Chesapeake High Grad Earns Olympic Development Spot

In most homes, the basement is where families relax, watch some TV or play a few games. In the basement of Pasadena native Taylor Ciotola’s home, you’ll find a shooting range.

Ciotola is a  graduate who now . In April, the 20-year-old sophomore attended the National Junior Olympics where he qualified for a spot on the Olympic Development Team.

The men’s rifle week of the National Junior Olympics Shooting Championships were held in Colorado Springs, CO April 19-25.

“I have been out there several times,” Ciotola said. “I think this was my fifth year out there, but it was my last competitive year because you have to be 20-years-old or younger. So this was my last year competing and my last chance to be on the Olympic Development team so I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders to do good. I came out of it pretty successful.”

Ciotola earned a silver medal in the Men’s 50-meter Rifle Three Position. Both the gold and silver medalists earn a spot on the Olympic Development Team, which Ciotola said puts him next in line for a spot on the Olympic Team.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Ciotola said. “Making the team has always been a goal of mine since I was a really young. It gives me more confidence now in the collegiate level too. I have more confidence going into a collegiate competition because I know I can do it now and I know I can beat the best.”

Ciotola wrapped up his first competitive season on the rifle team at West Virginia University this year. And like most Division I athletes, Ciotola said one of the toughest parts was finding a balance between his sport and his academics.

“The season was a learning experience for me because it was my first competitive year in the NCAA and it was a very long season,” he said. “We have the longest NCAA season out of any collegiate sport. It goes from the beginning of October until March. So it was definitely challenging to keep up on grades and make sure I was getting to classes and all. That was a big adjustment.”

When Ciotola isn’t training with Olympic coaches this summer or competing in events, he is at home in Pasadena training and shooting a few rounds in his basement.

“It’s just an air rifle range that I go down to three or four times a week. I’ll shoot for an hour so,” Ciotola said. “It’s not like a real range—it’s more like shooting down a hallway. It’s pretty makeshift, but it gets the job done.”

Ciotola said that at first, his mom wasn’t crazy about having the range in the basement of her home.

“She is OK with it because the gun I use isn’t too loud,” he said. “She was a little nervous about it at first, but she works around it and my dad does too. We make it work.”