A Look Back at 2021

Happy New Year, 2022 is officially here! Is it just me that feels as though this past year flew by so quickly? It seems like so much as happened but at the same time I swear we were just welcoming in the new year of 2021 last week. While I think we can say the same every year, this past year was filled with both ups and downs, laughing and crying, happiness and heartache, COVID-19 continued to make an impact on our lives and we faced many challenges. That being said, I wanted to take the time to reflect on all that has happened this past year and look back on all the incredible memories that have been made in 2021.

After welcoming in the new year and heading back to Georgia Southern for the second semester of my sophomore year, the team traveled to Morehead, Kentucky to compete against Morehead State University. MSU is easily one of my favorite schools to shoot against so I truly enjoy it when they are on our schedule. This years trip was even more interesting as God truly was looking out for us because had we left any later, we most likely would not have been able to fly back home due to the increasingly bad snow storm that was headed our way. Luckily, all went well and we made it back to Statesboro safe and sound. And yes, in case you're wondering... Lilly and I continued the tradition of getting our slices of Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory.

A huge accomplishment of the year came in March when the team won the smallbore title at our conference championships, this along with our air rifle scores made us the runner up for the championship, only falling to the first place team by a couple of points. It was an incredible ending to a long season that left me feeing drained due to all the work put into it. Luckily the team had an opportunity to rest and recover before post season training began.

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During the post season I took the opportunity to begin this website and start writing blog posts and it has allowed me to meet some incredible people and make some great memories.

Unfortunately, the end of March didn't end so great like the beginning did after getting a phone call and being told that my grandfather passed away. I was blessed to be surrounded by people who truly care for me but this time was still very difficult.

Before I knew it the school year was coming to an end and it was time for summer break.

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Something that happened over the summer is that I turned 20! It was so weird for me as I was no longer considered a teenager... the word "teen" was no longer included in my age. It definitely took me some time to get used to it but I still find myself accidentally telling someone the wrong age when I am asked how old I am but at this point I have accepted the fact that I am probably always going to do that no matter what age I am.

Similar to how the semester flew by, the summer did the same because just like that I was in the car headed back to campus to begin my junior year of undergrad. I couldn't believe it... I was a junior... In college. That seemed insane to me. Now I sit here already halfway through my junior year. I swear this college thing is going by way too fast.

In September, the team was recognized at one of the football games where we received our championship rings from the Southern Conference Championships. We later had our media day where we took our pictures that would be used throughout the season by the athletic department.

Later that month I took a little vacation and headed to Orlando, Florida with my parents to go to Universal Studios for their Halloween Horror Nights event and then it was back to school.

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Then began my third season on the rifle team at Southern. I struggled because for the first few semesters I wasn't on the counting squad for the matches. However it just gave me the motivation to work harder so that I could be a counter.

This school year I have been working with an organization called The Hidden Opponent, a non profit organization that promotes the importance of student-athlete mental health. I have met so many talented individuals who are so passionate about both their sports as well as advocacy for mental health. One of our first home matches of the season featured a table that promoted the organization to make more people aware of the incredible work they are doing.

In October we had a home match where we recognized breast cancer awareness month. In honor of this, me and some teammates got together the night before and dyed our hair pink cause you know... full send :)

Just a couple of weeks ago I traveled to West Virginia to compete in the Walther Cup hosted by West Virginia University. I shot well both days and was happy to see some former teammates that I shot with during high school as a part of the club team we were on, Ole Mill. I came back home and spent the week with family for Thanksgiving before it was time to head back to school for the ending of the semester.

Classes ended and then came finals week... Despite the busy schedules that come with being a student-athlete and attempting to have somewhat of a social life, the team still managed to obtain our second highest fall semester GPA in program history.

Before I knew it, finals were over and I was headed to Anniston, Alabama for Winter Air Gun Championships. I saw many friends and was able to meet more people in the shooting community.

That brings me to now. I have been taking a break from shooting and I will head back to school in a little over a week to begin my second semester of junior year and the second half of the rifle season.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this journey so far, it truly does mean so much to me. Your support has giving me some amazing opportunities, one of those being that I am excited to announce that I am officially sponsored by Liquid IV as an #LIVAthlete. Liquid IV is one of my favorite things to use to make sure I am staying hydrated as I am the worst when it comes to drinking water. If you're interested in trying Liquid IV you can use my code "GABBZMO" at checkout for 25% off your order and free shipping!

Click this link to shop!: https://glnk.io/qv1w/gabbzmo

While this year brought many challenges it also brought incredible opportunities and many memories I will never forget. I look forward to 2022 and to continue this journey and to continue to grow as both an athlete and a person. I hope you all have an amazing year. Happy New Year, Here's to 2022.