Post Falls sharpshooter earns marksmanship scholarship to Ole Miss

Randi Loudin is, literally, Post Falls High School’s shooting star.

“I started out shooting trap and skeet when I was 6- or 7-years old,” she said. “When I was 13, I switched over to the Olympic-style rifle. I shoot both small-bore rifle (.22 caliber) and air rifle.”

Loudin competes through the Spokane Junior Rifle Club and has traveled the country to compete, including the National Junior Olympics.

“I enjoy competing in both,” she said. “Small-bore is usually a three-position competition (standing, kneeling and prone). Air rifle tends to be just standing. I will be doing both this summer.”

Along the way, she caught the attention of the University of Mississippi.

“They approached me after the Junior Olympics when I was a sophomore,” she said. “We stayed in touch and they ended up offering me a scholarship to compete on their rifle team. It’s an NCAA Division I program.”

The chance for marksmanship to pay for schooling has long been the carrot at the end of a stick for young shooters, she said.

“That’s always been one of the things they tell us all the time – you could get a college scholarship, you could get a college scholarship,” she said. “I never gave it much of a thought at first, but after a while it became a goal.”

Loudin said she’s excited to head off to the Ole Miss campus in Oxford – as much for the chance to see just how good she can be as for the chance to get an education.

“They told us during orientation to save three hours a day for practice,” she said. “We have trainers and coaches who will be working with us every day. I’m really looking forward to seeing just how good that kind of work will make me.

“I’d love to get good enough to compete in the Olympic Games, for sure.”

Loudin’s passion for shooting stands alongside her passion for music. As with her shooting, she splits her time musically between two instruments.

“I started out playing alto saxophone,” she said. “When I got to high school, I was asked to take up the French horn – I didn’t know that it was unusual to do both a horn and a reed instrument! I play French horn in concert band and sax in jazz band. Jazz band is my favorite class.”

Loudin has a 3.5 GPA and is a member of Idaho Distinguished Young Women, and she enjoys staying active and outdoors.

“My sister got me into rock climbing,” she said. “I’ve really gotten into that, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do once I get to college.”