ROONEY Natalie

General
SWITCHING STYLE
She used a 'high gun' shooting method at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she would look through the gun to the target as it came out of the trap. Then she would not move until after the target had passed her barrels. In 2017 she began feeling uncomfortable with the technique, especially when the target would fly out half a metre to the left or right, so she decided to switch her style to the 'low gun' method. "[The 'high gun' style] would rush or panic me. [The 'low gun' method has] taken a bit to get used to and took a while to get used to figuring out how and when I'm meant to move. I'd always had an issue with that target. That took a toll. It didn't happen for me straight away. It's taken me a long time to build myself back up to knowing I am good enough and can perform at that level. Now [speaking in 2019] I'm a lot more comfortable because I'm seeing it a lot better." (newsroom.co.nz, 18 Dec 2019; nzherald.co.nz, 31 Aug 2017)

TIME ABROAD
She has spent a significant amount of time training in Italy with her coach Andrea Miotto. "It is tough. I've spent quite a bit of time in Italy, and I've found it really difficult. I usually book an apartment so I can do my own cooking, but I'm in a remote area [near Pescara on the Adriatic Coast] where no one speaks English and I'm by myself all the time. It's not as if I can just pick up the phone and call someone, because the time difference is so different. It's pretty lonely." (newsroom.co.nz, 18 Dec 2019)

HOME RANGE
In 2018 she and her father Gary opened a shooting facility at the Timaru Clay Target Club in New Zealand. "I decided with my dad and my coach that I really did need a range to practise on. It's hard to travel to Christchurch all the time to train. It took away from your normal life and routine. It's changing my life really. People in South Canterbury having access is key to getting more people involved. I think it [the range] will have a huge impact on that." (stuff.co.nz, 30 Nov 2018)

FURTHER EDUCATION
In 2019 she began studying marketing at the Open Polytechnic in New Zealand. (newsroom.co.nz, 18 Dec 2019)

She became the first shooter representing New Zealand to win a medal in trap at the Olympic Games when she claimed silver in the event at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 31 Jan 2020; nzherald.co.nz, 31 Aug 2017)