BRIGHTON, N.Y. ( WROC ) — It all starts with “the process”: your breathing, setting your perfectly measured stance, clearing your mind of negative thoughts, and even taking aim to find the perfect pause between heartbeats. Dominic Baliva says there’s a lot more to the sport of air rifle firing than just point and shoot.
“It takes a lot of mental strain, which is actually kind of fun. It’s kind of the fun part about it,” he explains to News 8’s Mikhaela Singleton .
Dominic has only been shooting for about three years, but already has the eyes and skills of a sharpshooter. Sending minuscule pellets into barely visible targets right through the bullseye.
He recently scored in the first round at the New York State 3-Position Air Rifle Championship — high enough to move up and qualify for the 2024 National Junior Olympics Championships.
“Definitely exciting. It was something I was hoping to do for the last couple of years now since I learned about the Junior Olympics and how it was something I was involved with as a sport, but I was definitely excited when I learned. I got the email and I remember thinking, oh I actually made it,” Dominic recalls.