In 2021, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) alumna Ashley Teal became the first coach of the university’s first shooting sports team. Having graduated from CMU just months before, Teal was undaunted and thrilled. In many ways, heading up a collegiate team was her dream. A competitor in both shotgun and archery since she was a child, Teal and her older brother Kyle unofficially represented CMU in the Scholastic Clay Target Program while students. However, at that time, the university had neither the budget nor enough interested student-athletes to create an official club team.

Being independent, self-funded athletes was nothing new for either of the Teal siblings. Teal shares that they developed an interest in sport shooting through their grandfather, who bought them their first bows and shotguns. While he became their mentor, their parents also enjoyed shooting and coaching, making the sports a family affair. In elementary school, Ashley and Kyle competed in 4-H shooting sports. “4-H took us to a lot of places,” she says. “We would compete at the local, regional and state level and then we both made the national team for four years in different disciplines.” Upon aging out of 4-H, the Teals continued competing, participating in international competitions. On the state level, Teal is a multiple Colorado women’s state champion in both archery and shotgun.

By the fall of 2021, things at CMU had changed. This time, when a student suggested creating a shooting sports team, the university was ready to commit. All the student had to do was find teammates and a coach.

Teal was tapped for the job and during that first year, she coached 10 student-athletes — five women and five men — competing in shotgun, specifically shooting clay targets. In 2022, CMU added archery, and five students joined that team. This year, during the 2025-2026 season, Teal’s shotgun team has a roster of 13 men and six women, while archery has six women and five men. Two women on the team compete in both shotgun and archery.

Shooting sports season runs from September to March with three national competitions each for shotgun and archery. These competitions are far-flung and require a lot of travel. En route to an archery competition in Las Vegas in January, Georgia Kerr, a freshman from Arizona who competes in both disciplines, shared her excitement about the CMU teams.

“Being on the shooting sports teams here at CMU means I get to be a part of something bigger than just myself. I get to contribute to a team, and in return, I get to form new friendships, travel and experience new things all while doing sports that I love,” Kerr explains.

Shooting, whether shotgun or archery, requires precision, calm and focus, all of which are important life skills. Both Kerr and Teal mentioned that the skills they’ve developed in competition have a positive impact on their lives. When asked about her coaching style, Teal turns philosophical. “Growing up, my life probably wouldn’t be the way it is now if I had not been in 4-H shooting sports. It shaped me into who I am and I enjoyed it so much,” she shares. “I always tell my students that I don’t care if we win or lose. Winning is a bonus. Yes, it’s fun. Yes, it looks good. But at the end of the day, as long as we are getting better and we’re having fun doing it, I think we all win.”

Summing up, Teal reflects on her family. “It’s like my grandfather’s legacy,” she says, noting that she also has two young nephews who enjoy competitive shooting. “It was a big part of our lives growing up and eventually when I have children, it’ll be them, right?”

Given that she is engaged to marry CMU’s assistant shooting sports coach Sam Coleman, the family’s positive legacy is likely to be long.

Originally published in the spring 2026 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Athlete Profile: Ashley Teal