Just a few months ago in October, Team GLOCK’s Randi Rogers seized the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. In what she credits as her greatest accomplishment to date in shooting sports, Rogers took home two gold medals at the IPSC World Shoot XVI in Rhodes, Greece. Not only did she share the first place title with the ladies of Team USA in the standard division, but she stood at the top at the individual level as well.
Watching Rogers’s talent with a firearm, it is evident that shooting competitively is exactly what she was destined to do. Her inspiration in life, her grandfather, taught her how to shoot at age eleven. “In high school I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life and I thought well, the only thing I really like is shooting. How can I make that a career? My grandparents own a shooting school and small Web-based business, so I decided to study business in college and try to continue shooting,” stated Rogers.
Randi Rogers. Photo courtesy of Paul Erhardt
While admittedly a bit clumsy, with the exception of when holding a firearm, Rogers knows that one of the important aspects of being competitive in any sport is physical ability. A big fan of the outdoors, Rogers enjoys going mountain biking and running to keep in shape. “Being a woman I do have a slight disadvantage when it comes to size, so it is more important for me to work out and stay in shape,” stated Rogers.
Teammates Tori Nonaka and Randi Rogers. Photo by Stefan Wendland
When it comes to shooting, the physical preparedness is only half of it. Rogers knows that she also needs to spend time mentally getting ready for her competitions. “I dry fire everyday and I try to do as much live fire as possible. I also try to attend some local matches in the same discipline as a big match I am traveling too,” Rogers stated. [In fact, she recently won a steel challenge in Georgia.] One added psychological training practice, in particular, that Rogers practices is a ritual she feels can go a long way: “I write myself a post-it note and put on my mirror with whatever my goal is for the upcoming match. I read it every day and tell myself, ‘I am going to shoot clean!’ or whatever my goal happens to be.”
Extensive travel can be hard at times on Rogers, but the opportunity to meet different people and see new places makes up for that. Rogers loves shooting USPSA matches, particular in Titusville, Fla., a place that she feels is beautiful. Rogers embraces the prospect of the ability to help shooting sports grow and to inspire others. She said, “I think one of the best feelings is having someone come up to me and say, ‘I saw you shooting and it looked like so much fun I just had to try it for myself.”
Obviously Rogers will accomplish much more throughout her shooting career, although her credentials already place her among the top shooters in the world, male or female.
“My goal is to shoot for a very long time! It would be great to win everything once, but even more important is just staying active,” Rogers stated. “Shooting has made my life so wonderful and I would love to share that with as many people as I can.”
Jennifer Yoder is a Pennsylvania freelance writer that also shoots competitively. View all posts by Jennifer L Yoder
