Photo by: Sharon Ellman
Two Matches, Two Career Records: Allan is Ready for More
10/13/2021 4:16:00 PM | Women's Rifle
Two matches into the season and junior Stephanie Allan has already broken two career records, but to her, she is just doing what is expected.
During TCU's season opener against Navy and VMI, Allan shot 596 in air rifle, beating her previous high of 590. A week later, a familiar opponent in VMI, she saw similar success as she fired a 584 in smallbore, topping her previous high of 582.
"Sometimes the difference between good and great is that extra effort…Stephanie is putting the extra effort into her training…her scores are improving and the scores she has fired in the matches this season are making us stronger as a team," head coach Karen Monez said.
Although Allan set high expectations for herself this season, the career-high marks didn't come without trials and hard work.
The Connecticut native began rifle after her dad brought her to the junior program in her hometown. Her and her sister would do it together, which led to them constantly competing against one another. However, her sister left the rifle world for cheer, but Allan stayed with it.
When it came time to choose a college, Allan knew she didn't want to stay in the northeast and with family in Austin, she decided to tour TCU.
"My mom said it was written all over, and I just really fell in love with it," Allan said.
She began at TCU in August 2019 with classes in-person, regular practices and a full rifle season, but that normalcy wouldn't last long. At the NCAA championships in March 2020, the team was notified that the university will have an extended spring break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the tournament, Allan came back to campus, grabbed some of her belongings and grabbed the next flight home. Then, TCU announced that spring semester would resume but remain online. Allan didn't have any of her equipment at home and would have to wait until she was allowed back on campus to gather the rest of her things.
Back home in Connecticut, training facilities were on strict lockdown, meaning Allan had nowhere to train for her upcoming sophomore season.
"It was weird, honestly, to not be able to," Allan said. "It wasn't even like I was trying and I couldn't because I was busy, like I physically was not allowed to."
With the pandemic more understood in the fall of 2020, TCU allowed students to return to campus, but most classes would still be held online. Allan and the team were full steam ahead until the decision was made to shoot all matches in the spring. It was now up to the athletes to make a decision: come back to TCU to train and do remote learning or stay at home. Allan decided to come back.
"In my opinion, it was for the best from a training perspective," Allan said. "I hadn't trained all summer and now I just had six months to dedicate strictly to training and school."
Being in more upper division courses, Allan could focus on school, even having the flexibility to take a practice off here and there to study.
Since the fall season was cancelled, the normally six-month rifle season had to be squeezed into two months. The TCU rifle team traveled every weekend, most of the matches being double headers. Even in the midst of a chaotic schedule, the team helped each other out as much as they could.
"We were all super motivated because we had to do what we had to do to get to NCAAs at that point," Allan said.
TCU came in second overall at the 2020 NCAA Championships, finishing nine points behind Kentucky with an aggregate score of 4,722.
From the time the NCAA championships ended and the second week of May, Allan only took four days off as she trained for the junior Olympics. Her goal as she competed on the national stage was just to make a final.
Between the two days of competition, Allan turned off all phone notifications and didn't go on any social media. She asked her parents, coaches and teammates not to tell her where she ranked, but she had a gut feeling that she was doing well.
On the first day, she fired two personal bests, and on the second day she achieved her goal of making the final.
"I had to really prepare for that final experience," Allan said. "It's a lot different than a match. It's pretty much a match, but fast paced and super intense, so we just kind of went over what that would look like."
The goal for the final: shoot the best she could.
"Obviously, I wanted to be on the podium, but my goal was not to be number one because it was my first final, I need the experience, I wanted to do the best that I could, which I think was definitely really helpful just kind of going into it," Allan said. "I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be, but I also just had the expectation of just doing what I could."
Allan started off first in the final, but after switching positions in smallbore, she dropped to around third or fourth. After every shot, the standings are announced, so she constantly knew where she stood. Allan said that it got the best of her and she finished eighth.
"It was disappointing going from such a high start to the last place in the final, but to be ranked eighth nationally in the junior world, like when I think about it, is pretty cool," Allan said.
After the junior Olympics, Allan went home.
"I kind of took the summer off. I just obviously intensely trained from January to May with our season and then I had junior Olympics, and so when I went home, I didn't even want to think about rifle," Allan said. "I was ready to take a break."
Even when she got bored and wanted to get back into it, she found it difficult to train at the same intensity as she does at school. She said her range at home is old fashioned with paper targets whereas at school, there's great lighting and electronic targets. With this, she decided to work on her mental game. Allan read books on mental toughness and prioritized positive affirmations. She also focused on working out, which may not seem super important to some, but it helps with balance, in which she has already seen a huge difference in herself.
"I trained differently than some people would say that they trained to start the season," Allan said.
Even though the junior Olympics and the summer not going exactly as hoped, Allan has been able to use what she learned to prepare for this season.
"I was really mad [about finishing eighth]," Allan said.
Coming into this season, she aims to do everything she can to have the opportunity to be in more finals and to prove she won't cave under pressure.
An outsider may say she has already proven herself this season with two career marks, but Allan said she set the bar high and came in ready to work.
"Shooting is a lot of muscle memory and so being able to practice on the line and perform how I know I can and just translating that over to a match is what I expect to see."
Anything can happen in a match. An athlete can be mentally off, their positioning can be off, but Allan said it is important to be able to bounce back and keep yourself in line with your expectations.
"As exciting as it is to see the numbers jump from last year and my freshman year even especially like this is just where I am at right now, and that's my expectation for how the season's going to go," Allan said.
As for dealing with the natural stresses and pressures of any match, Allan can be found avoiding social media and getting locked in while listening to Thomas Rhett.
"I'm not one of the people that doesn't not like to be talked to," Allan said. "If someone talks to me, it's fine, it's just I like to have that music going. I find him [Rhett] really soothing."
Going on her third season as a Horned Frog, Allan has learned a lot about goal setting and what works for her.
"My freshman year, I was always striving for a personal best, I was like I need a personal best every single time, and that's not really how you have to approach a match," Allan said. "You have to approach a match ready to do the best you can and really it's one shot at a time, do what you can control and that's how I found that I am able to keep myself super relaxed before a match and not get as nervous as I used to get."
Her goals for this season include being a part of the group of five that wins the next national championship and earning a spot on a national team.
"I don't really have numbers set to my goals," Allan said. "I realized that last year that I had specific average numbers set, and I was always looking for that number, and that's not really helpful for me."
In the long run, Allan has her eyes set on the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
"There's a lot of work to be put in, and I'm ready to put in that work."
During TCU's season opener against Navy and VMI, Allan shot 596 in air rifle, beating her previous high of 590. A week later, a familiar opponent in VMI, she saw similar success as she fired a 584 in smallbore, topping her previous high of 582.
"Sometimes the difference between good and great is that extra effort…Stephanie is putting the extra effort into her training…her scores are improving and the scores she has fired in the matches this season are making us stronger as a team," head coach Karen Monez said.
Although Allan set high expectations for herself this season, the career-high marks didn't come without trials and hard work.
The Connecticut native began rifle after her dad brought her to the junior program in her hometown. Her and her sister would do it together, which led to them constantly competing against one another. However, her sister left the rifle world for cheer, but Allan stayed with it.
When it came time to choose a college, Allan knew she didn't want to stay in the northeast and with family in Austin, she decided to tour TCU.
"My mom said it was written all over, and I just really fell in love with it," Allan said.
She began at TCU in August 2019 with classes in-person, regular practices and a full rifle season, but that normalcy wouldn't last long. At the NCAA championships in March 2020, the team was notified that the university will have an extended spring break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the tournament, Allan came back to campus, grabbed some of her belongings and grabbed the next flight home. Then, TCU announced that spring semester would resume but remain online. Allan didn't have any of her equipment at home and would have to wait until she was allowed back on campus to gather the rest of her things.
Back home in Connecticut, training facilities were on strict lockdown, meaning Allan had nowhere to train for her upcoming sophomore season.
"It was weird, honestly, to not be able to," Allan said. "It wasn't even like I was trying and I couldn't because I was busy, like I physically was not allowed to."
With the pandemic more understood in the fall of 2020, TCU allowed students to return to campus, but most classes would still be held online. Allan and the team were full steam ahead until the decision was made to shoot all matches in the spring. It was now up to the athletes to make a decision: come back to TCU to train and do remote learning or stay at home. Allan decided to come back.
"In my opinion, it was for the best from a training perspective," Allan said. "I hadn't trained all summer and now I just had six months to dedicate strictly to training and school."
Being in more upper division courses, Allan could focus on school, even having the flexibility to take a practice off here and there to study.
Since the fall season was cancelled, the normally six-month rifle season had to be squeezed into two months. The TCU rifle team traveled every weekend, most of the matches being double headers. Even in the midst of a chaotic schedule, the team helped each other out as much as they could.
"We were all super motivated because we had to do what we had to do to get to NCAAs at that point," Allan said.
TCU came in second overall at the 2020 NCAA Championships, finishing nine points behind Kentucky with an aggregate score of 4,722.
From the time the NCAA championships ended and the second week of May, Allan only took four days off as she trained for the junior Olympics. Her goal as she competed on the national stage was just to make a final.
Between the two days of competition, Allan turned off all phone notifications and didn't go on any social media. She asked her parents, coaches and teammates not to tell her where she ranked, but she had a gut feeling that she was doing well.
On the first day, she fired two personal bests, and on the second day she achieved her goal of making the final.
"I had to really prepare for that final experience," Allan said. "It's a lot different than a match. It's pretty much a match, but fast paced and super intense, so we just kind of went over what that would look like."
The goal for the final: shoot the best she could.
"Obviously, I wanted to be on the podium, but my goal was not to be number one because it was my first final, I need the experience, I wanted to do the best that I could, which I think was definitely really helpful just kind of going into it," Allan said. "I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be, but I also just had the expectation of just doing what I could."
Allan started off first in the final, but after switching positions in smallbore, she dropped to around third or fourth. After every shot, the standings are announced, so she constantly knew where she stood. Allan said that it got the best of her and she finished eighth.
"It was disappointing going from such a high start to the last place in the final, but to be ranked eighth nationally in the junior world, like when I think about it, is pretty cool," Allan said.
After the junior Olympics, Allan went home.
"I kind of took the summer off. I just obviously intensely trained from January to May with our season and then I had junior Olympics, and so when I went home, I didn't even want to think about rifle," Allan said. "I was ready to take a break."
Even when she got bored and wanted to get back into it, she found it difficult to train at the same intensity as she does at school. She said her range at home is old fashioned with paper targets whereas at school, there's great lighting and electronic targets. With this, she decided to work on her mental game. Allan read books on mental toughness and prioritized positive affirmations. She also focused on working out, which may not seem super important to some, but it helps with balance, in which she has already seen a huge difference in herself.
"I trained differently than some people would say that they trained to start the season," Allan said.
Even though the junior Olympics and the summer not going exactly as hoped, Allan has been able to use what she learned to prepare for this season.
"I was really mad [about finishing eighth]," Allan said.
Coming into this season, she aims to do everything she can to have the opportunity to be in more finals and to prove she won't cave under pressure.
An outsider may say she has already proven herself this season with two career marks, but Allan said she set the bar high and came in ready to work.
"Shooting is a lot of muscle memory and so being able to practice on the line and perform how I know I can and just translating that over to a match is what I expect to see."
Anything can happen in a match. An athlete can be mentally off, their positioning can be off, but Allan said it is important to be able to bounce back and keep yourself in line with your expectations.
"As exciting as it is to see the numbers jump from last year and my freshman year even especially like this is just where I am at right now, and that's my expectation for how the season's going to go," Allan said.
As for dealing with the natural stresses and pressures of any match, Allan can be found avoiding social media and getting locked in while listening to Thomas Rhett.
"I'm not one of the people that doesn't not like to be talked to," Allan said. "If someone talks to me, it's fine, it's just I like to have that music going. I find him [Rhett] really soothing."
Going on her third season as a Horned Frog, Allan has learned a lot about goal setting and what works for her.
"My freshman year, I was always striving for a personal best, I was like I need a personal best every single time, and that's not really how you have to approach a match," Allan said. "You have to approach a match ready to do the best you can and really it's one shot at a time, do what you can control and that's how I found that I am able to keep myself super relaxed before a match and not get as nervous as I used to get."
Her goals for this season include being a part of the group of five that wins the next national championship and earning a spot on a national team.
"I don't really have numbers set to my goals," Allan said. "I realized that last year that I had specific average numbers set, and I was always looking for that number, and that's not really helpful for me."
In the long run, Allan has her eyes set on the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
"There's a lot of work to be put in, and I'm ready to put in that work."
Players Mentioned
Air Rifle/Smallbore
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