Cali's Very Own Olympic Trap Queen
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| Yea you read that right- TRPQEEN |
**Updated 5/24/17
Ever see this license plate driving around So Cal and think to yourself, “Does that say Trap Queen?? Who in the Fetty Wap and Kia Optima is that?!?”
Well yes, you are correct, it does say trap queen. But this lady is not the trap queen Mr. Wap sings about. Oh no, this little Latina from Santa Clarita California is Stephanie Gutierrez and she shoots olympic style trap.
Stephanie explained to me that trap is a style of shooting where clay targets are launched into the air and the shooter aims to take down as many as possible with their shotgun.
YES, she shoots. GUNS...For SPORT... And she’s pretty damn good at it.
Steph has been shooting since her dad introduced her to the sport when she was younger and she’s been kicking ass ever since.
Now, she’s one of the few women who partake in the sport and even more contrasting from the norm, she’s one of very few Latinas.
Steph and her family know this makes her different, but her aptitude for shooting easily quiets the haters.
Spectators of all ages will stop and watch as Steph gets ready to shoot, many assuming her skill set is less than stellar due to her gender.
“It’s nice when I beat them,” Steph says with a little smirk.
We all know that smirk. The one you get to proudly display when people doubt you- but you know you’re about to blow their minds. If only she could walk into every event with all of her medals on her neck. That would surely stop the second guessing.
Or maybe if she was able to show them her shooting scholarship to Martin Methodist University in Tennessee. She's got skills, and she'll brush off the doubt till she can prove it through her scores.
She is the only Latina on her college shooting team, but that doesn't separate her from facing the same challenges of many student athletes. Steph works to balance shooting, school work and a social life but she ultimately knows that school is number one. She’s majoring in nursing while minoring in biology in hopes of some day attending medical school. Yea, this girl has a lot on her shoulders.
And she handles it with a confidence that only a bad ass trap shooting girl could muster. She knows what her skills and abilities are and she lets them lead in her life. She also takes pride in being Latina. “The fact that I can speak other languages helps me,” she says with great satisfaction.
Her message to other Latina’s pursuing education? “Do not let anyone tell you that you are less than what you are” and to “be the best that you can possibly be.”
Coming from someone who has children following her around shooting events asking for pictures and autographs, you can be sure her message will be heard.
So if you find yourself on a shooting range and you spot Stephanie Gutierrez zipping up that vest and loading up her shotgun…..soak it in. This Latina is paving ways and breaking down walls.
And you? You’re getting a glimpse of history in the making.
Check the slideshow below to see more pics of this proud Educated Latina
"The Educated Latina campaign is designed to celebrate Latinas pursuing education in all their endeavors and to promoting a world where every Latina is inspired and empowered to seek education in college, career and beyond."
You can purchase an Educated Latina shirt by clicking the link here or the pictures on the right. All proceeds from the shirts go towards my tuition for Harvard Graduate School of Education.
-Sabrina
