Everyone acknowledges winners but few ever recognize what it takes to accomplish the goal. When actors win an Academy Award, most of them took years to get to that stage of their careers. Few successes, if any, come overnight.

When Sacred Hearts’ athletes are successful, no one looks beyond the win, but behind their success lies long hours of practice over weeks and months.

Air riflery is a sport that senior Angelique “Angie” Mara came to love.

Mara was a freshman in 2012 and a new shooter who was just trying out for the experience. She was not outstanding but thought she could be.

Mara gradually improved until she won 1st place in 2013 at the junior varsity level in the standing position and 3rd place overall in the women’s division.

“I ended up loving the standing position,” said Mara. “It’s a very strict position which requires a lot of balance and focus.”

It wasn’t until the end of sophomore year that Mara developed a real passion for the sport.

On May 2, 2014, a case of congestive heart failure took her father’s life.

Mara did not want to go home after school. What new purpose could she find at home? She no longer had to return home early to take care of her father.

Her coach at the time, Stewart “Guy” Chun, suggested she could go to practice to kill time and work on sharpening her skills.

Mara did exactly that. She spent May and the entire summer going to practice to cope with her father’s passing. The shooting range became her second home.

Mara said, “Coach Guy became my father-figure. He and my dad were very close and they had an instant connection. My dad said that if anything happened to him, he wanted me to know if I was fine with Coach Guy being my father-figure. I agreed.”

Mara continued to excel, especially in her junior year.

“Her leadership as a team captain was instrumental in securing the Sacred Hearts Precision rifle team to an ILH League Championship win in 2015. She was the driving force in motivating the team to improve themselves. In the time I have known Angie and her family, I have seen her grow into a mature, ambitious and determined young lady,” said Chun.

Mara ranked number two in the state for Precision and earned the opportunity to attend the 2015 National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. This event proved to be a great opportunity to showcase her ability.

After the Junior Olympics, Mara decided she wanted to shoot on the collegiate level.

Her mother, Betty Lee-Mara said, “She would always ask me, ‘Do you think dad would be proud of me?’

“‘Yes, of course,’ I would reply each and every time. When Angie was invited to the Junior Olympics of 2015, I was so proud of her! She worked so hard to qualify for this national competition.

“She told me, ‘Look I made it to Junior Olympics just like dad did, but his sport was boxing.’ I know her dad was cheering her on with every shot. She shot phenomenally well for her 1st time at the Junior Olympics,” said her mother.

Although the Academy changed riflery coaches in 2015, that did not stop Mara from competing in the fall and winter seasons. She was again invited to the 2016 National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships in April.

“Angie flourishes in her sport of riflery because she is her own worst critic. I have witnessed her transition into an amazing young woman with a passion for this sport. She always strives to do better than the day before. With the passing of her father, she threw herself into the sport and thrived. Children are incredibly resilient! They do well under pressure and in stressed situations. We can learn a lot from our children, for they are our future. We are all cheering her on! Go, Angie!” said Lee-Mara.

Athletics aside, Mara has also maintained a 3.9 GPA and been accepted to the University of Nevada-Reno. There she will pursue a degree in neurosciences while shooting as a member of the Wolfpack rifle team, a team which is highly regarded in the shooting community.

It is with every shot she takes that Mara continues to dominate at the range and build her character.

Sophomore Dorothy Sanidad will also compete in Colorado for the .22 smallbore while Mara will compete in precision air riflery.  For the second year in a row, both will represent the Academy in Colorado.