Jadon Nafziger is a full-time student from Mackinaw who runs cross country in the fall and spends time with his family. The 16-year-old also spends countless hours at a shooting range practicing his true passion: shooting.
Nafziger's mom Kiana said her son started shooting competitively five years ago after his father noticed his natural talent.
“I used to shoot a lot off my back porch," he said. "Dad was looking one day—he was searching on the internet, and he decided that we should kind of get better at this and use it a little bit. So I came out to Central Illinois Precision Shooting, and Coach got me started."
Since then, Nafziger has capitalized on his natural ability, making shooting his primary focus. He told WGLT that it means he has very little free time, but he gets a lot of support.
“It's a very busy schedule during cross country season, it gets a little bit rough. Shooting gets a little harder after I run, but we make it work,” Nafziger said. “This sport is definitely not as common as others, but people still understand it. They like it a lot, they're very interested in it and there's a lot of support from the school too.”
Nafziger said he gets excused absences for competitions, and school is lenient on some due dates.
Due to his talent, Nafziger has already found himself on a developmental team with USA Shooting. He has already journeyed across the United States and abroad for his sport, including a trip to Arequipa, Peru, last July.
“It gets a little chaotic in the airport with two rifles where you don't speak the same language," Nafziger said. "We don't get to do a ton of sightseeing."
The Nafzigers spent 12 hours in the airport working on getting their guns checked nearly missing the flight to Peru.
“Once we got through the airport and where we were supposed to be, it was smooth sailing. It was a great match, we were trading pins and all that with other athletes, and I think there were quite a few teams there. It was a lot of fun,” Nafziger said.
Due to a birth injury, Nafziger’s right arm is paralyzed. Mom Kiana said multiple surgeries have left Jadon with some functional use of the arm, but it is not enough to shoot with non-disabled competitors. By competing as a para-athlete, he can use a spring stand to support the rifle.
All three Nafzigers expressed how difficult the sport is, saying it is the same as shooting a pellet down the middle of a drinking straw from 33-feet away, 60 times in a row.
For Jadon Nafziger, the goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, where he would be able to compete for the gold medal. To make this happen, it will require a strenuous schedule for the next few years.
“To achieve his Paralympic goal, he is required to shoot in five national matches a year to remain on the national ranking list. For each match, this requires out-of-state travel and lodging, about a week per match,” Kiana Nafziger said.
Kiana Nafziger started a GoFundMe for these expenses, particularly since Jadon typically travels with his father, Matthew, who loads Jadon's rifle in practice and competition. The GoFundMe raised $3,500, which will help send the family to the World Cup match in the United Arab Emirates [UAE] next summer.
“I get to bring my loader along, and having a loader there to shoot is very nice so I don't have to train a new loader when I get there and it means we get to go compete,” Jadon Nafziger said.
Nafziger will continue to compete in the coming years, and could be Mackinaw's first Olympian. Next up, he will be competing at the 2025 shooting World Cup in Al Ain, UAE.
