WARRAK teenager Tom Pilgrim has a busy year ahead.
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The 17-year old will not only complete his Victorian Certificate of Education and make his way through an mechanic’s apprenticeship, he has also been accepted into the Australian Clay Target Association Academy’s DTL (down the line) program for 2016.
This is just the second year for the academy, which aims to provide a structured program to talented young shooters. Activities for Pilgrim will include camps, coaching clinics and training programs – not just for his DTL event but also being educated on key aspects of being an elite athlete.
Pilgrim has been clay target shooting for four years now, and this is something he never expected to occur.
“I thought it was just going be a weekend thing with school,” he said.
Marian College, the school Pilgrim currently attends, has a clay target team that the teen joined when he was in year seven.
“I’ve just kept going on from there,” he said.
Pilgrim’s previous achievements include picking up silver at the Australian Junior Trap Championships in 2013, receiving junior high gun honours at the Victorian state titles in the same year and a bronze medal at the 2015 National Trap Championships in Wagga Wagga.
The teenager was asked: What are you most looking forward to at the ACTA Academy?
“Travelling around Australia, going to new places, shooting at different grounds and meeting new people,” he said.
Pilgrim hopes to be involved in the sport of clay target shooting for the long term.
“I’ll keep going as long as I can,” he said.
DTL is not an Olympic event, however ISSF is. Despite this, Pilgrim can still represent Australia at world titles in DTL and has an eye on heading over to Ireland next year.
The teenager has to perform well at the National titles held in late March/early April to be chosen, although the odds of going over to Ireland are fairly high, considering his previous efforts.
In 2018, the world titles will be held in Australia and there is no doubt Pilgrim is a talent to watch as he climbs up the clay target shooting ranks.