In just 17 days, the Paris Olympics will begin, and it’s worth noting that three out of the four U.S. Skeet shooting team athletes hail from North Texas. Laura Harris of NBC 5 continues our Hometown Hopefuls series, featuring two of them, Austin Smith and Conner Prince.
It may be hard to believe, but three out of the four athletes representing Team USA’s skeet shooting team are from North Texas. Vincent Hancock, who has won three Olympic gold medals and is headed to his fifth Games and two of his students: Austen Smith and Conner Prince.
“I don’t know how to put it into words and it truly hasn’t set in yet that I am really going to the Olympics,” Prince said.
Prince, who is from Burleson, started his shooting in career at Centennial High School. A decade later, he has found himself in a dream that has become a reality.
This will be Prince’s first Olympics, but his teammate on the women’s side, Smith, has been in this situation before. The Keller resident said that doesn’t change the feeling though.
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“It has been overwhelming. It never gets old, especially the second time around,” Smith said. “Tokyo was a great experience, but just with the way that COVID was and now I finally get to have that experience with my family. I’m very excited for that.”
She said her big plan is to take what she learned from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and hope to earn a spot on the podium this summer.
“One thing I am really working on this time is the mental game. That was one thing I was really struggling with a little bit by last games,” Smith said.
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It’s the mental game that has been a hurdle for Prince too, who just so happens to be a good friend of Smith’s from years ago.
“About a week before trials, I was quite literally in no mental state to go out and make the Olympic team. I was scared nervous, didn’t know how to perform and then we went to Tucson [Arizona] where the trials were and I just kind of locked in and performed my best,” Prince said.
So how do the two feel about being on the same team with their coach, but also competing against him?
“It’s challenging because I want him to win and I also want to win. It’s a good push. It’s the reason we are so good because we have someone so strong to look up to. It has definitely made us who we are,” Smith said.
Prince said he felt the same.
“I shoot with Austen and she is probably one of the best female shooters in the country. So to be able to shoot with both of them, it’s an honor and a blessing. It drives me to do my best,” Prince said.
But he said he is excited for this moment in time to showcase his skill. Even though he is ready, that doesn’t mean he is any less surprised.
“If you would have told me 10 years ago that I was going to the Olympics, I would have laughed in your face,” Prince said.
Shooting sports start on July 27 through August 5 at the Paris Olympics.
Both Prince and Smith will compete in Skeet and Mixed Team Skeet events.
Watch more stories about the North Texas Hometown Hopefuls leading up to the Games with NBC 5.
