Where in Scotland are you from? Orkney although I now reside in Fife.
What discipline(s) do you shoot and who are your coaches? I shoot the shotgun discipline of Olympic Trap competing in the Para Trap PT3 class. Athletes in the PT3 classification have an impairment in their non-shooting arm, compete from a standing position with good balance and trunk function. My coach is Marco Micheli.
How did you get involved in the sport and what was your shooting journey to get on to the performance programme? Having shot air rifles in Orkney as a boy, it was a shooting trip with my father and two brothers in Inverness six years ago that rekindled the interest. I was shooting recreationally for a while, going out when I could, but about three years ago I got to the stage where I had reached a plateau. That is when I began to shoot competitively in Olympic skeet and in 2016, I was selected to represent Scotland at the Home Countries International Tournament in Dublin.
However, it was at the Commonwealth Shooting Federation European Championships in Wales later that year that I first learned of Para Trap. Shortly after this competition, Para Trap became an officially recognised sport by the International Paralympic Committee with the first ever World Cup to be held in Italy the following year. I started shooting Olympic Trap competitively for the first time in March 2017, which meant a change in discipline and the goal of making the Great Britain team. I was successful in achieving my goal and obtaining a place on the performance programme as a result.
Where you do your shooting? I train mainly at the National Shooting Centre Scotland and Auchterhouse Country Sports. As well as these grounds I also participate in competitions throughout the UK and Internationally.
What are your hopes and plans for the future in terms of your shooting career? My plans are to continue competing at world level and improve upon my world #8 ranking. In addition to this and being a proud Orcadian I will represent Orkney at the upcoming Island Games in Gibraltar.
My hopes are Para Trap continues to grow as a sport and reaches the level where it will be included in the Paralympic Games. When it does reach this level, the ultimate goal is to be there and on the podium. As part of the journey I hope to raise awareness of disability in sport and particularly shooting showcasing its inclusiveness and accessibility.
Any other interesting non-shooting related fact about yourself that you would like to mention? I hold a Masters degree with distinction in Construction Project Management.