WATCH: Shooting down prejudices

Thursday 27 June 2019

Two local shooters, who recently discovered a natural talent with air rifles, are hoping to scoop medals and shoot down prejudices about women in the sport as they hit the Island Games next month.

Caitlin Mills (18) and Kate Smaller (25) have been shooting air rifles for 18 and nine months respectively and are the only girls in the island to do so competitively.

Caitlin has actually been shooting pistols since the age of six, but only picked up an air rifle to help plug a gap in the league about 18 months ago.

“My dad went to boarding school, so he learned shooting there,” she explained. “When we moved here when I was three, he started looking for a club next to my house. When my mum worked late, he would take me and the boys to the range and we would watch. One day I just decided to do it.”

Caitlin was about 15 when she first tried shooting an air rifle, with “an old gun that hadn’t been used in 10 years.” For months, she was the only girl shooting, but still managed to outscore some the boys.

Pictured: Caitlin has been shooting since a young age.

Then Kate, a finance worker by day, came along last October - completely by chance.

“It was a Thursday night. My friend texted me and asked me, ‘Are you bored?' I said 'yes' and he said, ‘Come up and shoot.’ I said, 'Sure, I’ll watch you,' but he said, 'No, we'll give you a pistol,'” she recalls.

“I tried the pistol and I was terrible - I was hitting all the lampshades! But then I tried the air rifle and I didn’t miss." 

Nine months later and Kate, having trained at the Eastern Air Rifle Club, is set to go to the Island Games, along with Caitlin and two other boys from the club, Darren Fry and Cameron Pirouet.

They will be competing in individual events as well as in doubles. Neither of them expected to get there, with Caitlin admitting she didn’t think she was good enough until she reached the trials. 

Pictured: The Island Games will kick off on 6 July.

As for Kate, she says she didn't even have her own kit and had to borrow bits here and there from people at St. Lawrence Miniature Rifle Club. 

“The shooting community is so generous and caring,” she said. “We are surrounded by people. You would think it’s an individual sport, but everyone is so supportive. Of course, we are competing as an individual, but we have built a shooting family." 

The team really came through recently when Caitlin broke her rifle by accident. “I thought I can’t go anymore,” she said. “Two days later I came up and the boys were building me a new one from other guns. They used parts of mine, part of theirs and put it all together.”

Caitlin also says that some of the boys have offered support by coming to practice with her and giving her tips to help her improve. Her biggest support system, she says, remains her dad: “He’s very proud. I love him to bits! He bought my kit, he is my manager. He gives me pep talks when I’m not doing well.”

“Everyone wants to see us do well because we are such a rarity in the sport,” Kate adds. “We have received amazing support from all over the Island, with our main coaches being David Turner, Jonny and Richard Bouchard, Darren Fry, Kirk Lewis, Michael French and Caitlin's amazing Dad David Mills who has been there for her every step of the way. 

"These guys have provided training resources, kit, rifle parts and good banter when the going gets tough!" 

Video: Darren Fry and Kate Smaller at the Easter Air Rifle Club.

The girls also support as well as challenge each other. “Thanks to our friendly rivalry, our scores have really improved,” says Kate.

Both girls are keen to show what they can do at the Island Games, to represent Jersey, but also to show that women can shoot, contrary to popular belief.

“I have trained so hard,” Kate explains. “I don’t want to be there just because I am woman. Of course, I have this opportunity because I am a woman but I want to make sure that I am up to the standard.”

“There are not many people going for women shooting,” adds Caitlin.

“There’s a weird stigma attached to it. People tell me, ‘I didn’t think women could do that,’’ continues Kate, rolling her eyes. “Actually, it wasn’t so long before that women could only do 40 shots because they 'were not strong enough to do 60 like the men'.”

Pictured: Kate says the woman's body is more suited to shooting.

“People really have a mistaken view of what a shooting range is,” adds Caitlin. “We hope to shed a light on the world of shooting. There’s a massive stigma. I get told that I don’t look like a woman shooting - what does that mean?” 

“Shooting is more suited to women because of our hips anyway,” Kate laughs. “You can just wedge the gun in your hips. Men don’t have that! The female body is perfectly made for it.”

Both Kate and Caitlin are keen to do well at the games, aiming for a place in the final, but they are also hoping they will inspire others to pick up a rifle and shoot.

“I recently went to the Tunnels where someone was doing a demonstration,” Caitlin says. “Normally you only get boys doing it but there were about three girls. I thought, by going to the Island Games, we could inspire so many little girls to do it too.”

The Island Games will take place in Gibraltar between 6 and 12 July.