A Girl & Her Gun: #GoForGold
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SHOOT LIKE A GIRL- The Story of a Girl and Her Gun
Do you remember when you were a child, a dream that was hidden in your heart? This dream you only spoke of to your best friend, action figures, dolls, or maybe not at all. As you grew older, the fire for that dream may have begun to dim because the manifestation just seemed impossible. As the years passed by, you continued to blow out 1 more candle on your birthday cake; another day passed and another bill was added to the pile; as you had to take on another job to make ends meet; as you missed the deadline for college entry; whatever the situation or circumstance, you found yourself caught up in the crashing waves of life. Only to allow your dream to be seemingly carried away in the tides of the vast ocean.
Allow me to tell you a story about a dreamer. A girl and her gun……
On December 12, 1979, I was born in Tupelo, Mississippi to Joanne and David Fair. My mother struggled during her entire pregnancy with me, primarily to remain at a healthy weight. Stress and other medical factors continued to plague her, and her weight plummeted below what a normal pregnancy should be. The doctors feared that she was going to lose me, and either have a still-born birth; or that we would both die as she gave birth to me.
Miraculously, we are both still here! Healthy and kicking! Or shall I say…shooting! In fact, I’m her 6’ tall trophy, as she shows others my competition photos.
As I got older, although very healthy, I did not have an easy life. My parents raised my brother and I in a small suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, which was known to be gang infested. In my teens, on a near weekly basis, I would discover that neighborhood friends were shot, imprisoned, or addicted to drugs or alcohol. Although I lived among such darkness, deep down inside, I was determined to not let my environment dictate how my future would look. I would be a light someday!
There was a season in my teenage years, where the peer pressure of my surroundings began to creep in to my life. But a praying mother and grandmother shot prayerful arrows to heaven that God would intervene in the mess that I began to dabble in. (Those were the first good shots of my life J; that also changed my life.)
At the age of 14 my pastor funded my way to go to a Christian summer camp; where God radically changed my life and heart. There I found Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior.
After that divine intervention, that same tenacity that was still in my heart to override the peer pressure in my life, began to become more like a fire for change in my world. Not only in my life, but to seek out justice for the underdogs in life; to empower lives with freedom and transformation.
God transformed me from a high school girl that was afraid to speak up in class, to a woman who would seek out a career in law enforcement. (Now going on 14 years on our country’s frontlines) I have to admit I did not wake up one morning a fearless, ready to conquer the world woman on the outside. In my soul, I could feel the heartbeat of God, wanting to use me as his hands and feet on this earth, but I was terrified to step out. Year after year, I battled with fear in various areas of my life. I squirmed and became very uncomfortable when God would speak to my heart about stepping out. A journey filled with faith challenges has now brought me to this point.
I read once, that “Getting to where God calls us requires uncomfortable faith and action.” My mission statement in life, has the same ring to it, “You will never fulfil your calling in life in your comfort zone.”
This is so true, as I have made another leap of faith (at the age of 36) in my pursuit of gold in the sport of biathlon. (If you have never seen the sport of biathlon during the Winter Olympics, allow me to explain.)
I stepped out of my comfort zone in 2015, when I competed in the Police and Fire Championships summer biathlon. (For summer biathlon, the sport requires the biathlete to run a certain distance and shoot a certain number of rounds in between each mile) For this particular race that I competed in, the biathletes were required to run a 5k race (3.1 miles) and shoot 12 accurate rounds (24 rounds total), in between each mile. Oh, did I mention, you are shooting with an elevated heart rate?
I couldn’t believe the exhilaration that I felt after finishing that race; and being awarded the medal for my age group. I was hooked and wanted more! Now to step in to the snowy realm of winter biathlon!
Winter biathlon is one of the most difficult endurance sports; cross-country skiing, hand-in-hand with a precise concentration and controlled effort of shooting a .22 caliber biathlon rifle. Mastering these 2 sports at the same time, is almost mind-boggling, but definitely possible.
After watching the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, I witnessed the speed, mental fortitude and sharp shooting skills of the world’s top biathletes. At that moment, something within me was sparked, and I told myself, “I can and I will do that.” With almost 14 years of shooting experience, all that I needed to do, was add the Nordic skiing piece to the puzzle. Since January 2016, I have been chasing the snow, and acquiring skiing lessons from the fields’ top Olympic skiing experts.
One of my ultimate goals along my personal journey is to compete at an upcoming Winter Olympics. My desire is to represent the United States as wholeheartedly in the sport of biathlon, as I have on our country’s front-lines in law enforcement.
An ‘impossible’ goal is never impossible, if you take even the smallest faith action. You too can take a leap of faith into whatever God is calling you to do. I know you can! Take Courage!!! It all begins with our willingness and ends with our empowerment.
I pray that you have been inspired and moved by my story, for your own life and goals. You can follow my journey as I pursue my Olympic dreams.
You can also play a large part in my dream of competing in the Olympics and my competitions to the road to gold, by donating towards my biathlon training and travel. Every dime given is used strictly towards my pursuits.
Follow me on any of my social media sites, as I continue to live an unlimited and relentless pursuit of my deepest passion….Biathlon! #GoForGold
https://www.facebook.com/RunWithSoulAthlete/info/?tab=page_info&edited=personal_interests
https://www.instagram.com/naomi.hernandez.biathlete/
#GoForGold #FindAWay #TakeCourage #TrainWithSoul #RunWithSoul
https://www.facebook.com/RunWithSoulAthlete/info/?tab=page_info&edited=personal_interests
Do you remember when you were a child, a dream that was hidden in your heart? This dream you only spoke of to your best friend, action figures, dolls, or maybe not at all. As you grew older, the fire for that dream may have begun to dim because the manifestation just seemed impossible. As the years passed by, you continued to blow out 1 more candle on your birthday cake; another day passed and another bill was added to the pile; as you had to take on another job to make ends meet; as you missed the deadline for college entry; whatever the situation or circumstance, you found yourself caught up in the crashing waves of life. Only to allow your dream to be seemingly carried away in the tides of the vast ocean.
Allow me to tell you a story about a dreamer. A girl and her gun……
On December 12, 1979, I was born in Tupelo, Mississippi to Joanne and David Fair. My mother struggled during her entire pregnancy with me, primarily to remain at a healthy weight. Stress and other medical factors continued to plague her, and her weight plummeted below what a normal pregnancy should be. The doctors feared that she was going to lose me, and either have a still-born birth; or that we would both die as she gave birth to me.
Miraculously, we are both still here! Healthy and kicking! Or shall I say…shooting! In fact, I’m her 6’ tall trophy, as she shows others my competition photos.
As I got older, although very healthy, I did not have an easy life. My parents raised my brother and I in a small suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, which was known to be gang infested. In my teens, on a near weekly basis, I would discover that neighborhood friends were shot, imprisoned, or addicted to drugs or alcohol. Although I lived among such darkness, deep down inside, I was determined to not let my environment dictate how my future would look. I would be a light someday!
There was a season in my teenage years, where the peer pressure of my surroundings began to creep in to my life. But a praying mother and grandmother shot prayerful arrows to heaven that God would intervene in the mess that I began to dabble in. (Those were the first good shots of my life J; that also changed my life.)
At the age of 14 my pastor funded my way to go to a Christian summer camp; where God radically changed my life and heart. There I found Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior.
After that divine intervention, that same tenacity that was still in my heart to override the peer pressure in my life, began to become more like a fire for change in my world. Not only in my life, but to seek out justice for the underdogs in life; to empower lives with freedom and transformation.
God transformed me from a high school girl that was afraid to speak up in class, to a woman who would seek out a career in law enforcement. (Now going on 14 years on our country’s frontlines) I have to admit I did not wake up one morning a fearless, ready to conquer the world woman on the outside. In my soul, I could feel the heartbeat of God, wanting to use me as his hands and feet on this earth, but I was terrified to step out. Year after year, I battled with fear in various areas of my life. I squirmed and became very uncomfortable when God would speak to my heart about stepping out. A journey filled with faith challenges has now brought me to this point.
I read once, that “Getting to where God calls us requires uncomfortable faith and action.” My mission statement in life, has the same ring to it, “You will never fulfil your calling in life in your comfort zone.”
This is so true, as I have made another leap of faith (at the age of 36) in my pursuit of gold in the sport of biathlon. (If you have never seen the sport of biathlon during the Winter Olympics, allow me to explain.)
I stepped out of my comfort zone in 2015, when I competed in the Police and Fire Championships summer biathlon. (For summer biathlon, the sport requires the biathlete to run a certain distance and shoot a certain number of rounds in between each mile) For this particular race that I competed in, the biathletes were required to run a 5k race (3.1 miles) and shoot 12 accurate rounds (24 rounds total), in between each mile. Oh, did I mention, you are shooting with an elevated heart rate?
I couldn’t believe the exhilaration that I felt after finishing that race; and being awarded the medal for my age group. I was hooked and wanted more! Now to step in to the snowy realm of winter biathlon!
Winter biathlon is one of the most difficult endurance sports; cross-country skiing, hand-in-hand with a precise concentration and controlled effort of shooting a .22 caliber biathlon rifle. Mastering these 2 sports at the same time, is almost mind-boggling, but definitely possible.
After watching the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, I witnessed the speed, mental fortitude and sharp shooting skills of the world’s top biathletes. At that moment, something within me was sparked, and I told myself, “I can and I will do that.” With almost 14 years of shooting experience, all that I needed to do, was add the Nordic skiing piece to the puzzle. Since January 2016, I have been chasing the snow, and acquiring skiing lessons from the fields’ top Olympic skiing experts.
One of my ultimate goals along my personal journey is to compete at an upcoming Winter Olympics. My desire is to represent the United States as wholeheartedly in the sport of biathlon, as I have on our country’s front-lines in law enforcement.
An ‘impossible’ goal is never impossible, if you take even the smallest faith action. You too can take a leap of faith into whatever God is calling you to do. I know you can! Take Courage!!! It all begins with our willingness and ends with our empowerment.
I pray that you have been inspired and moved by my story, for your own life and goals. You can follow my journey as I pursue my Olympic dreams.
You can also play a large part in my dream of competing in the Olympics and my competitions to the road to gold, by donating towards my biathlon training and travel. Every dime given is used strictly towards my pursuits.
Follow me on any of my social media sites, as I continue to live an unlimited and relentless pursuit of my deepest passion….Biathlon! #GoForGold
https://www.facebook.com/RunWithSoulAthlete/info/?tab=page_info&edited=personal_interests
https://www.instagram.com/naomi.hernandez.biathlete/
#GoForGold #FindAWay #TakeCourage #TrainWithSoul #RunWithSoul
https://www.facebook.com/RunWithSoulAthlete/info/?tab=page_info&edited=personal_interests
Organizer
Naomi Hernandez
Organizer
Long Beach, CA
