The Red Life with Ashley Lane

Ready... Aim... Fire! These words are not taken lightly by Ashley Lane, a sophomore on the 2008-09 Nebraska rifle team.

Rifle may be one of the lesser-known NCAA sports, but it is also one of the most intense contests.  Lane and the Huskers, who are a traditional NCAA rifle power, are competing this weekend at the Great American Rifle Association Championships in Oxford, Miss., and know all to well the rigors of the sport.

“With the weight of our uniforms and the hours of concentration during our meets, it is very intense both mentally and physically."

NCAA rifle offers two disciplines - smallbore and air rifle. Smallbore consists of shooting a .22 caliber in three positions: prone (lying down), kneeling and standing. For two hours, shooters concentrate on shooting 60 record shots in each position, but before shooters are ready to start recording their shots, called "record shots," they are allowed as many “sighters” or warm-up shots as they need in each position.  Once the shooter is ready to begin record shots, they will push the button on the monitor which electronically records each shot.

In air rifle, competitors shoot for one hour and 45 minutes in the standing position only. Lane uses a Feinwerkbau air rifle, which is German-made, and is slightly larger than her .22 rifle. In air rifle competition, shooters also get as many sighters as they need before they shoot for record.

The size of the center of the target in each of the these disciplines is roughly the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Now that's intense.

Competitors must battle to keep themselves focused despite the 10 to 25 pounds of uniform weighing down their bodies. The rifle uniforms are made of leather and canvas material which creates the jacket and pants. Each uniform is made specifically for the shooter.  The purpose of the uniform is to keep the competitor steady and stable in each position.

Under the leather and canvas suit, many contestants layer with spandex top and pants and a sweater top. 

“The spandex and sweater is designed to soak up any perspiration that is caused from conditions of the indoor range or heat from weather if shooting at an outside range," Lane said. "They also aid in muffling any heartbeats that happen throughout your body.”

A shooting hat is also an accessory used by shooters. The hats can help prevent reflections from range lighting and can help keep the sweat out of a shooter's eyes.

Lane began competitive shooting at the Minnesota Shooting Sports Education Center in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn. She attended a rifle camp that was put on by Liz Smith, who at the time was a collegiate shooter at West Virginia. 

“Liz told me I did very well throughout the camp and told me I had great potential to be successful in rifle.”

Smith was right. After the camp, Lane participated in a 4-H State Shoot and placed seventh in the state. The seventh-place finish encouraged Lane to continue competing in rifle, which she has taken to the NCAA level at.

Lane was also influenced by another shooter at the Minnesota Shooting Sports Education Center. U.S. Olympian Matt Emmons, who also trains at the facility in Grand Rapids, befriended Lane during their time honing their skills. Lane characterizes Emmons as the "bigger brother she never had," and they continue to share stories about their teams, rifle positions, overcoming adversity, goals and more.

Lane began her post-secondary education at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids. She earned her associate's degree in arts in 2007, and chose to become a Husker because of the strong rifle program and Nebraska's strong program in biochemistry. Lane's career goal is to become a pharmacist.

“I don't like blood but I always wanted to be in the healthcare field," Lane said. "That is why I chose to be a pre-pharmacy major.”

Along with studying and competing in rifle, Lane loves to hunt. As a high school graduation present, her father took her on a hunting trip to Wyoming, where she shot a 4X4 (8) point Mule Deer Buck.

“It was a perfect graduation gift from my dad since we hunted my entire life together," Lane said. "It gave us one more great hunting experience before I left home and spread my wings for the first time." 

Lane also enjoys fishing when she's outdoors, and when she's inside clogs, sews and embroiders. In fact, she designed and made her own dress for her high school winter formal dance, “Snowball.” The theme for this Snowball was “Cabin in the Woods” so she wanted to incorporate camouflage into her dress. She ordered black and camouflage, satin material from New York City, found a pattern she liked and worked with a local seamstress to help her sew the dress. 

Although Lane has been recognized for many athletic and academic accomplishments, one award - the "Live Savings Award" from the Itasca County Sheriff's department - stands above the rest.

On a cold November day in Minnesota in 2005, Lane saw the family dog, Lilly, running outside to the lake in front of her family's home. With her mom at work, and her dad on a hunting trip, Lane asked her younger brother, Tyler, to go bring Lilly inside before the Dalmatian went too far onto the icy lake. Minutes later, Lane looked out an upstairs window to check on her brother.

She saw both Lilly and Tyler in the lake, below the ice, in separate spots. Lane ran downstairs and raced outside to the garage to find a rope, while shouting to her brother, “hold on Tyler I'm coming.” Tyler was in water above his head, and he was bracing himself on the ice trying to stay above the frigid water. Lilly was howling in another spot on the lake, trying to pull herself out.

Instead of a rope, Lane had to settle for a knotted electrical cord to fish her brother out of the lake. “I don't know how I did it, but by the time I got back down to the lake, the cord was untangled," Lane said. "I must have been working on adrenaline.”

Tyler was struggling to hang on while his hands began to feel numb. Lane made a first attempt to throw the electrical cord to Tyler so he could wrap it around himself, and she could pull him out of the lake. The first try failed. On the second attempt, the lasso reached Tyler and he was able to secure himself with it. Lane braced herself and gave a firm tug, pulling on Tyler as he rolled up on the ice and slid right past her. Tyler gathered himself and hurried inside the house to warm up as she shifted her focus to pulling Lilly from the lake.

With Lilly still howling in the frozen water, Lane tried to use a canoe to help retrieve the dog, but the canoe was stuck to the icy ground and she could not get it loose. She rushed to garage again to look for something to help her, but Lilly had found away to help herself. As Lane turned around, there was Lilly, wet and shivering.

Lane scooped Lilly into her arms and ran to the house. She wrapped the Dalmatian in blankets, but Lilly's eyes started closing, a sign of exhaustion and possible hypothermia. Lane continued to rub her for nearly 30 minutes until Lilly licked her face. The dog was going to be OK.

When their parents returned home, Lane and her brother recounted the entire story, and were glad that it was over. They thought it was the end of the story, but the word spread quickly in Lane's hometown.

A few days later, Lane received a call from the Itasca County Sheriff, who wanted to recognize her heroic actions, and the story was retold in the Itasca County newspaper.

Although Lane played a major role in saving a family member's life, she credits her success to her entire family's support.

“I wouldn't be here if it were not for my family and friends' encouragement and support," Lane said. "There have been many rough times, but my family and friends have kept me going. I accept people for who they are and try to learn from them. You never know what each person can bring to your life along with each new experience.”