Mississauga Ontario – Local athlete and target shooter Mary Patrick won two silver medals at the Ontario Summer Games. The 17 year old sharpshooter won a silver medal for her individual score, and she won a silver medal for her team’s score.

The Ontario Summer Games took place in Mississauga from August 11th to the 14th. It was a great learning experience for Mary Patrick

“The Ontario Summer Games was a great experience. Since I am new to shooting outside of the Cadet Program, it was my first Games and found it to be very unique compared to other competitions I have been to. These Games accommodate sports at the Junior level and do their best to take care of them. They have their schedule in a format similar to the Olympic Games (for example, they have an Opening Ceremony to introduce the athletes). It gave me a taste of what I hope will be my future,” Mary Patrick reminisced.

Mary Patrick did well during the Summer Ontario Games, but she still sees room for improvement.

“While at my first games, I finished with two silver medals – one for a team score and one for my individual score. I was disappointed to have not done as well as I had in the past, although I consider it to be a decent outcome for my first competition with a new rifle,” Mary Patrick reflected.

Mary Patrick, who continues training and competing in competitions, hopes to participate in the Ontario Winter Games of 2018. She also hopes to represent Canada at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

“I hope to return for the Winter Games in 2018, where my sport will return as a winter sport in Ontario instead of a summer sport,” said Mary Patrick.

Mary Patrick was recently selected to be on the Canadian High Performance National Junior Team. This means she can officially compete for Canada and represent her country.

“Being on the Canadian High Performance National Junior Team means I can travel to different countries to compete for Canada at Continental Championships and World Cups. Since this is the Olympic year and next year will be fairly quiet in terms of international competitions, it means there will be few opportunities. On the other hand, this is a good way to ease me into the international stage. It also means I am able to work with my teammates at High Performance Training weekends with our team coach,” Mary Patrick added.

This September Mary Patrick, who graduated from CCVS, will be studying Mechanical Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa and continuing her training to prepare for 2020.

You can follow Mary Patrick, who won the The Seeker Choice Award for Athlete of the Year, and her journey entitled “Shooting for Gold” on Facebook. For those interested in supporting Mary’s journey, there is more information on her website.