When approaching the Friends of Fancy Creek Rifle Range, Kansas State University student, and Miss Kansas-Theresa Vail commented, “I’m totally in my element here”.
Vail visited the range Saturday morning to do some shooting and promote her platform of empowering young women to overcome female stereotypes.
Moving around was common for Vail, as she lived in a military home, and is one of nine children. She has lived in Kansas since 2003, and attended Leavenworth High School, where she was a member of the rifle team. Vail was unsure of the exact age she began shooting guns, but guessed “around seven years old”.
Vail is a member of the Kansas Army National Guard, in the medical detachment. She is taking the year off to perform her duties as Miss Kansas, but will return to Kansas State University the following year as a fifth year senior. Her majors are chemistry and Chinese. Her hope is to become a dentist for the army.
She began her Saturday morning at ten o’clock firing handguns. As the day progressed, she tried bigger and bigger guns. After guns, Vail traveled to the archery range, as she is an avid archer.
For more information about Miss Kansas, log onto misskansas.org. Vail will compete in New Jersey on September 15th in the Miss America competition.