Lisa Michael contributed this guest post about her 20-year struggle in the shooting sports that ended with her finally finding a shotgun with the right fit: the Syren Elos N2 Sporting. Keep reading to learn her story; we hope it inspires you to never give up on the shooting sports, and to advocate for yourself and find the right equipment that fits! ~ The Editors
As I look back over the last 20 years of my life, I just shake my head in disbelief and smile.
As a mother (and grandmother now, too), I’ve come to realize that some people teach others by doing the right thing and modeling appropriate behavior at all times. I, on the other hand, have taught my best lessons by doing things the wrong way. My adult “kids” will cheerfully vouch for the impact my failures have had on their lives as they vow never to make the same mistakes I made … and that, right there, is a beautiful thing.
My journey as a shooting sportswoman unfolded the same way.
Born and raised on Long Island, New York, life was magical – until my fifth summer. That was when my father graduated from the Suffolk County Police Academy.
Friday’s police academy commencement ceremony started the transformation. By Monday, Dad looked like a genetic experiment involving “The Ghost of Christmas Past” and “RoboCop.” Like every rookie officer in the Motorcycle Highway Patrol division, he was issued a Harley, head-to-toe leather “body armor,” riding helmets, riot helmets, tall black riding boots, dozens of chromed, clanking things, and a thick leather gun belt (or three), complete with holsters and handguns.
Although I was filled with pride and respect, I was also crippled by my fear of firearms. I avoided his locked uniform closet for years to come.
Years later, the iconic 1980s were erupting. The world was changing fast. My fashion degree landed me a career in the Hamptons with Saks Fifth Avenue, and my fiancé’s law enforcement career commenced with entry into … yes, the NYPD Police Academy.
Although I was proud of him and excited for our future together, the realization that I’d have to continue living with the firearms I feared hit hard.
It was time to face my fears.
I took a deep breath, drew a line in the sand, looked at my fiancé, and said, “Teach me everything.”I wanted to replace my fear with knowledge of shooting and the world of shooting sports.
My fiancé, Rich, patiently answered every question I asked about every handgun, shotgun, rifle and whatever else was locked inside our safe. He showed me everything I wanted to be shown, communicated in a way that made sense to me, and taught at my pace.
The next step? Go shoot trap.
My heart was pounding as I stepped onto the 300-acre range at Brookhaven National Laboratory, which was created to provide Long Islanders with a place for shooting, hunting practice and competitive shotgun sports.
Somewhere between nerves, self-doubt and confusion were my supportive fiancé, broken clays and the smoky aromatherapy only the shooting sports can create.
I was hooked.
Not because I suddenly loved firearms. I loved the discipline, the concentration and the challenge. I loved the confidence that came from overcoming fear.
As it turned out, I was actually a pretty good shot.
Having grown up on a block with seven boys and two girls, my best friend and I played whatever the boys were playing that day. Hardball was their game of choice. Like in “The Sandlot,” I was the left-handed girl borrowing a right-handed boy’s baseball glove – a different glove every inning. I grabbed whatever glove was tossed down at home plate when the other team came off the field to bat.
Always determined to keep up with the boys, I adapted, developed a decent throwing arm with both my right and left hands, and eventually earned my place as shortstop.
Thankfully, the boys never lowered the bar for us girls. We never knew “can’t.” That mindset followed me into the shooting sports.
When I picked up a shotgun designed around a six-foot-tall, right-handed man, I never questioned whether it fit me. I simply assumed I needed to adapt.
And for the next 20 years, as I shot more, that’s exactly what I did – adapt. Like so many women, I shot men’s guns, youth models, adjustable stocks, modified stocks – modified everything – and none of it worked well for my frame.
I wasted valuable time, money and energy trying to find the right fit, trying to engineer myself around one gun after another. Eventually, I thought I had run out of options and almost walked away from the shooting sport I loved. Thankfully, my husband had another idea.
He kept saying, “Lisa, just try a Syren.”
My lack of knowledge and research led me to assume Syren made consolation guns for women who couldn’t handle a “real” competition shotgun. I could not have been more wrong.
I finally trusted his judgment and borrowed a Syren from the owner of my home club in Deep River, North Carolina. The first time I mounted it and stepped onto stand #1, I knew. This was no simple little shotgun. It wasn’t a marketing gimmick. It was a specifically and intricately designed, Italian-engineered and finely-crafted shotgun built for the female shooter.
No more adapting. No more compromises. The Syren Elos N2 Sporting melted into my arms and my sight picture like butter.
For the first time in more than 20 years of shooting, I was finally able to focus on the clay targets beyond the barrels, instead of fighting the shotgun in my hands.
I found more than the right shotgun that day; I found the hope, passion and joy of shooting again.
Shortly after my shotgun revelation, during a lesson with Grace Callahan – a National Champion, Syren Pro Staff member and speculated inspiration behind the awe-inspiring Syren Grayce shotgun – we talked about my journey to find the right fit.
We quickly realized that, over the same 20 years I had spent struggling to master ill-fitting guns, 10-year-old Grace had been given her first shotgun by her father.
With his support, she quickly harnessed her natural talent and newfound passion, eventually becoming one of our country’s top competitors. Today, her story reminds us what’s possible when a young girl is introduced to the shooting sports at an early age.
My story is proof that it’s never too late to discover a passion that enriches your life.
Although I’m twice Grace’s age and possess only a fraction of her skill, our stories perfectly bookend each another.
Sadly, my story isn’t unique. I’ve recently met other women who quietly struggled the same way I did. Women who accepted ill-fitting shotguns because they didn’t know they had another option. Women who questioned their own abilities and nearly walked away from the shooting sports they loved, until they found Syren, too.
If my story of “failure” to find the right shotgun fit encourages just one woman to take another chance, do the research and try a Syren shotgun, then every frustrating year of my journey will have been worth it. I hope my tale pushes women to take shooting lessons, join shooting clubs, or even register for first tournaments.
Somewhere between shooting stands, broken clays, and spirited conversation, a new website titled “SyrenSisters” was conceived. Not simply as a website. As a vision. A place where women encourage women.
So find your Syren Sisters, because we will be here waiting for you. Be sure to sign up for the Syren USA email list to be notified when the new website, titled “Syren Sisters,” launches.
And remember, unlike the clays we make disappear from the sky, “No magic is stronger than sisterhood. Cast by fate, tested by time … and never broken.” [quote from the upcoming film “Practical Magic 2”]
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
