Kate's Double-barrelled Delight!

Edge Hill Research Assistant Kate Grime is setting her sights on more success after claiming back-to-back national shooting titles.

The 25-year-old from Newton-le-Willows, a former psychology student at Edge Hill, recently won the British Women?s Championship in Automatic Ball Trap ? one of the categories of Clay Pigeon Shooting ? for the second year in a row.

And now, despite only having taken up shooting three-and-a-half years ago at a Clay Target Centre owned by her dad ? himself a former European champion ? Kate is aiming for a spot in the Great Britain team.

"I?ve represented England ladies for the past two years which has taken me all over the UK, but the ultimate aim would be to shoot for Britain in various parts of the world ? maybe even one day reach the Olympics," said Kate, who shoots competitively practically every weekend of the year. "For now though I hope to make the step up to Universal Trench shooting and take things from there. I?m relatively young compared to other competitors ? some of which have been shooting long before I was even born ? so I?ve a good few years yet to fulfil my ambitions."

When Kate doesn?t have her finger poised over the trigger, she?s preparing to write a PhD thesis on, you?ve guessed it, shooting!

"As part of my study I hope to look at ways to raise the performance levels of both men and women by assessing factors such as attention, hand-eye co-ordination and confidence. I?ve already roped in some of my England colleagues to take part in experiments here at Edge Hill and I?m really looking forward to finding out the results."

Kate won?t see the fruits of her research for another seven years, and who knows, by then she may have one or two more prestigious trophies on her mantelpiece.

Picture: Kate focuses on further glory.