Townsend on target

Alana Townsend knows how to focus.

As a Junior National Olympic Air Pistol Champion, college sophomore and vice president of North Dakota State University’s shooting club she knows it takes a little more than a simple gaze through the sight on her gun to achieve all of her goals.

She is living proof that hard work truly pays off.

Having first picked up an air gun at the age of nine, the Kalispell native made the Junior Olympic team when she was just 16 years old.

When it was time to chose a college, Townsend was lured to North Dakota State because her Junior Olympic coaches, Eric Pueppke and Steve Faught, live just 30 miles outside of Fargo—allowing her to train while attending school.

After being crowned the 2013 National Junior Olympic Champion at the USA Shooting national competition, Townsend is starting 2014 right where she left off.

She was the only American to make the finals at the Bavarian Air Gun Championships in Munich, Germany last January.

In February, she shot at the first half of the Selection Match in Colorado Springs to qualify for the World Cup team. The second half of the competition is in May.

March was a busy and successful month for Townsend. Competing for North Dakota State at the NRA Intercollegiate Championships, Townsend took first place in the Women’s Air Pistol event and the Open Air Pistol—a 60 shot air pistol match against men and women.

She was second place in the Women’s Air Pistol team event and took fourth place in the Free Pistol event.

Her finishes earned her first-team All-American honors and built her confidence for her future competitions.

“It means a lot. I finally was able to prove to myself that I could actually do something that I love and be good at it,” Townsend said. “I proved to all my family and all my frinds that it’s something I can be successful in.

“My goal is to make the World Cup USA team, to be able to travel to different World Cup events and make the actual national team.”

Her sights don’t stop there.

Townsend said she is looking forward to qualifying competitions for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil or the 2020 summer games that have yet to announce a location.

Throughout her young career, Townsend has competed in Colorado, Georgia, Germany, Czech Republic and Mexico to name a few places.

Still, she always makes her way back to Fargo and North Dakota State University where she is pursuing an Agriculture Business degree.

“It’s really hard,” Townsend said.

“I also have a part-time job so I’m getting pretty good at managing my time. It’s really hard, but I get it done.”

Townsend remains humble, saying she wants to work on the business side of her family’s farm and help with grain marketing and merchandising at a local agricultural business.

It’s hard to imagine how a college sophomore can plan her life outside