well, Lucas Kaczynski, silver medalists, huge win for the US, bringing home that medal. Talk me through that competition. I know you were in the mixed teams and it was the first ever 10 m mixed teams, air rifle competition in the olympics, so bring home a medal for that. What was that experience and and that competition like for you? Um Well, I mean it's it's definitely so the mixed team event is a new thing um and so this whole quad, they've been playing around with formats and in different, different ways of how they select teams. Um And they settled on a format back in 2019, so it's like this this is the Olympics, this is what it's gonna look like. Um and so they shot a couple of world cups with with that format. Um we rolled around to our Olympic trials and that's when we figured out that um mary tucker and I were gonna end up being teammates for the mixed team event. And so we we got paired up and we kind of started training together like through zoom and just kind of texting back and forth, getting on the same page about things. Um we had two opportunities before this to to to work um and that was a World Cup New Delhi where we got bronze, and then World Cup Croatia where we got fourth place, So we were just a little bit out of the middle uh placing for that event. And so with with that in mind that context, um we had built up a lot of trust and some camaraderie with one another and we got around to the olympics. Um she and I both shot in the individual events as well, and we both ended up in sixth place and so we were we were feeling fired up and wanting to be a force to be reckoned with and what ended up happening. Um We get on the firing line and The first round is 30 shots and so a normal course of fire is 60, they cut it down in half and with the man and the woman together that'd be 60 shots and so that's the end of the math, whatever. Um and so 30 shots in 30 minutes. Um she struggled on the first round and I had an excellent first round and so we we looked at each other, we're like, Yep, nope, we're still good. We we shared some thoughts one another about how this is going. And then the second round we made the second round uh we are team came in I think it was like six or seven. And so I was like yeah we're kind of on the bubble. Um Get around the second round, it's only 20 shots for this time around. Um and so we started shooting and I can't see her score, she can't see my score, so I don't really know what's going on um with her stuff for mine, my first five shots was not bad, but the parameters that we were working under were really dodgy. And so with the individual events, the qualification scores for the final were absurd, like they were higher than they've ever been and for the countries who weren't able to travel, it was crazy to see them perform the way they did, and so just the depth and the in the field of play was very, very thick and so the stress is very high in that range that day. Um And so we we were sitting there and I shoot my first five shots, I don't know what she's doing, but from my end I was like, oh that's not that great. And so I dug my feet in and just ran through my routine, ran through my process stuff and it wasn't, it wasn't great, but it was good, it was good and I managed to kind of recover after that and shoot a decent score. And I guess that initial reaction of finishing that up, it's like, you know, my gut feeling is we're probably on the bubble somewhere and I don't know if we're in the bronze medal round, but I don't feel like that's good enough to make the gold medal around. I come off the line and turn around and she finishes up just like one shot after I did. And so we kind of look at each other and we're like this is kind of dodgy, I get a tap on my shoulder from the range officer, we have these equipment control checks and so they said you need to come with us so we can check your equipment. And so I walk away, I didn't get the chance to talk to the coach, I haven't seen where we are. And so I'm walking down there and I'm and I feel just dreadful, just terrible. Like I I have not even had a chance to even decompress or do anything with, with mary or with with coach dan and I turn around and I see, I see that moment were dan standing there, mary embraces Dan and I'm like, oh my God. And so I went to look up and we have these screens where all the, the scores and rankings are and I had to jump up onto the awning just to reach and pull and look to see where we were and the way it works is based off of averages of the score. And so there we were second place, right behind china and Korea is right below us and there would be this line underneath in case the team was still shooting. And so I was looking, I was like, okay, our score is done. We're in there. We we are in second place in Korea's and third, they don't have that line, they're stuck there. We just got a metal boom just like that. And I'm losing my mind and they're like, they're stressed out there. Like you need to come with us. We can check your equipment. And I'm like, I'm in the final and I like high five like the rain doctors and volunteers and they're like all confused and everything and I'm like, I need to sit here and wait for the coach to catch up. And so he's running over. You know, we embrace each other, we get equipment checked and you know, we, we finish up, the whole thing went back to marry high five, you know, we're hugging like, yeah, let's go. So we go over to the finals hall and we sit there and we're just kind of going back and forth, were energized and excited. And uh, the consensus between us was, you know, we are okay with whatever happened. So we're just going to go and full send it and see just where we end up. And that's kind of how the final went. I mean, we took each round as it went and yeah, we fell short to the chinese by two rounds. But um, it was, it was good and the way the scoring works, it's not just pure raw score, but it's actually um, this round's and so each person which due to shot and they would add those scores together And whichever pair had the higher score, you get two points in the first team to 16 would win. And um it was really back and forth the entire time um and we came off the line after after we were done, um you know, we're disappointed but not upset because it's like, look how far we've come and we're the silver medal and we were just ecstatic for the rest of the evening, the rest of, I mean really the time since then, but it's like um we it was just an emotional roller coaster to the entire time of like we knew what the standard was and we were able to meet that standard under that pressure um and maintained through all the different relays and through the qualifications um and ended up with a sober. And so that was that was pretty cool. That, I mean that was probably one of the best explanations of someone's personal experience or something like that. And I think a lot of athletes going through what the roller coaster that you explain kind of blackout, There's so much energy and excitement that any one of those moments would be like, honestly, I have no idea what happened and yet you seem like you were very much there for all of that and I know that that's something you talked about is an athlete's mentality and taking care of your mental state and really kind of being with it. So talk to me about that. How do you get through such a precise and in the head type competition when you're having to wait for someone else to take a shot? You don't know what your teammates doing and and everything that you just explained. How do you keep that mental space open and ready to compete? Yeah. So, um, and that, that's a, that's a definitely big question. Um, so I think the big thing is for, for shooting just so everyone understands like what what the shooting sports are is you are in your lane, um, you are by yourself doing a task individually. And so it's bizarre because it's only offense and it's weird because you don't rely on anyone else, but we also have team events and so it's, it's, it's strange and so so to conceptualize all that, it's your and your lane doing your thing. Um, and the team aspect is that accumulation of both people. Um, and so for for me how I view the shooting sports, um, and it's the same as like bowling and golf where it's, it's you dealing with yourself in that moment. And so for me, I I live by this philosophy called like what's important now, and so that concept comes from Blue hole to the famed Notre dame coach and he would ask his players at all the time about like, you know, what's important now is practice, what's important now, It's eating food class, you know, whatever it is. Um and so when I'm in my competition or I'm training or whatever, it's, it's asking myself that question all the time or even just the concept of the day kind of thing. It's easy to put in a perspective of, it's literally one shot at the time. And so if I can, if I can learn to give that focus too, that one shot, then I think I'll be okay, but there's also the time in between that needs to be managed. Um and that is probably where that what's important, our concept and all that training comes in is you're you're sitting there and you're dealing with yourself in the sport, and so you have the self talk like, oh my God, you know, I'm under pressure, my heart rates, I'm I I I feel a lot of stress and the heat accumulating, and our sport is standing there very still, there's no way to burn off the energy, and so the best way to do it is through breathing, but you also have all this stuff going in and out. And so it really comes down to is that filtration and that discipline over the fundamentals, and that really showed during the individual qualification matches I had, um because I was actually a really good match for me and what, what that was. Um I kept having these these this this this affirmation moment, like I know that I am good enough to make this final and be competitive for a medal, but it's really easy to pull myself out of it, and so there is that like, okay, I'm doing my thing, I'm doing my process, oh, I'm gonna make this final, and then all of a sudden I go from here to here and the whole gets harder, you know, the adrenaline, the chemicals and all that stuff is pumping through you and so sit there and breathe and pull myself back down and then continue through the match. And so it's a lot of patience and control and discipline on stuff and that big thing of like, what's important now come that comes with the choosing of perspective on what's happening is like, if you know, like, I need to focus on this one shot at this one time, that that then leads to more questions of like what do I need to do, what's what's the perspective that need to take, and then that becomes my choice on what happens. And for the most part you can control most of the variables and shooting, you know, there's like wind and lighting and noise and sometimes you can control your body to an extent. Um and so that that that is kind of how I was able to handle a lot of these emotions, these things throughout the course of fire, um because I had that time and I took the time to be deliberate and disciplined with stuff through, through my whole head, space, philosophy stuff. Um the finals are a little bit different because you have a time limit and so there's no sitting there coming to terms with what you're doing it, you have 50 seconds take a singular shot and if you shoot a poor shot you're done and that and that's it, that's just the name of the game, it's it's objective and we had we had more success of that in the mixed invent event, but for the individual one, um I was just shooting along, I never shot strong enough to be in a good spot and so I was on a bubble a couple times where I had to shoot a deep shot and I actually avoiding elimination twice and I almost did a third time, but um I fell short to Istvan Penny from Hungary, um but it's not anything I'm upset about, it was like this is what I'm dealing with and I have to roll with it. Um so this last little piece of this whole thing and this is a hard one for for a lot of for a lot of athletes is being okay with that outcome piece. Um and that is a difficult thing to kind of conceptualize. Um one of the, the big pieces of me as an athlete, um and it's something that's really important to me is being able to smile before the metal kind of thing. And it's my entire experience through my craft is not determined by the success I have, like, like this, this is great, I love this, but that's not it, that's not the whole thing. And so that's that's why when I came off the line during the final, in the individual match, I was the one of the only people that actually turned around and smiled to the crowd because I'm okay with it. And so that acceptance and that that that um, understanding of what of what I was doing has been a really big key for me in the past as well. Um, and I carried over to the mixed team event too. And so that's, that's kind of my whole spiel of, I guess, how do I emotionally handle that stuff? It's not easy. I make it sound like it's easy because a lot of reasons with stuff, but it takes a lot of time and it takes, I mean, years to, to, to, to not only think that way, but also physically believe in that in that concept. And I only got there about two years ago at the Pan american Games when I had to do that. I wanted to pan american games with the kidney infection. I was in the hospital two days before my event and I cannot expect the same expectations of myself. Like I know I could have won easily through my own control and stuff, but here I am with this health condition, it's like I have to take control of what I can do and and live in those moments and be okay with what happens. Um and that that worked out to be pretty well. And so I've kind of solidified that headspace, I guess. So, yeah, and you say rolling with it and that you have this kind of grasp on something that isn't really that easy, but you are maybe well able to articulate it. So with something like this past year and and the delay of the Olympics and COVID and even competing how different it was from your 2016 Rio experience. So how did that compare? Not having an audience member, not having the eating of bread loaf moment in the opening ceremonies when you don't have that? What what did that change about the competition for you this year? Um It was it was weird, so the lack of Spectators was definitely an impact of play for a couple reasons. Um there's there's less stress in the air, they left present, so there was people taking photos and doing stuff and like doing whatever. Um but there is less noise and so it really seemed a lot more like a World Cup than in the Grand prix than it did the olympics. But there was always a subtle reminder of it is the olympics. This is it, this is the accumulation of four or five years of work for a lot of people. And I think that dad lack of Spectators was a good and a bad thing, a good thing is like, oh, it's quieter, there's less stuff to mess with, whatever. But the other side of it though, it's it can almost be a filter because there's so much noise, There's so many things that are new and people can really identify with that and thrive off of it. And so um it was definitely, it was definitely different. Every olympics is different, but this one I think with the lack of Spectators and people. Yeah, it's disappointing but it definitely added a different feel to the whole game. So yeah, yeah, I can totally see how that would affect it. But also it seems like the way that you think about generally be taking that mentality would would be helpful in something like this and maybe not something that other people were quite as prepared for as you were just having that mindset that you've been able to kind of create an articulate. Um So growing up, I I know you moved around a couple times and you kind of found air rifle shooting later on and I believe high school, so what did that mean to you to find this kind of sport that you clearly have a passion and extreme talent for and how has that shaped kind of the college experience you had and just the career in life path that you've been on? Yeah, I um I mean I really just stumbled upon it and in hindsight. Um the shooting sports, especially like a rifle at a high school level is actually really hard to get into. Um it's not hard, it's it's not out there like soccer or football or baseball whatever. Um and there's a lot of clubs that people can join to join up, but my school had a team and the potomac league in Fairfax Virginia um is actually fairly unique. Not many places in the country have a scholastic high school shooting league. Um and so I saw it on morning announcements in school and I was like, you know, go, go look whatever and showed up. I showed up late because I had to take a biology test that day and The coach gave me a lecture about being on time being respectful as I'm like trying to shuffle through like all 60 people in this room, like trying to find a seen as like. okay, this is, this is pretty cool. And so my dad and I went to the safety briefings, we've got to shoot a little bit and we looked at each other. It's like, yeah, let's let's give this a try. And within a year, you know, I was not very good. My 1st 1st year of high school, I was, I started a lot. I didn't, I wasn't shooting all that grade. My last day that I could do it, literally the Letterman awards ceremony was that evening. I got my Letterman that day by a single point and I just ran with it. We went straight over to the ceremony. I got I was like this is really cool. Um And about two years later I went to junior olympics, went to nationals with the team, I started going to traveling around and one of the kids in the area went to north Carolina state University and the parents saw me at one of the local match and said you know if you're interested you should look this up. And so N. C. State was the first school that really came to mind. Um And I sent them an interest letter or interest email. Um And I kind of started kicking off some stuff and I looked into other schools. Um I was trying to get into the service academy which ended up I ended up being medically disqualified for because I was on an acne medicine at the time. Um but I eventually, and she stayed, gave me an offer and it to me like, it it happened for a reason because my dad was being stationed in fort Bragg and it made a lot of sense to go. Um it was close to my girlfriend, now wife in her school, so about four hours away from them. It was like an hour and a half away from my parents. I was like, you know what, this seems right in the school is really nice. I love the academics there. I always felt welcomed at home. Um and being a student athlete, there was definitely an incredible experience because it gave me a lot of real life opportunities that I didn't have in high school where it's like, okay, you show up to the range, you shoot two or three times a week. This was work, this was your spending six hours in gym every week. You're spending 20 hours in the, in the range every week, your training, your shooting, you're giving feedback to your coaches and it became a lot more than there. Of course there's a college level of stuff and so you're dealing with like tutoring and you have all these resources but there's all these commitments and so it really blew up that whole world for me of, you know, I'm not just a shooter, but I'm also an athlete and through anti state I got to experience going around the country. I went to Alaska Ohio, you know, wherever and um I started traveling more and so that was really cool. Um I went to junior olympics my freshman year and I didn't medal but I made the final and ended up in fourth place in both the Smallwood arrogant and so it's disappointing. Like I didn't make the national team because that's how the national team was made at the time. Um, but I felt very fulfilled with that flew home, did my finals and I want to spend time with my parents. My girlfriend came down and we, um, we're sitting there and I get this email from the national coach saying, hey, we're going to nominate you to the junior national team. Um, if you want to accept this, you can, I was like, you know, yeah, absolutely. And I said, you want you to come down for this match in Georgia. And so I went down to spring selection that year. I shot air gun and it did not go well for me. And so what they wanted to do was to have this, this, this jacket ceremony was like, hey, we want to put the jacket on you, you know, you're being named to the team. This is this is like not in the common occurrence. And I was like, well who else is being made of the team? It's like it's just you, it's like I came down here and I shot very poorly. I don't feel like I've earned this, let me out right erin at nationals, which is what I did in 50 m and so I went out there, shot the small bore event came in third and that opened up another door for me because I qualified for the World Championship team In 2014 and so I got to go to screen out of Spain and competing in world championships. And so that was awesome and that was that was really cool because it opened that door for me. But it was also very weird another respect because there I am overseas doing this thing and I came back and reality hit of like now my sophomore in college schools getting a lot harder. Um And I ended up failing a class, I got A D. And another one and it's just not it was just not a good semester and so there's a lot of forming and storming and stuff. Um And that led into the springtime, went back to junior olympics for my last time. Um I made the final and they're gonna ended up I think in fourth again and a small board my last shot of the first day I struck the frame and so I pulled myself out of the final contention for that and um it was really disappointing because there's a lot of mistakes that I made. Um And so I was like yeah I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna I'm gonna go to Nationals represent myself well and so I took a summer course um got some some economics classes out of the way. I took a yoga class trained for nationals at N. C. State went there and it was okay I made both finals again but I didn't meddle in anything. And so that was kind of another like you know stabbed. It was like you know I just kind of fell short another time um And kind of talking to the coaches and just trying to get on the same page of stuff like you know what do we need to do? And so they lend loan me some equipment to take home. Um But then at that time I became precancerous for melanoma and so I had a bunch of moles removed and has some get some things tested. Everything came back. But nine, but I had this, this huge thing taken out of my back and I was basically right into my house for about six weeks and I was kind of hobbling around and you get a chance to train, workout, do anything like that. And that's when I really started exploring mental management. It's like, here I am, I had a year and a half of just this intense, like, I was a contender as a junior, and I have one more junior championship in december that I can go to, and then I'm an adult now and I had to compete with everyone else. And so it was, I had a lot of, a lot of pay value to train this summer, but I couldn't, this, this was, you know, life telling me I have to sit down and not do anything. And so I started exploring mental management and dealing with my self image and dealing with goals and management and all of these things. And it also dawned upon me I am now a junior in college. I am halfway through my collegiate career and in a way I've got some cool stuff, I got an international experience and I was you know finalist at junior olympics but that's not an all american, we haven't got any aws, I was very disappointed with how my first two years went. So um and I was very vocal about that and it wasn't by towards the team, it was towards me, it's like I'm I want to do better and a lot of other people started sharing that same thing. And so N. C. State had its best year ever at that time. And I mean we were breaking records, we were we were defeating teams that should not have been beaten by us. Um The big one was Kentucky And they are there and they were not as strong as they are now but at the time they were one of the top three teams and for us to go to West Point defeat them that first semester the second semester was a big deal. Um But going into an air gun, this is my last junior event, I'm just going to go in there and do what I need to do and that very first day of competition I shot my 1st 40 shots and I shot the matches the way I've always shot them and it was it was not it wasn't that great and it wasn't what I wanted. And so I had a complete shift in paradigm of like I just need to dig deep and have perspective and I shot all the way through and I shot Like a 10.9, like a perfect shot on my last shot and then actually moved me from 9-8 and I made the open final. So here, I am not really conceptualizing that this is also olympic trials. Making the final is one of the eight adults who are now contending for extra points and I got a place, but I came off the line, I talked to my coach, keith and my keith, I feel really good about that like that, that was great and there was junior finals afterwards and so there we are sitting there for a couple hours we go, I win the final, okay, 2nd, 2nd match the next day do the same thing end up in the Open final, I got third, so now I've got a significant boost in points and to go to the junior final, win the junior final. Um, and then the third day, I win the Open final and won the junior final. So I've won the junior event by a mile, I had all those extra points and it was, I was in a really good spot and for the, um, for the open side of things, I ended up second overall and so I went from Just being some collegiate to being one of the two people who are one of the 10 people who continue on to the second part of Olympic trials in June and that was a total shift for us. Um, it was a shift for the school to all the time. Like we now have an olympic contender and rifle, we've never had that. Um, and I met with the national coach like in the middle of the, the olympic trials like, hey, so I'm in second place. Like what do I do? He goes, well, you have an M. Q. S for air gun, right? I'm like, no, I have it for small board like, well you need to go get that, which means you need to go to Thailand in March. Okay, cool. And so the way that worked out was we shot the rest of the season. We go to the guard championship, which is one of the two conferences were in at the time. That was in ole miss. We shoot that match. We drive up to to Memphis we fly to Bangkok, Get there, we have it one day of training, we shoot the match. Um and I came in like 22nd or whatever, but that is well above the minimum qualifying course. So I got it. I'm not eligible for the Olympics. I fly from there to charleston south Carolina to shoot the search championship, the other the other thing and I shoot my qualification, but it's based off of like averages. So I had my top three scores plus my final, my final score, which was good enough and I made the final and I won the final and I was the search champion that year and do that. Yeah, that's really cool. Go back to Raleigh four days later, we're going to N C double A S and so you know, I went from basically oh miss to Akron Ohio in two weeks and I went to Bangkok in the middle of it when we went everywhere. Um and that was another one of those moments where like I just need to go with it and just exist in the moment and shot the high qualification score for aws came in 6th turn during the final. So like hey you know this is cool. I was a finalist. I'm an all american. I was one of the few people to be an all american in both guns that year and first team all american in both guns. And so that was cool to do that with N. C. State. Um We went out there, did that, went to olympic trials for small board. Uh I don't really remember I place but it wasn't great. Um and I got all my stuff situated for going to air gun trials. Um I started working for NTC Athletics to fulfill my internship for my sport management degree. And Um like two days before the matches I get in the car drive up there and we have the practice days, he's like yep, I'm just going to throw myself out there and see what happens. And firstly I had the high qualification and I had the a third place finish in the final and so at that point I had an eight point lead going the second day, the next day, I had a 14 point lead going into the last day and then I was on the olympic team before the final the last day, I had a 21 point advantage at the end of it. And so I I knew I was on the team by that and at that point I had even conceptualize what that meant and so, you know, my my experience and then she stayed so far, it's been really good and fulfilling and um to kind of lead that way with them was was really cool. Um went out, you know, travel the world, did a bunch of camps and stuff competitions and went to the olympics and it was, it was fine, I just wasn't prepared for it. And so I I knew I was like, yeah, I'm going, I'm going to the next olympics. Came back here, finish up my degree, finished up my senior season, which was good as a team. We end up in ninth place just just shy of a, of a birth. Um and then afterwards Blair and I, my girlfriend and I um we moved out here after we both graduated and we've been out here since then. We got married since then too, so just a little thing, all the major life event, clearly that is an incredible journey and especially in a specific sport, you've experienced so many obstacles and challenges and wonderful experiences. So how do you take the experiences that you've had, whether that be as a student athlete or an Olympian or an olympic champion with the silver medal? Now, how do you translate that into the different roles you played in an air rifle? I know that you've coached and you have your team, winning solutions company um and you've been a mentor to others. So how do you translate the experience that you've had and that journey into, you know, being a different part of this type of, of community? Yeah, um it is definitely a two way street kind of relationship because I, when I got out of college and I started kind of existing on my own in the shooting world, it's like, okay, I'm not a high schooler, I'm not a collegiate anymore, I'm part of the national team, but they kind of operate outside of all these other organizations and so all of a sudden I'm looking around, I'm like, You know, there's a pretty big hole here for like personal training mentorship stuff like that. Um and so that was kinda in the back of my mind and in November of 2017 um myself and Emily Holsapple the Now coach at N. C. State, we started Teaming solutions and uh the goal behind that at the time was just a way to make money because we don't get supported by the U. S. O. P. C. The way other sports do and um the way I saw it was well if I can coach a mentor and do stuff I can make money but I can also um you know say in the sport and be really involved in it and that's what it ends up being. Was this huge kind of like this this emotional intimate relationship building thing where um I really got to impact a lot of these kids lives with through shooting sports. So like, you know, not necessarily like, oh, they're all champions or whatever. That's not true, there's only so many spots that success pool is really small, but but they all, a lot of them have translated to teams and a lot of them are going off and doing really cool things as adults and that that kind of fulfills my own training because it makes a very good tangible why as to why I do this. Um, and so the pay value for this whole thing shifts from, okay, I want to go win an olympic medal to I want to represent all these people that I'm involved with and it's, it's definitely a with that whole emotional control and the mental management stuff we're talking about a couple minutes ago, that really helps solidify that because it's a reaffirmation of why I need to do those things because I represent them. But I also lead by example and I'm not saying this that is the right way to compete or that's the right way to do, but that is what I preach and that is what I believe in. I don't necessarily impose it upon others. I'm really dynamic with how I do stuff, but that is what I believe and I tell the kids that's what I believe in and so they actually hold me accountable for a lot of my stuff and they're really open about it too. Um In fact, that was one of the driving factors, that's why I was successful at the Pan american Games was because I knew what I needed to do and yeah, their kids or teenagers, but I give them that avenue to be confident to check me on my stuff. And so that is where the two way street came in because I genuinely felt like if I don't control these things they will call me out on it and I know I made mistakes and so they actually, they helped me with my discipline on stuff um and it's hard to articulate or like to explain just like the gravity of that, but they have helped me in my career just as much as I've helped them um and so that that whole adventure has been really, really fulfilling and it makes this medal mean a lot more um than just just me or just mary and I, but it's like it's the community, it's it is such a level of support that that helped us get there and taking on that mentorship role and now competing and meddling in a competition that it's the first time at the olympics, how have you seen the sport change and what do you see its future and how maybe younger kids will start competing more and more in it and and and it'll get more competitions on a big stage, like the olympics, so both, how have you seen it grow in the time that you've been a part of the community, and also what do you see for its future? Um So like technology has definitely improved over the course of the last couple of years. Um and in a really weird way, Covid actually helped the shooting community, I'm gonna be one of the few people that says that. Um but the remote training, remote competitions um being able to coordinate things at a distance that became the social norm over the last year. And so we're seeing a lot of new championships pop up in a lot of new events that didn't exist before. And we see a lot of new, new club's new things that people interact with one another. And so, you know, I said at the beginning of this, like, it's kind of hard to get into shooting because there's not really a lot of like big clubs in most areas and so people get involved through four H and then they do it individually or they have regional clubs. Um, but all of a sudden here's all these kids who are remote with one another who are now in each other's business through zoom and through phone calls and stuff. And so the community on a grand scheme of things is actually a lot closer than it's ever been. Um, with that in mind. The, as far as the sporting United States is going, um, I think as like on the olympic side of things, it is definitely improving on the collegiate side of things I'm kind of a little bit nervous about. Um Just because with Covid we've seen a couple of programs go away and so I I hope that universities as the sport continues to gain popularity that universities recognize what it is and you know invest in it um as a conference sport. Um Like the A. C. C. Where to pick up the sport that would have a huge economic impact on the shooting industry but it would also make that entire um what do you call that the development system for the olympic side just so much bigger. Um And so there's a lot of there's a lot of opportunity there but as of right now it's like it's a little bit dodgy on stuff but with the new N. C. Double A. Rules with sponsorships and things um there might be a lot of changes with that, I don't know, you know that's something that kind of came out of the blue. Um So it's we'll kind of see how that all that stuff kind of plays it out but it could be really exciting and I know for a lot of my seniors and some of my alumni who are in college, you know we were talking back and forth about like you know, what does this mean and how do I get sponsors or whatever? And so you know, there's some advice and I gave him some advice on that and then all of a sudden they look at their networks of people so in a weird roundabout way, you know? Yeah athletes seem to find a way to support themselves, but I think the N. C. Double A. Doing this has given them a real way to develop some networking, business oriented kind of skills that otherwise did not exist before in college. And so that's really cool. Um and on the grand scheme of things. Um So with COVID stuff I got, you know, not me, but all the athletes were kicked back home to their home countries, 48 hours after the event. Our national governing body was projected to to have four medals between pere enable body across all disciplines. We are halfway through the olympics and we have five so far. And so it's really exciting to see kind of how the MGB has stepped over the last two years. Um And it's good to see that success come through. And so I'm hoping that this really motivates a lot of junior athletes to realize, you know, we are a strong country when it comes to the shooting sports and there is a lot of career opportunities with that. And so I'm hoping that this this that they recognize those opportunities and choose to give it an honest try a lot of, a lot of kids, especially in high school sports will, yeah, we're just gonna do it. Um but my, my big thing with them is like, give it the best one is trying to take it as far as it goes and if you get to the end of high school and yeah, you might go, you might not be, but if you don't wanna continue, that's great, that's that's your choice. Um but I want people to give it their their full focus so that they have a fulfilling journey with that whole thing. Um and so as as a whole in the whole community, I think, I think things are actually very good, so. Yeah, yeah, it's really interesting here. You bring up a lot of the kind of big topics and and different factors and how it specifically affects the shooting world, that a lot of stuff that I wouldn't have considered. So it's kind of cool to hear your perspective on that. Um you mentioned 48 hours, they kick you out. So you returned back home. I know that they were greeting you at the airport in Colorado Springs. I'm sure that was exciting after a long flight to um but but now you're back in the States with metal in hand. What do you see the upcoming here looking like for you? Do you see maybe three years from now something being on your schedule? What's kind of the look forward after you've got your silver better around your neck in your pocket, you know? So the initial plan after the olympics was take some time off, maybe go explore some things, whatever. Then Covid happened. So now we've had this year delay, but during that time I didn't train the whole time. You know, I did a lot of mentorship at a business building. I took a break from my own training and so this whole season, the indian World Cup, Croatia World Cup, the olympics. Um, it was, it's been very momentum building and the weird thing about it is we are already in our next quad. And so our next matches october, like we're rolling into our nationals and then there's the Champions Cup in late october and then we start having grand prize and stuff and then World Cup start rolling back around in february. And so the schedule is going to be pretty packed. I mean, we're gonna have a world championships next year and the Pan american games here after that as well as another world championships there as well. And so there's a lot of big matches coming up and it's like, yeah, you know, full steam ahead for paris. I made that I made that decision immediately after my individual event where I finished six is like, you know what? That was good. I, I made some like genuine legit progress in these last five years, Let's give it another three. Why not? That's so awesome. Yeah, I love to hear. And I'm excited to watch you again in three years. I'll be, I'll be cheering you on even though you're from the bag I think that should get. But I mean it is, it's really incredible to hear, hear you talk about it and I think that what you do is very unique sport and also just kind of journey through through the sports world. So I know we've touched on a few few parts of it, but what do you think makes your specific sport in the shooting world unique in the overall sports world, Whether that's in the olympics or just generally, how do you think it differs from other sports other than the fact you're using maybe a gun versus the ball? I think the, and this is my perspective on the shooting sports. Um, I said this at the beginning, it's like, it's, it's you and you're laying dealing with yourself and so with a lot of sports, that's not necessarily the case because um, there's a lot of, there's a lot of physical strength, there's a lot of things that you can put into it to change the perspective or change the outcome of what happens if you're physically faster than somebody, you will always win if you do the right things. Um, the unique thing about the shooting sports is, we are not limited by shape, size, background, man or woman, whatever because it is the same tools that are all adjustable. They can fit any person and it's the same target is the same height at the same distance, nobody has an advantage or disadvantage. Um it's just variables. And so the olympics defined sports as they based off of true skill of like the emotional side of things, the physical side of things, skill based things. Um you know, physically, it's not a demanding sport is a lot of other people, a lot, a lot of other sports. Um you do have to work out, you have to take care of yourself and that is incredibly important, but when it talks about like gymnastics for a comparison, like the actual work that goes into being competitive and in gymnastics like shooting don't even come close. Um but when it comes to that skill piece, it is fairly easy to learn how to hold good on the target, to execute a shot and shoot attempt um or to hit one of the clay pigeons that's flying around, but where that skill piece really hits in there, and how that overlaps with the emotional side of things is that discipline to repeat that over and over again. And so that's where it really kind of digs home. And this is why it's an olympic sport because people have a very hard time dealing with themselves, like if you're in your own space and there's no other outlet, you are confronted with yourself in a room with a mere basically, and you could be going through your whole shot process and all of a sudden there is a mistake and all of these expectations in this control and all the stuff in your brain, it it challenges the soul because all of a sudden is what if I make another mistake? Oh no, I did make a mistake. What does that, what does that do to me, I can't make any more mistakes, or you know, that that is why this sport is an olympic sport is because it requires so much of somebody's like self image and how they perceive themselves, that lot of people do have a hard time with the shooting sports because that's what it all comes down to in the end, is being able to handle their own internal image. And so that is that is what makes shooting sports is a big olympic sport um is that emotional side of stuff, and so on. The grand scheme of things. Um a lot of, a lot of the technical aspects, a lot of the process that discipline, the training stuff that overlaps with a lot of other sports, um and the different caveats as to why those different sports are unique in their own ways like soccer, you've got, you know, teamwork and coordination. If you've got football, you've got strategy informations engulf, it's about technique and understanding of the environment, just like shooting, but the tools are just different and so it's it is a it's weird because it is kind of a phone call with like politics and everything involved. But I think a lot of times that the shooting sports end up being very popular in the rest of the world, because as far as an outlet, you can only go and do target shooting and other other countries, and so it is popular in other places to go. And they, and they have a good understanding of, you know, it is about that individual person trying to pursue something inside of themselves. Um And I hope that a lot of people would recognize the sport for what it is um instead of the stigma behind it. Um and that's kind of, that's something that we filter with two, but the whole spiel basically is it's about the person and trying to pursue something inside of their soul, that is what the shooting is.