Superior senior hits the bull's-eye

Ever since grade school, Jonna Rae Warnken has had her eye on targets, both figuratively and as a fact of life. Now eight years later, she’s hit a big bulls-eye as she signed a letter to shoot for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) division one team. Jonna is a senior at Superior High School and shooting for a college team has been her goal since she was nine-years-old. Now at 17, her dreams are coming true, “I’m so fortunate to have received a scholarship,” she said during an interview with the Mineral Independent. Her overall goal is to shoot for UTEP as All American for four years and to help get her team to the NCAA Championships.

She will be shooting air rifle and small bore, which is a .22 rifle, while studying elementary education. A next step for many of the students who attend one of the 31 universities shooting sports teams and military academies, is to take a shot at the U.S. Olympic team. “I just want to focus on college before making that kind of decision,” Jonna said about her future aspirations.

Her scholarship will pay for approximately forty percent of college costs with the opportunity for it to increase as she progresses with the team. She started shooting with the 4-H Shooting Team and also raised pigs. While most of her time in 4-H her dad, Don Warnken, has been her coach and mentor.

“It takes a lot of commitment to reach this level,” he said. Her dad and mom, Nancy, are proud of their daughter’s accomplishments. “It’s been fun for all of us. I’ve enjoyed coaching and 4-H is such a good program,” Don said.

IN ADDITION TO a 3.9 grade-point average and a string of shooting awards and accomplishments, Jonna is also an active member of the Mineral County Skyline Drifters horse drill team; was the prom and Mineral County Rodeo Fair Queen; and golfs during her break from shooting sports.

A sport that requires four to five days a week practice for several hours per day. There’s a shooting range in her basement where she often gets a couple of hours of practice done in the morning before school. Then she does it again in the evening and once or twice a week they travel into Missoula where she’s a member of the Hellgate Junior Shooters team.

She traveled to Bozeman on Jan. 5 to participate in the Bozeman Junior Olympic Qualifier. There she placed fourth in her two events and she should get a first round invite for air rifle. The top winners advance to the National Tournament in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center. Last year, she won in small bore and made the trip, a highlight in her shooting career. Jonna also went to Regionals in Layton, Utah where she took second place as an individual in air rifle, as well as second as a team.

Overall, she’s about at “the middle of the pack” said Don. Which puts her in the top 200 nationally. It’s a pack that includes all levels, all the way up to those on the Olympic team. In order to participate at this level, shooters need to score above 590 out of 600 possible points. In the Olympics, the points extend into decimals getting as high as 633 out of a possible 600, “it’s extremely competitive,” she said.

In 3P or three-prone positions it’s a matter of prone, standing and kneeling. In air rifle at the college level it’s strictly standing. For air rifle, pellets are shot at an electric target which shows up on a computer screen, for small bore, .22 ammunition is used. Small things can make a big difference for the athletes, for example their heart rate or sugar levels. “You don’t want to eat a lot of sugar or drink a lot of caffeine just before you shoot,” said Don.

Shooting sports is also expensive, with her guns topping $3,000 each. This is in addition to travel expenses and other equipment where having sponsors and support is imperative. The teams also hold a number of fundraisers throughout the year and parents play a big part in supporting their young athletes.

“I want to thank everyone who has supported me and the 4-H program over the years,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”