Latest news with #sharpshooting
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Trained by his grandfather, 16-year-old Lucas Loftin is making Canadian shooting history
On the surface, 16-year-old Lucas Loftin is your normal everyday teenager. But hand the Kitchener, Ont., teen a rifle, and he transforms into one of Canada's most promising young sharpshooters. Loftin is in Innisfil, Ont., this week to compete for his third consecutive Canadian Junior Shooting Championship. Supporting him during his rapid rise in the sport is his grandfather and coach, Glynn Loftin. Glynn is a former member of the national team and won the same junior title 50 years ago. "My grandfather got me into it about five years ago," Lucas recalled during a recent interview at a shooting range in New Hamburg. "He'd pick me up from school and take me to the range and slowly I just fell in love with it." That passion has led Lucas to many victories. At just 13-years-old Lucas set the national record in prone position shooting. The prone position in shooting is when the shooter is lying on their stomach on the ground. Lucas also set the Ontario indoor three position record in August 2024. Three position is where shooters fire from three positions: Prone, standing and kneeling. But Lucas is not just winning against his peers; he's beating experienced shooters twice to three times his age. Lucas says he doesn't let the more experienced shooters get in his head. "One shot can make or break a match. So it can be nerve wracking. But when you look over at the target and see you had a good shot , it's a nice feeling," he said. A legacy in the making For Glynn, his grandson's success is a big source of pride. He says seeing Lucas win the same championship he won 50-years-ago was a thrill for him. "That was fantastic, absolutely excellent. In my efforts to coach him all I can do is give him the best opportunity to put out his best performance," he said. Not only did Lucas win the same championship as grandfather, he beat his grandfather's original score. Glynn thinks the key to his grandson's success is his ability to stay calm in the face of mounting pressure. "Overall it's his temperament and his ability to focus. It's being able to put the previous shots behind him and just concentrate on the one in the gun," he said. This mindset was echoed by Lucas. "Your focus should be on the one in the gun. It doesn't matter if you've messed up five shots, you can't change that," he said. A mentor for Lucas To Lucas and Glynn, shooting is a lifestyle and a bond between them. Their training sessions are less coach-and-athlete and more mentor-and-student. "I try to lead him into the best decisions as opposed to trying to just tell him. I've found that when he comes up with his own idea, that's when it takes root," he said. Glynn says his proudest moment as a mentor was when Lucas broke the Ontario Indoor three position shooting record. Glynn dropped Lucas off at the event but wasn't there for most of it since he had to work. As Lucas was getting out of the car he told his grandfather: "Don't worry. I got this." "I made it back in time to see his last couple of shots. His final shot was a 10.9 which is essentially dead centre," Glynn said. Olympic ambitions Going forward Lucas is aiming to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While 2028 is only three years away, Lucas knows he still has a long way to go. With just two more years of high school left, plans are already in motion for Lucas to attend an NCAA school in the U.S., where shooting is a collegiate sport. The schools could be his gateway to the Olympics. Lucas knows it won't be easy to qualify but his confidence remains high. "If I keep growing at this rate, it's really a matter of when it comes down to crunch time. I have to do a good match to get the qualification spot," he said. A spot in the Olympics may also help keep the sport alive in his family. "Just the experience of going to the Olympics sounds really great. An experience to tell my kids and grandchildren about," he said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kayla McBride ties WNBA record with 8 made 3s in one half, Lynx off to scorching start vs. Aces
Kayla McBride scored 24 points Wednesday in a win over the New York Liberty. The sharpshooting Minnesota Lynx guard matched that total in the first half Saturday in Las Vegas. During a 67-point Minnesota first half, McBride tied a WNBA record with eight made 3s. The five-time WNBA All-Star didn't miss from beyond the arc in the opening two quarters, and three of long-range splashes took place in the span of 53 seconds late in the second frame. That sequence saw McBride come off a screen and drain a 30-foot triple, a shot that would have probably been good for four points in this year's All-Star Game. Immediately after that, she stole a pass from three-time league MVP A'ja Wilson, dribble down the court and hit a 27-foot 3, that one over the outstretched arm of the 6-foot-4 Wilson. McBride finished the trifecta of 3s with a 29-footer, making the Aces pay from way downtown after Las Vegas was late on its defensive rotation. Fellow Lynx and All-Star guard Courtney Williams kept Minnesota's foot on the gas with a late-shot-clock triple. As a result, the Lynx clocked out of the first half 13-of-14 from 3-point land. Minnesota entered the break with a 67-33 lead. MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier — the Lynx's third All-Star this season who came into the day averaging a league-high 23.8 points per game — had only 4 points in the opening half.
