Natalie Welter,
shooting during competition.
“USA Shooting’s” 2022 Winter Air Gun Championships, were held from Dec. 9 thru Dec. 12, 2022, and were held in two locations, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Camp Perry, Ohio.
Between the two locations, the event hosted over 500 pistol and rifle athletes of all ages. The annual competition held individual and team matches for both 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol.
Natalie Welter, of Parker, participated in the USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championship. The competition was two days and Welter had to shoot 60 shots offhand each day. She earned the Silver medal in the U15 category.
Natalie is the daughter of Tim and Dan Dayna Welter, and a 7th grader at ACV High School in Foxburg.
Welter started shooting a small-bore rifle in December 2021 and had her first competition in April 2022. She also shoots an Air rifle which is what she shot at the USA winter airgun championships.
Natalie Welter
This past fall she competed at the PA state Championship 50m 3x40 which is shot outside with small-bore rifle iron sights. 3x40 means 3 positions which are prone, kneeling, and offhand, and you shoot 40 shots from each position. She had the high women's score for the state with a score of 2191, tied high prone iron sights with a score of 381, and came within a few points of the state sub-junior record with 375 and the state record is 378.
Natalie also achieved her NRA distinguished expert in small-bore rifles in November 2022, she was the youngest one to receive that at Butler City Hunting and Fishing Club junior’s program.
Natalie is on the Oil City Rifle team and she practices 4 nights a week between Izaak Walton in Oil City and Butler City Hunting and Fishing Club in East Butler.
Natalie is going to be trying out for the junior Olympics in January and February for Air Rifle and Smallbore! The Junior Olympics will then be held at Colorado Springs at the Olympic center in the spring.
Her goal is to shoot for Team USA in the Olympics!