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Newspaper clipping. Patricia Kinsella-Foster. The Columbus Ledger. Women in Sports. Profile of Trish., Apr. 19, 1976

 File — Box: MS419.07, Folder: MS419.07.589
Identifier: MS419.07.589

Scope and Contents

"She's Sure Sharp Shooter" Many people are surprised to learn that 5'2" 100-pound Trish Foster is a rifle shooter. Her list of shooting honors is almost as long as husband Maj. Jack Foster's, a shooting instructor at Ft. Benning, a 2-time member of US Olympic team. She's been on the 1966 and 1970 World Shooting Championship teams. Former Indoor Senior Champion, Ladies Natl Position Champion (outdoors), National Open Iron Sight Champion and Ladies Natl Indoor Champion. She's even set world records with her shooting. "But some of them have been broken now," she said with a smile. She started shooting when she was "15" years old, joining a gun safety club in Great Lakes, IL. "My father was in the navy and I had seen him handle guns. So when I heard about the course, I signed up. The coach was a former member of the Olympic Shooting Team and was very interested in teaching kids," she explained. She enjoyed the sport so much that when it came to selecting a college, she settled on one with a good shooting team, West Virginia University's formerly all-male shooting team.......etc. Mrs. Foster is glad she stuck with it over the past 15 years. "I really enjoy shooting, even though I don't get to practice as much as I'd like - I have two children now," she explained. Etc. Trish mainly uses an Anschutz .22 rifle for competition which weighs between 10 and 15 pounds. However, as with most of her guns, the stock has to be cut off, the trigger has to be moved back and the thumb hole has to be made smaller to accommodate her petite frame. A standard match is made up of 60 shots which usually takes three hours to fire. "Your don't get tired. You learn different positions which help you handle the weight," she said. But it' the way the different matches are set up that has her upset. "I'm a member of the U.S. Women Int'l Rifle Organization. And we are fighting to get fewer regulations for women. As it is now, women's matches have more regulations than men, i.e. women must shoot a standard rifle weighing no more than 11 pounds, the trigger must weigh a pound. And too, there aren't as many matches for women as men, which isn't fair," she explained. "But we're hoping all this will change - soon.

Dates

  • Apr. 19, 1976

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Extent

From the Collection: 6 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the McCracken Research Library Repository

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