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 54th interview in the series.
Jacob Costa
Where do you call home?
Hamden, Connecticut
How long have you been shooting?
This fall will mark my seventh year shooting.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
Seven years ago I asked my father to bring me to a shooting range and we ended up at Blue Trail Range in Wallingford, Connecticut. There I met Dave Lyman, signed up for the junior rifle club program and have been competing ever since.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
When I’m shooting during practice or a match I like to pretend that I’m Matt Emmons or Rajmond Debevec. It helps put me into the mindset of a professional and gives me that little extra bit of courage to go into a match head on and with confidence. I’m also a big Styx fan.
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
I try not to put too much emphasis on one particular victory or high score. I prefer to look at my career collectively as a whole instead of breaking it down into one individual achievement. If I had to, though, I’d say the 2009 Connecticut Outdoor 3-P State Championships. I won the match and set the Intermediate-Junior record for Conventional 3p in Iron-Sights. Making it on to West Point’s rifle team is pretty cool too.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
Nature’s Valley granola bar
What is your favorite post match drink?
Diet Peach Snapple
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
Blue Trail Range. There’s no place like home.
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
I would really like make an impact on my new team, both in competition and within the team itself. A spot in the NCAA Championships wouldn’t be bad either.
What shooting skills are currently focusing your energy on?
Currently I’m focusing on developing my in-match mental composition. Being new to an NCAA team I’m going to be going into a lot more high-pressure matches and I want to be able to devote all of my energies towards shooting my best and not calming myself down because I’m nervous.
Thanks Jacob for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
