Vera Koo Top Women Pistol Shooter

This video kicks off with local news footage of Vera Koo, now-retired champion pistol shooter, as she began in the shooting sport. Footage of her in action on the range is included, and quickly transitions to an in-person sit down with Koo. Lively interviews with Koo cover a lot of ground, starting with her traditional Chinese upbringing.

“From what I can remember, my mom raised me to be a good wife. A good wife, a good mother, very good daughter-in-law, a very good person. A good housewife, maybe a good cook… In any case, I was raised to be a subservient, very good, Chinese woman.” – Vera Koo

But that is not the path that Koo followed. In interview form, she explains her college education, which was not anticipated by her traditional family. She talks about the education that she also received from the shooting sport. As a competitor, you have to rely on yourself, and can never be scared. Read more about Vera’s experience and accomplishments,

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Vera Koo: Champion Shooter

“Vera Koo’s belief that the United State of America is a place where opportunities can flourish, for any woman with focus, determination and discipline can succeed beyond anyone’s expectations, at any age.” – narrator

This video continues with further interviews with Vera Koo, where she details the various types of shooting competitions that she has trained for and competed in. She attributes her mental toughness to being able to perservere in the world of professional shooting.

Interview with Jim O’Young

Jim O’Young, famous steel target shooter, met Koo early on in her professional shooting career, and became her mentor. In Vera’s words, from a blog she penned for

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Jim O’Young became my first mentor, and he remains a good friend and teacher to this day. It was like fate brought us together…

一九九一年我遇見 Jim 時，已經完成若干槍械訓練課程，但在射擊運動圈子裡還是無名 小卒。我剛剛決定要參加射擊運動比賽，但是我需要方向；我買了一管比賽用槍，但是 對自己使用這把槍的成績表現不滿意。..

I told Jim about the issues I was having with my gun. Jim is a frank man. After hearing my story, he leveled with me and asked, “Is it the shooter or the gun?”

This video contains a sit-down interview with Jim, as he describes working with Vera over the span of many years.

Vera Koo: Bianchi Cup

Another highlight of this video is the explanation of Vera’s association with the

in Columbia, Missouri. Included in this detail is an interview from

(nee Goloski), who was her teammate at the World Action Pistol Championship in New Zealand. They have also competed at the Bianchi Cup.

Vera Koo: Balance

The video comes to a close with an interview from Vera, where she talks about striking the balance between being a traditional and more independent Chinese American woman. She also speaks enthusiastically about her continued passions and goals, and skills she plans to learn in the future. She is at the point in her career where she wants to give back to others. She is a woman who does not quit!

Continue watching Vera’s videos on her YouTube channel.

Read more about Vera Koo’s life and rise through the world of professional shooting, in her memoir,

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