ant say enough about him.Boyette Jr., a senior, said it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth to think another head coach could co

Anyone who has met or spoken with Ginny Thrasher usually ends up with the same description of her personality: bubbly.Not the stereotypical, air-heady kind. More engaging, friendly, opinionated. Vivacious.When Thrasher raises her rifle toward the 10-ring target 50 meters downrange, the other side of her personality takes over. Determined, focused, confident.Thats the part that pushed the 19-year-old to become the first freshman rifle shooter to win both individual NCAA titles and earn a spot at the Rio Olympics in less than a month.When it comes to anything thats a challenge -- a test, a competition, training -- its very easy for her to dial in that concentration, said Jon Hammond, Thrashers rifle coach at West Virginia University. Shes still a very friendly person when shes shooting, but becomes a very focused individual.Thrasher, even from a young age, gravitated toward challenges. The harder it was, the more she seemed to like it.Shooting a rifle on the elite level is a large-caliber challenge centered upon the process: setup, path of the gun to the target, reaching a state of mental and physical calm to squeeze the trigger at the precise moment.Thrasher loved trying to piece together the puzzle of process, searching not for a single answer, but the one that worked for her.Whats most attractive of rifle is the mental side of the sport, she said. Anyone can go and hit a 10, its not that hard. To go and shoot 10 after 10 after 10 in a big event is very hard. You have to have a mastery of the mental side, controlling your emotions, following your process and not thinking about the outcome.Mastering the mental is something that usually comes with experience; young shooters often dont grasp the nuances older shooters have honed through years of competition.Thrasher condensed the learning curve, becoming a world-class shooter in five short years.She wanted to be an Olympic figure skater when she was younger, but became enthralled with shooting after joining her grandfather, father and two older brothers on a hunting trip.On the second day of the trip, the group stopped to eat lunch when Thrashers father, Roger, told her there was a deer right behind her. Thrasher grabbed her gun, leaned against a tree and, to the surprise of her family, not only pulled the trigger, but took down the deer.The adrenaline rush was incredible, Thrasher said.Not long after that, Thrasher began shooting with the air rifle team at West Springfield (Va.) High School and went on to win the 2015 air rifle state championship. She also won five medals at the 2015 USA Shooting national championships to earn a spot on the U.S. National Team.Recruited by numerous colleges out of high school, Thrasher decided to attend national shooting powerhouse West Virginia. Though Hammond wasnt sure if she would be among the top five for the 18-time champion Mountaineers, Thrasher established herself as one of the nations best shooters by the end of the year.What makes the situation more unique is the improvement she made over the course of the year, said Hammond, a two-time Olympic shooter for Great Britain. The improvement she made from the start of the year to the end was dramatic.Even so, it was hard to predict what she would do during a four-week period this spring.Thrasher entered the NCAA championships confident, yet was more focused on helping the four seniors with her to win a national championship in Akron, Ohio. The Mountaineers did just that and Thrasher had two added bonuses: Individual national championships in small-bore and air rifle with many of her family and friends watching.Thrasher had another week of school after that, spent spring break in Costa Rica with her family, then headed to Fort Benning, Georgia, for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Again focused on shooting her best, not possible outcomes, she pulled off another surprise by building a massive lead after two days of the three-position event to earn a spot in Rio.That was a pretty crazy month for me, Thrasher said.It didnt stop there.A week after the trials, Thrasher went to Rio for an Olympic test event and came back for the final week of school. From there, she headed to Colorado, Munich, the Czech Republic, home to northern Virginia, France, Georgia, Germany and back home again.Chaotic, yes, but its all part of the process, one that has led her to Rio next month. Cheap Air Max Shoes Online . 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A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Charlie Strong says he has not been told he has lost his job at Texas, despite reports that a decision to let him go has been made.Ive been told well be evaluated at the end of the season, he said at a Monday news conference.Texas athletic director Mike Perrin said the same thing in a statement Sunday night.Strong said that he met with his team after ESPN, among other outlets, reported that he will be fired.Theres a lot of reports out there, Strong said he told the team. Theres no reason for you to worry about me.Amid the turmoil, some Texas players have reportedly discussed boycotting the last game against TCU.The Austin American-Statesman reported that upperclassmen are trying to intervene to calm the situation.Strong said that his team will show up for TCU.They will not boycott this game, he said. They know this game is about the seniors. Thats not going to happen.Strong added: I told them not to quit on me and I wouldnt quit on them.Texas wide receiver Jacorey Warrick was that adamant players will not boycott the game and said he hopes the dozens of Longhorn players who came to Strongs news conference to show their support sent a message.He doesnt have the support, I guess, of some of the people who are trying to get him out, Warrick said. But the people who really matter, the players, you can see where our support lies.Strong did say that the rumors and reports have put pressure on the 5-6 Longhorns and that Texas was playing not to lose recently.?When theyre playing the way theyre playing, theyre playing for this coaaching staff, I can see the frustration, he said.ddddddddddddith tears streaming down his face, defensive tackle Paul Boyette Jr. offered a passionate defense of Strongs tenure at Texas, arguing his coaches deserve more than 36 months to turn the program around.In my heart and my spirit, I want him to be here, Boyette Jr. said. I dont make the decisions. Im not the head man in charge. All I can do is pray and hope for the best. I cant say enough about him.Boyette Jr., a senior, said it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth to think another head coach could come to Texas next season and reap the benefits of Strongs three years of building.If they hit the jackpot, they go a national championship, win the Big 12, theyll know who got em there, Boyette Jr. said.Strong is 16-20 overall and 12-14 in Big 12 play in three seasons with the Longhorns. If he coaches Friday against TCU, Strong will clinch either a bowl bid or his third seven-loss season.Strong said Monday that he wants to return next season and feels that a young Texas team has a lot of upside.If he is fired, however, Strong will be owed a $10.7 million buyout for the remaining two years on his contract, a fee that would be reduced if he takes another job.Strongs situation came to a head after Texas lost 24-21 in overtime to a Kansas team that was 1-9 and had lost its past 19 Big 12 games.ESPN staff writer Max Olson contributed to this report. ' ' '