diminish. Somehow, he can consistently do that match in and match out, and that’s why he has the highest team average on the team this year.”
Harrison agrees with Coach Heidenis that his ability to remain focused goes a long way toward him recording solid scores.
“It takes a lot of practice. This sport is about 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical,” says Harrison. “I focus so much more on my mental strength because I know that’s the most important thing to taking an accurate shot.”
Only a junior, Harrison has already gone on college visits centered around participating in rifle. Harrison is learning how the sport is different between high school and college, and he’s really looking forward for an opportunity to test his mettle at the next level. Harrison has also received an invitation to compete in air rifle at the 2017 National Junior Olympics.
“A lot of the colleges with teams are in the south and west, so I’m looking toward their rifle teams and what I can add. I think it will bring a lot of enjoyment to my college experience,” says Harrison. “I’ve visited places like Wofford, Morehead, Ohio State, and the Coast Guard, but I’m also looking at Tennessee-Martin and North Georgia. I’ll be going on more visits to lower my choices down to a specific number of schools.”