Profiles in Courage: Two Shooters Overcome Disabilities Together

Story based on article by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
This story is about two shooters who have shown dedication, courage, and the ability to overcome physical limitations. 18-year-old Taylor Farmer has cerebral palsy. Her mentor and shooting coach, Greg Drown, has multiple sclerosis. But working together, Taylor has shown amazing abilities in competitive shooting. Taylor hopes someday to compete for the USA as a paralympic shooter in the Olympics.

Taylor Farmer was born to persevere. Her entire life, cerebral palsy (a neurological condition that limits muscle coordination) has forced her to work harder than others to achieve her goals. The effects of the disease on her body cause her to walk with crutches and to use a wheelchair for longer distances — but that hasn’t slowed her down.

As a teenager, Taylor began shooting rifle with her dad and her older brother. She never let the cerebral palsy get in the way of her desire to shoot. “I didn’t really think of it as being a challenge. I just wanted to do it…” she said.

Taylor built her marksmanship skills shooting rimfire rifles with a junior 4-H club. Her 4-H coach, Mary Ann Miller, recognized Taylor’s talent and introduced her to Greg Drown, a past State Champion shooter. That was the beginning of a great partnership…

Shooting Champion Doesn’t Let Multiple Sclerosis Stop Him
Greg Drown, 56, was a member of the Ohio State University Rifle team from 1980-1984, serving as team captain and earning numerous shooting honors. He competed in the 1984 Olympic Team Tryouts in Los Angeles and has been a State Champion in Three Position Air Rifle and Smallbore Prone. But a greater challenge lay ahead…

From 1995-2000, Greg gradually developed multiple sclerosis, a disabling condition of the central nervous system. His disease placed him in a wheelchair, but his determination kept him moving further into his shooting career (and winning a slew of gold medals and championships).

“It was a daunting task to re-learn the positions, not to mention shooting out of a chair with an attached table,” he said. “I had my trials and tribulations, but it took three or four years to become competitive again.” With determination, Greg reached the pinnacle of his career by winning the 2009 3P Any Sight Para National Championship at Camp Perry. He also made it to a Para World Cup in 2011.

Greg and Taylor Work Together
In September 2015, Greg and Taylor connected for the first time during the Ohio Day at the Range at Camp Perry. This event, held annually at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, is conducted for children and adults with disabilities and their families.

“I grabbed a sporter rifle off the rack and Taylor began shooting off the foam rests,” Greg said. “She consistently put 20 or so shots in the 10 ring.”

Taylor then asked Greg if she could get rid of the rest and shoot out of the adapted standing position while seated in her wheelchair. To Greg’s amazement, she continued to put shot after shot in the 9 and 10 ring — all without a coat and glove.

“Right then and there, I knew I had something special,” he said. “I kept telling her over and over how well she was doing, and all I got back was this simple expression of ‘I can do this – this is easy.’”

Seeing her commitment, Greg offered to help Taylor advance her skills – as her new coach.
“A star was being born — that sounds corny, but it was true,” Greg joked. “I was just as excited as she was when we left that day.”

As a coach, Greg carefully observes her shooting to improve her growing marksmanship skills. But what makes Greg an extraordinary mentor for Taylor is that he understands shooting from a wheelchair as only another physically-challenged shooter can. Taylor has genuinely connected with Greg as a trainer (and a human being), saying, “If I wouldn’t have had him as a coach, I wouldn’t be where I am today. He can just comprehend some things better.”

Greg is impressed with Taylor’s progress: “Right now, she is shooting world-class qualifying scores… there is no reason she cannot be competitive in the Para World Cup circuit. Taylor is a very determined young lady. Her accomplishments and abilities keep amazing me every time we train and compete — she has what it takes.”

Though less than a year into her career, Taylor has shot in every 60-Shot CMP Monthly Match. In December, she fired at the Junior Olympic Qualifiers match where she fired 381 – a shot above the 380 cut-off score. Unfortunately, disabled shooters aren’t currently recognized, and she wasn’t able to fire for record at the Junior Olympics.

The following March, at the 60-Shot NRA Air Rifle Sectionals at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, she recorded a score of 580/600 to earn second place overall. Just a few weeks later, she fired a score of 395/400 to receive her first gold medal at the 40-Shot NRA Junior Sectional Match at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

This summer, Taylor plans to visit Fort Benning, Georgia, where she hopes to be classified by the International Paralympic Committee on her degree of impairment in the sport. From there, she’ll keep her eyes on her ultimate goal — earning a paralympic shooting team spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Greg, after overcoming discouraging obstacles during his own lifetime, is focused on helping Taylor reach her goals. “My goal all along has been that if I could make a difference in just one person’s life, it would make it all worthwhile to me,” he said.

Photo Note: The top photo shows Taylor in Greg Drown’s coat. At first, without a shooting coat of her own, left-handed Taylor borrowed Greg’s right-handed jacket. Now she has a lefty jacket all her own.

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Tags: Camp Perry, Cerebral Palsy, CMP, Disability, Greg Drown, Multiple Sclerosis, Position Shooting, shooting, Smallbore, Taylor Farmer, Tokyo Olmpics