Juniors Madeline Corbin and Taylor Dale at a Hillsdale competition. Courtesy | Ava Downs

After running into each other on the range since middle school, three women from the Hillsdale shotgun team now form the tightest trio. 

Growing up within a couple hours of each other in Wisconsin, sophomore Taylor Dale and juniors Madeline Corbin and Ava Downs, met early as competitors in shotgun.

Downs said the women first got to know each other when Downs and Corbin entered the shooting world around 12 years old. 

“Madeline and I crossed paths as we started competing at the same time,” Downs said. “We were always at the same shoots and we were competing directly against each other. Taylor was the same deal, but also our families met, and I was around Taylor a lot.”

Corbin said competing in the Scholastic Clay Target Program in high school helped draw the women into closer companionship with each other. 

“In the divisions of that, once you are in high school, you are all competing against each other,” Corbin said. “It was definitely just names you knew. Then as the years continued, you got to know the people.” 

One year ahead of Dale, Downs and Corbin committed to Hillsdale in the beginning of their senior year of high school. 

“We both got admitted and signed within three days of each other,” Downs said. “It was pretty cool when we realized we were going to be teammates.”

Dale followed them to Hillsdale a year later, and she said Downs and Corbin influenced her college decision and helped her acclimate.

“We had competed against each other for so long and we were finally in a place where it was all of us together against everyone else,” Dale said. “They helped convince me to come here. Then I finally came, and I had these people to help me get used to things. It was great.”

Head coach of the Hillsdale shotgun team, Jordan Hintz, said he appreciated the women’s closeness and constructive influence on the team as a trio.

“They have a positive impact across many aspects of the team,” Hintz said. “Each has a lot of competitive success and are high achievers in the classroom. Being friends prior to Hillsdale is great for overall team chemistry. All are team leaders in their own way.”

Over the past two to three years of shooting together for the Hillsdale team, the women’s relationships with each other, and their sport, have been well influenced, according to Downs. 

“I have learned to live the sport in a different way,” Downs said. “It’s more than the winning and the social aspect. Through my teammates, Taylor and Madeline, and being able to see all our hard work pay off together, it’s become more rewarding. They’ve made me realize how much I really love shooting and the process of shooting, not just the outcomes.” 

Dale also said that having teammates with a similar mindset has been beneficial for her growth as a shooter.

“The three of us have higher goals within the shooting realm,” Dale said. “We take it seriously. It’s easier to have people around you who take it seriously, the way you do, and get to build off of each other rather than trying to do it on your own.”

Hintz said their relationships with each other have evolved in an inspiring way since leaving their hometowns. 

“Each of them is very different in personality, yet they get along great. Coming from a very competitive atmosphere in Wisconsin SCTP and USA Shooting, there was every reason to believe their relationship would develop more adversarial than friendly,” Hintz said. “I hope others can see the great outcomes coming from that and try their best to emulate within their own social environments.”

The women have learned valuable lessons in attitude and technique from their relationships with each other. Corbin said they have grown together as shooters and have been able to aid each other in that growth.

“We’ve come a long way together,” Corbin said. “Even if I’m the one watching them shoot, saying, ‘Maybe try moving this,’ helps me become a better shooter as well. When you have the fundamentals down so well that you can help other people, that makes you a better shooter as well.”

Downs said each of her teammates have shown her admirable examples of competitive posture that have changed her own perspective. 

“Madeline has shown me how to be so humble and put together when you’re competing,” Downs said. “Madeline could be shooting the worst round of her entire life, walk off, support other people, and be optimistic. Taylor has really taught me to learn from my mistakes and not be so hard on myself, how to pick myself up and move forward.”

The women said thanks to their shared experiences, they anticipate remaining a part of each other’s lives even after their college years come to a close. 

“Even if you only see each other once or twice a year, you share such a big part of your life,” Downs said. “The biggest part of our lives right now is shooting. We all have that in common and have gone through it with each other. We have shared some of the best memories with each other and some of the worst memories. You can’t not be connected after that.”