Tyndall officer aims to qualify for Summer Olympics Published Jan. 22, 2008 By Chris Dahmer 325th FW / PA TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- When 2nd Lt. Caitlin Harris signed up for her first pentathlon at age 12, little did she know it would pave the way to world-class Olympic competition. Lieutenant Harris, a contracting specialist with the 325th Contracting Squadron, is the only member of the three-person Air Force International Shooting Team to compete in the Olympic trials, which will be held Feb. 28 through March 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Top performers in the competition will go on to compete with the world's best shooters at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "When I qualified to be part of such an exclusive group, it was not only an honor, but a dream come true," said Lieutenant Harris. While horseback riding as a child in San Antonio, Lieutenant Harris was approached by a camp director who was promoting an upcoming modern pentathlon camp, a multi-sport athletic contest that includes: Shooting, fencing, swimming, horseback riding, and running. She accepted the invitation, and spent several weeks during the next three summers training at the camp. Her talents didn't go unnoticed, and by the end of the third summer the coach was pushing her to try out for the national team. She accepted, and for the next five years, played a pivotal role on the team as she went on to win four national titles and competed on seven national teams and five world teams. While attending the Air Force Academy, Lieutenant Harris' interest shifted from pentathlons to competitive air pistol shooting exclusively. "In college I didn't have time to train for all 5 pentathlon events. I started up the collegiate pistol team and just focused on shooting," said the lieutenant. During her senior year, her talents were once again recognized while competing in the '3x' air shooting competition, and she was offered a spot on the Air Force International Shooting Team. As a member of the Air Force International Shooting Team, Lieutenant Harris has competed at the 2005-2007 3x Air Championships and the 2006-2007 National Championships, both times placing in the top 20 shooters in the nation, and qualifying for the Olympic trials. With a little help from her friends, Lieutenant Harris trains every chance she gets. David Gilson, a protocol specialist at Tyndall and fellow shooting enthusiast, has loaned her various training equipment, and Security Forces allows her to shoot on the range when mission permits. "What's scary is that she's unable to practice full time like the professionals, and she's still a great shooter. She's just a natural," says Gilson. Lieutenant Harris, a self-proclaimed Olympics addict, said her ultimate dream has always been to compete in the Olympics. "Past and present Olympic athletes are a big source of my inspiration," said the lieutenant. "When I train or compete at a venue which hosted past events, I can almost feel the presence of the great athletes that came before." With the possibility of the Olympics in her future, her primary focus now is preparing for the upcoming competition. "It's a great opportunity to represent and spread the word about the Air Force Shooting Team," said Lieutenant Harris.