On the shooting range, a girl lies in the prone position, holds her breath and takes aim, as she zeroes in on her target with her .22 rimfire rifle. She pulls the trigger, absorbs the shock from the recoil with her shoulder, and watches with great satisfaction as the metallic target, in the shape of a wild turkey silhouette, flips down.

Serena Juchnowski, a junior at Revere High School, became involved with target shooting in eighth grade. She loved it so much she started practicing with support from her parents, Tina and Dave Juchnowski, until she started competing against seasoned adult shooters, and eventually excelled in the sport.

Juchnowski explained how she took an interest in target shooting earlier in her life when she had an opportunity to try shooting an actual firearm.

“I had done just twice a year BB gun shooting when I was little, but I didn’t do it a lot because I wasn’t strong enough to pump the BB gun. In eighth grade one of my dad’s friends came over and I just tried shooting a .22 [rifle] and I really liked it, so I just went silhouette shooting once every month,” Juchnowski said

Dave described his daughter’s first experience with a real firearm.

“I will never forget setting up a tiny metal chicken swinger target at about 25 yards in our backyard. My friend had stopped by with his old rolling block .22 with iron sights. After refreshing firearm safety procedures we proceeded to let her try shooting the tiny target. She took careful aim from the offhand position and sent the chicken spinning,” Dave said.

Juchnowski discussed how the different variables and challenges in target shooting keep her on the firing range.

“What I like about [target shooting] is that once you get good at it, it’s not like you’re bored, because you’ll never get the same thing over and over. There will always be different factors involved such as wind or temperature to throw you off. There’s also so much to get into. I like that you’re following a tradition that’s been going on for generations. I love American history, and to be part of something that’s still going on,” Juchnowski said.

Juchnowski explained how there are different types of target shooting disciplines, and which one she is most involved with.

“I do mostly silhouette, in that you would use cast bullets, single shot, and you shoot at metal targets that fall over, in the shapes of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and rams based on different distances, and you have a specific amount of time to shoot all of them,” Juchnowski said.

Juchnowski discussed her experiences with fellow marksmen, and how it contributes to her love of the sport.

“You just get to meet amazing people. Anybody will lend you their equipment [and] get you into it. I’ve gone to the range sometimes and people shooting will just say ‘Hey you want to try this out?’ and they’ll just let me shoot up a whole box of ammunition. The people are amazing, you make a whole lot of friends, and it’s just like a second family,” Juchnowski said.

When asked about the different disciplines she has tried out before, Juchnowski explained how she also recently got involved in shooting high-power rifles.

“This year I started high power, which [involves] an AR-15 or other high powered rifle. That takes more equipment, such as a shooting coat, jacket, stools; you shoot in three positions, one of which is prone, where you shoot ten shots in ten minutes, sitting, which is ten shots in 60 seconds, and also rapid prone, which is 10 shots in 60 seconds, and then standing offhand, where you don’t have any supports, and that’s ten shots in ten minutes,” Juchnowski said.

Juchnowski added that she now attends shooting competitions, and her father filled in how she performed in one of these competitions.

“After completing the school which is taught by the USAMU instructors (United States Army Marksmanship Unit), she competed in her first match which was the M-16 EIC Match which had over 400 competitors. She finished 27th overall in her first match earning [Excellence in Competition] points which are only awarded to the top ten percent of shooters. I have been shooting for a long time myself and shot in the same match and placed 168th if that gives you any indication of how well she did in the match,” Dave said.

Dave explained what kind of impact Juchnowski’s hobby has had on their daughter-father relationship.

“It is great to share the great outdoors with my daughters. Serena expressed an interest this year in Pheasant and Deer hunting. She harvested 3 pheasants and a beautiful 9 point buck so far this hunting season. It has been great watching Serena develop the same outdoor passion that has burned in me since I was a youth,” Dave said.

Tina explained her pride for her daughter for doing what she loves.

“I am glad that Serena knows how to use guns and is not afraid of them. They will protect her throughout her life. It also makes Serena very happy and gives her a fun activity to fill her free time,” Tina said.

Serena also commented on how there is a negative aura surrounding guns in general, and expressed her opinion about this conception.

“There is a lot of controversy surrounding guns, ammunition, shooting sports, school shootings, safety, and gun control and all those issues. In my experience, from the people I’ve talked to in the gun community, the main stress is safety, how to shoot accurately. You want to learn how to accurately and safely put bullets down the range, so you can protect yourself,” Juchnowski said.

Juchnowski enjoys practicing silhouette shooting and is pursuing deer and pheasant hunting. She gains much pleasure from it and it gives her a pastime she loves to do outside of school activities.