On the surface, 16-year-old Lucas Loftin is your normal everyday teenager.
But hand the Kitchener, Ont., teen a rifle, and he transforms into one of Canada’s most promising young sharpshooters.
Loftin is in Innisfil, Ont., this week to compete for his third consecutive Canadian Junior Shooting Championship. Supporting him during his rapid rise in the sport is his grandfather and coach, Glynn Loftin. Glynn is a former member of the national team and won the same junior title 50 years ago.
“My grandfather got me into it about five years ago,” Lucas recalled during a recent interview at the Twin City Rifle Club in New Hamburg. “He’d pick me up from school and take me to the range and slowly I just fell in love with it.”
That passion has led Lucas to many victories. At just 13-years-old Lucas set the national record in prone position shooting. The prone position in shooting is when the shooter is lying on their stomach on the ground.
Lucas also set the Ontario indoor three position record in August 2024. Three position is where shooters fire from three positions: Prone, standing and kneeling.
But Lucas is not just winning against his peers; he’s beating experienced shooters twice to three times his age. Lucas says he doesn’t let the more experienced shooters get in his head.
“One shot can make or break a match. So it can be nerve wracking. But when you look over at the target and see you had a good shot , it’s a nice feeling,” he said.
A legacy in the making
For Glynn, his grandson’s success is a big source of pride. He says seeing Lucas win the same championship he won 50-years-ago was a thrill for him.
“That was fantastic, absolutely excellent. In my efforts to coach him all I can do is give him the best opportunity to put out his best performance,” he said.
Not only did Lucas win the same championship as grandfather, he beat his grandfather’s original score. Glynn thinks the key to his grandson’s success is his ability to stay calm in the face of mounting pressure.
“Overall it’s his temperament and his ability to focus. It’s being able to put the previous shots behind him and just concentrate on the one in the gun,” he said.
This mindset was echoed by Lucas.
“Your focus should be on the one in the gun. It doesn’t matter if you’ve messed up five shots, you can’t change that,” he said.
WATCH | Meet the Kitchener teen who’s making his mark in competitive shooting:
At just 16-year-old, Lucas Loftin of Kitchener, Ont., is a force to be reckoned with on the gun range. The teen has been going to gun ranges with his grandfather Glynn Loftin since he was 10 years old. In his short competitive shooting career, Lucas has already broken a national and provincial record and has his sights set on competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. CBC K-W’s Diego Pizarro caught up with Lucas at a gun range in New Hamburg to learn more about competitive shooting.
A mentor for Lucas
To Lucas and Glynn, shooting is a lifestyle and a bond between them. Their training sessions are less coach-and-athlete and more mentor-and-student.
“I try to lead him into the best decisions as opposed to trying to just tell him. I’ve found that when he comes up with his own idea, that’s when it takes root,” he said.
Glynn says his proudest moment as a mentor was when Lucas broke the Ontario Indoor three position shooting record. Glynn dropped Lucas off at the event but wasn’t there for most of it since he had to work.
As Lucas was getting out of the car he told his grandfather: “Don’t worry. I got this.”
“I made it back in time to see his last couple of shots. His final shot was a 10.9 which is essentially dead centre,” Glynn said.
Olympic ambitions
Going forward Lucas is aiming to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While 2028 is only three years away, Lucas knows he still has a long way to go.
With just two more years of high school left, plans are already in motion for Lucas to attend an NCAA school in the U.S., where shooting is a collegiate sport. The schools could be his gateway to the Olympics.
Lucas knows it won’t be easy to qualify but his confidence remains high.
“If I keep growing at this rate, it’s really a matter of when it comes down to crunch time. I have to do a good match to get the qualification spot,” he said.
A spot in the Olympics may also help keep the sport alive in his family.
“Just the experience of going to the Olympics sounds really great. An experience to tell my kids and grandchildren about,” he said.
