Amber Fink of Traer, a member of the Traer Air Gun (TAG) team, will competing at the Junior Olympic National Championship held in Colorado Springs, CO from April 20-27 in the air gun division after winning the State Championship earlier this season.

“It still hasn’t really processed that this is actually, that I’m actually heading to trials for the junior Olympics,” Fink said. “I’ve been practicing hard with my teammates to get here. It’s a mental thing, remaining calm during the process to shoot accurately.”

Fink qualified with high scores and won the State Championship to advance to the trials in Colorado Springs, competing on Tuesday and Wednesday that week. The 2018 North Tama graduate has come a long way after joining the team her sophomore year of high school as she grew with the club.

“My parents and I got into guns and started shooting several years ago,” Fink said. “I heard about this club and thought it would be a great idea to join my sophomore year in high school. I wanted to get better and succeed and it’s kept me going over the years.”

Though several other shooters possessed more talent and natural ability at shooting, coach Pete Holden noted persistence as her best quality and encouraged her to keep wr

“She got started with our scholastic shooting team and really had to work at this,” Holden said. “It was difficult for her at first, but she started to excel with the sport and I talked her into trying air gun. She continued to come along phenomenally because she wasn’t naturally gifted, yet she worked hard to get here.”

In addition to support she’s received from Holden, Fink feels the same comes from her teammates and families involved in TAG.

“It’s cool to know I’ve progressed with my shooting and gotten better,” Fink said. “I’d tell anyone to do it because it’s hard and makes you want to get better. You learn more about gun safety and fundamentals, skills that will help.”

As she prepares for her trip to the Olympic Training Center next month, Holden is confident Fink is ready and will have another opportunity next year with another state title.

“A lot of kids try shooting and give up because it’s difficult, but she hung in with it and that’s what impresses me,” Holden said. “This first year will be a fantastic learning experience and also very intense. She’ll get to learn more about what this is like. I believe she will qualify next year as well.”