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A Shooting Star: Brianna Walter
Brianna Walter has had a massive impact in her short time at Tallulah Falls School. The Sugar Hill, GA native has a disciplined regiment and thrives on positive energy as each shot gets her closer to perfection.
TFS hit the mark when Walter decided to enter for her senior season, a move that obviously didn’t come without a little trepidation.
“At first I was worried about transferring to a new school, especially my senior year, but after being at Tallulah Falls for a semester I absolutely wish I’d been here all along,” states Walter. “The environment here is very friendly. It often feels like a big family. Tallulah has also been extremely supportive of my precision rifle endeavors. The school went above and beyond to not only accommodate me while I was achieving my goals, but to support me in a way I am very grateful for.”
The standout precision rifle athlete set the school record in a 3x10 match three times, beating the prior record then her own twice. Her 298 on December 5, against Buford is the current record. To put it into perspective, prior to her arrival, only twice had someone fired a 292 or better in team history. Brianna achieved that nine times this season. She helped elevate an already-elite program to new levels, being the top scorer in what has been the top four team scores in school history, including an 1160 against North Gwinnett on November 15. Walter again made history by finishing a program-best 5th at the GHSA State Championships and leading TFS to a State Runner-Up finish.
“The records show me how far I've come from the beginning of my athletic career, but it’s not something I dwell on,” adds Walter. “My main focus is on my process. My goal for the rest of the year is to commit to my process every shot and to be positive after every match, no matter what.”
That short-term memory is what keeps her from getting complacent. Other ingredients to her recipe of being a sharp-shooter include earplugs, music pre-match, positive vibes, and not looking at the score.
“Not worrying about the score helps a lot, especially while I’m shooting a match,” says Walter. “In rifle, we have earplugs we use to stay more focused. Listening to music before a match helps too. After every shot it’s helpful to have a positive attitude, which is made easy with the encouraging environment provided by the school, the rifle team, and my amazing coach, Coach Tim [Stamey].”
Walter also holds the school record for a 3x20 match with a 591, a full 14 points better than the next-best. She competed at the Women’s Air Rifle Olympic Team qualifying event in December in Colorado, shooting a 622.4 in the 60-shot standing match, then recorded a 60-shot standing PR of 624.0, giving her a two-day score of 1246.4. That gave her a 20th-place finish overall, edging out one prior Olympian and 1st-place in the Under 18 category in the nation. She went on to compete and finish 42nd overall among 178 of the nation’s best at the Junior Olympic 3P National Championships in Colorado Springs with a 1235.2 score in April. That type of success doesn’t come overnight or without discipline. Walter has worked at it daily for several years.
“I’ve been doing riflery since freshman year,” states Walter. “My routine is pretty similar to the routine of a standard college rifle athlete. I practice multiple times a week. Most days when I’m not practicing, I’m doing some sort of training (strength, balance, or running). Before matches I refrain from eating foods with a lot of sugar and from drinking caffeine or energy drinks. I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult, it’s just a lot of commitment.”
With her best days still ahead, both as an athlete and as an individual, Brianna knows rifle is a big part of her future.
“I like riflery, it’s pretty fun,” says Walter. “My dream is just to keep improving. I plan to join the University of North Georgia’s rifle team.They’re really nice and I feel they will support me in my riflery; I just want to go somewhere with a good rifle team, and where my major can be something related to math.”
While there is zero doubt of her abilities in the range, the same can be said about her work in the classroom, where she holds a 4.03 weighted GPA that has her on the Presidential Scholar list, and is a member of the National Honor Society. Tallulah Falls has helped in both areas of her life. Walters is also President of the Skateboarding Club that she started, and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Recycle Club.
“TFS is a wonderful school with an incredible rifle program,” adds Walter. “Both have already left such a large impact on my life that I will forever be grateful for. Within the rifle program I hope to help my teammates improve their shooting. They’re all incredible athletes and I’m thankful to have such amazing teammates. Within the school I hope to leave an impact with the skateboarding club the school graciously let me start earlier this year.”