Where are you from? Edinburgh, Scotland
How did you get involved in the sport and what was your journey to Performance & Pathways Manager? Both my parents are rifle shooters so I was introduced to the sport quite literally at birth. I first shot a rifle at about the age of 10, and by 14 I was shooting competitively. While my focus was on ISSF small-bore rifle, I was also part of the school cadet team, competing at Bisley in full-bore target rifle. I was selected to compete for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 and enjoyed the experience so much that I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a full-time athlete – which I did for the best part of ten years. During that time I competed at three Commonwealth Games and two Olympic Games along with numerous World Cups, World and European Championships and even a European Games. I retired from international shooting back in September but have always been keen to give back to the sport which has given me so much – so when this job was advertised I leapt at the opportunity!
What are your hopes for the STS Performance Programme? We find ourselves at an interesting time for this sport, not just in Scotland but worldwide. All sports are under pressure over a variety of issues and shooting is no different. At home we face the challenge of having been dropped from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 but, while our shorter-term focus switches to Olympics and Paralympics, it also provides us with an opportunity to develop the programme longer term. Rather than working within the constraints of a four-year cycle, we are now able to step back and focus on the bigger picture. I think Scotland can be competitive with the rest of the world in this sport, and it is my hope that we can develop a programme and a pathway that supports both athletes and coaches to this end.
Any other interesting non-shooting related fact about yourself that you would like to mention? I am a qualified makeup artist and an aspiring author. I also enjoy painting and dog walks with my husband and our cocker spaniel.
Responsibilities
Jennifer’s key responsibilities with STS include:
Manage the contracted and personal coaches on the programme through setting targets and holding review meetings
Work with the contracted and personal coaches to manage the athletes, including setting targets and holding review meetings
Manage the programme budget
Provide regular reports for internal use to monitor the development of athletes on the programme
Co-ordinate reports for external use to publicise the achievements of athletes on the programme
Input into the strategic direction of the programme for 2019-2027
Lead the development and review of programme standards for athletes
Lead the review and implementation of the athlete and coach selection process
Regularly analyse standards being achieved by other Olympic and Commonwealth athletes to provide benchmarks for Scottish athletes
Co-ordinate team camps
Perform the role of Team Manager at competitions when required
Work with British Shooting to support a joined-up approach