Caroline Brownlie was one of the eight shooters announced last week as part of Team Scotland for Glasgow 2014.

The Air Pistol shooter who hails from Edinburgh and is now based in Hampshire has made the team for the second time following her representation in Delhi 2010.

Go Scotland caught up with Caroline following the good news .

Q: Firstly, congratulations in being selected for Glasgow 2014, tell us how you felt when you heard the news?

CB: Thank you! It was all very secret when I first found out so it really hasn’t sunk in yet. Now it’s all official I can’t wait to tell everyone!

Q: What have youe been doing in terms of competitions, training since Delhi 2010?

CB: I didn’t shoot for about a year from about August 2011 as I was on maternity leave. I did however finish a great 2012/2013 season with a personal best, GB qualifying score and a new Scottish record.

Q: How are you approaching your lead-up to 2014?

CB: I am really looking forward to 2014 and my focus at the moment is to increase the intensity and diversity of my training. Being selected early means that I can concentrate my training on competing at Glasgow 2014, rather than putting my efforts into qualifying. This for me will make a huge difference.

Q: Away from shooting, what do you do and how do you juggle everything?

CB: I’m a full time mum of three (ages 8, and 2 year old twins) so I could definitely add juggling to my CV! I make sure I have some time every day to train, but the key is to be adaptable to daily changes depending on the children.

Q: You’re based in Hampshire – how often do you get together with your other Scottish team mates?

CB: Scotland’s pistol squad is a great team, so although I can’t train with them regularly, when we do come together at competitions and training we all get on really well.

Q: As the only Pistol shooter currently selected for Team Scotland, what are your aspirations for Glasgow?

CB: In Delhi I was the first female pistol shooter to represent Scotland at a Commonwealth Games which was a great achievement, but in Glasgow I want to perform to a level that enables me to get into the final. You can only win a medal if you get into a final.

Q: How much of an impact do you expect a home crowd and home venue to have?

CB: On a personal level I wouldn’t be properly prepared if I didn’t accept that there is going to be a different level of pressure at a home games, but with early selection I can train for this.

Q: Can you give us an overview of the pistol shooting competition so people know what to expect?

CB: There are separate ladies and men’s competitions for Air Pistol, and I have to shoot 40 shots in 50 minutes. The top score you can get for each shot is a 10 and my personal best is 382 out of 400. The top 8 shooters go forward into a final which is a “lowest score sits down” elimination style.

Q: How did you get into the sport and would you encourage others to have a go?

CB: I started shooting at university (where I met my husband), and he introduced me to shooting. If anyone was interested in learning more about shooting (of which there are many disciplines) then they should get in touch with a local club.

Photo Credit: Alistair Devine