Sharpshooter ‘aiming’ for the top: GHS senior Caroline Martin competing for cover of fitness magazine

Granbury High School senior Caroline Martin is a national champion in sharpshooting and will be graduating in a few short weeks.

However, there is still time for the 18-year-old to achieve one final victory as a Granbury Pirate — but first, she needs the community’s support.

Martin is currently competing to earn the title of Ms. Health & Fitness, take home $20,000 in cash, and be on the cover of “Muscle and Fitness HERS” magazine — a magazine that is read by more than 500,000 fitness enthusiasts and professional athletes each issue.

And it’s all because of an Instagram ad.

“I was scrolling through Instagram,” she said. “And I saw this ad and it was like, ‘Be on the cover, and you'll win $20,000,’ and I was like, ‘That looks like a scholarship to me, and I need money for college,’ so I clicked on it, and I was like, ‘Well, what's the worst that could happen? I don't get $20,000 and I don't get on the cover of a magazine? That's OK.’"

Martin submitted her name, photo, and information to the website and completely forgot about the competition — until she was on her way to the Junior Olympics last month.

"I got an email, and it was like ‘You were chosen for the second round,’’” she said. “I was like ‘What? What is this again?’ So, I answered some questions, and then I didn't realize it was like, a voting thing. I thought they'd just pick someone, so yeah, here we are.”

Voting for the top 20 in the competition is now taking place online and will continue through Thursday, May 11, at 9 p.m.

Individuals can vote for free every 24 hours or donate to the Wounded Warriors Project for additional votes.

According to the Ms. Health & Fitness website, over the last six years, the magazine has donated an incredible amount to Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors — an organization founded by former Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen. The mission of Homes for Wounded Warriors is to provide financial assistance and support to injured United States military veterans by building and remodeling handicap-accessible homes to suit their individual needs, one wounded warrior at a time.

The Ms. Health & Fitness website notes that Martin is both a national and international champion, a national record holder, and a fierce competitor.

“She is a hard-working kid,” Caroline’s mother, Karen Phelps Martin, stated via Facebook Messenger. “She practices all the time: before and after school, all summer long. In the last 2 years, she set 3 national records, and one of them, she broke her own national record. We are super proud of her!”

Caroline has been a part of GISD’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program since she was a freshman, but it wasn’t until her junior year that her talent really started to shine through.

She set her first national record in October 2022 and has since set two more. However, she has also experienced a few slumps as well, just like many athletes.

“Once you (shoot a national record), you're like, ‘I have to shoot a national record every day,’” Caroline explained. “It's like, ‘Why am I not shooting good? As good as I was?’ and that kind of got to me a little bit. But then, I kind of thought to myself like ‘You are who you are. You shouldn't ever give up because I can do amazing things and I know I can do amazing things, so why am I settling for last place?’”

As soon as she won first place during the Junior Olympics at Colorado Springs — the “biggest match of junior shooter history” — she gained her mojo back.

"My confidence is coming back, when I really thought that it was all over for me,” Caroline said. “It's been a wild year and it's definitely not done. We have a few matches this summer, and after that, I get to go shoot for my state and do some college things, so that'll be interesting.”

Caroline will be attending Murray State University in Kentucky this fall, where she will be majoring in public relations and minoring in advertising.

If she becomes Ms. Health & Fitness, she plans to use the money to help pay for her college tuition so she can compete on the NCAA Murray State University Rifle Team.

“I'm pretty excited,” she added. “I feel like I can win, and of course, the $20,000 means that I can pay for my first year of tuition. It's for a good cause, and it's going to help me continue on my athletic career at Murray State University.”

As of May 3, Caroline is currently in third place in the voting.

To vote for her, visit this online link: mshealthandfitness.com/2023/caroline-m-2.