The 15-year-old St. Stephen High School student is heading to Australia on Sunday to compete in the 10 meter Olympic Style Air Rifle competition at the Olympic Festival in Sydney.
Emily's mother, Julie Dean tells Tide News it's been a very quick rise in the sport for her daughter. She says, "When we moved here from B.C. (Britich Columbia), she was hanging out with friends, and somebody told her to try shooting, so she (Emily) said she'd give it a try. So she went up there and was just blown away by it. I think Don Brown, her coach, and a couple of others were just like, 'Oh my gosh! We've got a sharp-shooter!'" She says the competition will be two years to the day from when locals convinced Emily to pick up a rifle and try it out.
Dean says she is very thankful for all the support, generosity, and love coming from the Town of St. Stephen for her daughter. "It is so wonderful! It has just made Emily feel so good. Being outsiders, we've been welcomed in with so much support."
The Town of St. Stephen recently awarding Dean with a $500 grant to help with travel expenses for the Olympian competition.
You can follow Emily's progress on the St. Croix Sportsman Club website, www.stcroixsportsmanclub.com or on her Twitter account @emilykdean22.
