She’s a working mom, a married woman and a grandmother. But that’s not all. In her spare time, Christine Corkell loves to compete in shotgun tournaments from Maryland down the eastern seaboard. Chris is an ambassador for Syren shotguns, and explains why she chooses this gun and this sport to complete her life.
The WON: How’d you come to the shooting sports and more importantly, why? What is your discipline of competition?
Christine Corkell: It’s funny, I grew up around guns. My father and brothers hunted and my dad had a collection of guns. I went to the gun club with him a couple times to watch. I wasn’t taught to shoot or how to handle a gun until my husband, Charlie, took me to the estate where he is a caretaker to shoot some clays. I started with a camo-pump gun and was lucky if I hit 2 out of 25 targets off of a hand-thrower. I had so much fun that I wanted to learn gun safety and all about the sport. I was advised to call Bruce Ney to get lessons. I scheduled a lesson – which led to buying a gun, a gun fit, trying different shells and lifting hand weights to build strength to be able to hold the gun that would lead to competing. Once I started to learn how to break targets, I loved the sport. It was something I could work on to improve and set goals, this gave me something to work towards.
The WON: In which area of shotgunning do you compete?
Christine Corkell: I love shooting sporting clays, I have tried skeet a few times, but like the variety of target presentations in sporting clays.
The WON: How’d you find out about Syren’s shotguns? Tell us about the model you shoot and why.
Syren Tempio Sporting
Christine Corkell: I started seeing them in the sporting magazines and then saw them at competitions. I loved the style of them and the roses. I had the opportunity to demo the Syren Tempio Sporting Shotgun 12 gauge and I loved the way it fit my hand and my finger could reach the trigger comfortably. It was easy for me to handle and I ended up purchasing that gun.
Syren Magnus Sporting
My next gun would be the Syren Magnus Sporting in a 20 gauge. The gun I was shooting before I purchased my Syren made my hands hurt because the grip was bulky for me, as I tried to stretch my finger to reach the trigger. I also like the way my gun is balanced.
The WON: It sounds like you’re a natural at the shooting sports. What qualities have helped you achieve this degree of success?
Christine Corkell: Lessons, practice and trying to stay positive and pushing myself to do better. I like the challenge and support of family and friends.
The WON: What competitions have you competed in lately?
Christine Corkell: I recently have shot National Sporting Clays Association tournaments in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. It gets cold where I live [Maryland] and going south is nice to get some warm weather and sunshine. I feel blessed to have made some goals and accomplishments in this sport.
Note: Christine’s awards are many.
The WON: What is your goal for yourself in the shooting sports?
Christine Corkell: I have a few this year: one is to be consistent and get to the 90s; the other is to work my way back to Master class. I want to keep a positive attitude, as you never know who you may inspire. I also want to help ladies be more comfortable with the safety and handling of shotguns, and eventually, to become an instructor and help women and children learn to break targets so they can enjoy this sport as much as I do.
The WON: How much do you practice?
Christine Corkell: I only get to practice on the weekends if the weather is good with working a fulltime job Monday through Friday. When I get to shoot I try to shoot at least 150 to 200 rounds.
Christine Corkell and SavannahThe WON: How does your family support you in this endeavor to be the best in clay shooting?
Christine Corkell: My husband is very supportive and enjoys seeing me grow and seeing my accomplishments; he does shoot, but likes to hunt with our daughter, her husband and our lab. He pushes me to be the best I can be and he believes in me.
Found … one of Christine Corkell’s favorite inspirational phrases.
The WON: What do you really like about the shooting sports?
Christine Corkell: What I really enjoy out of this sport is that I have met so many people and great friends. There is always something you can talk about in shooting. I love being able to break targets … and it’s something my husband and I can do together.
The perfect match dog. Christine’s dog, Savannah, sports the Syren look.
Visit Syren USA: https://syrenusa.com
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
