The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the 56th interview in the series.
Charlie Minnella
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Where do you call home?
I suppose it will always be NJ and the northeast but I currently live in Florida.
How long have you been shooting?
I had been shooting for 15 years until I finished pharmacy school and over the past year or so have gotten back into shooting.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
One day my father took me down to the local Police Athletic League at around 9 years old to try rifle shooting since I was more interested in individual sports than team sports. I enjoyed it very much and stuck with it. Before that I had done gymnastics and karate for about 3-4 years.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
I still like to play X-Box (shhhhh!)
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
I would say the one that had the most impact while I was a young shooter was coming in 2nd place Sub-Junior at the Jr. Olympic Championships and making the cover of InSights magazine. Although, something that took place over multiple days with more shooting and outdoor conditions was when I placed 1st Intermediate Junior at Camp Perry and that helped lead to a full scholarship to pharmacy school which has shaped the rest of my life to date.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
Since I usually like to try and shoot early in the day I’ll have cereal with milk and probably some fruit or juice then catch the first relay of the competition.
What is your favorite post match drink?
Other than Gatorade, if the match is truly over then a nicely poured Guinness will do!
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
Absolutely. Situated outside of Dublin in the Irish countryside lies the East Coast Shooting Club, a quaint but new rifle range nestled within acres of private farmland and flanked by gorse bushes with beautiful yellow flowers.
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
A short term goal would be to get used to many new pieces of equipment and in the long run I would like to attend more competitions and maybe even go back to school.
What shooting skills are you currently focusing your energy on?
Air Rifle mainly because of time constraints and range access, also getting used to a new Anschutz .22 cal.
Thanks Charlie for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
