The 18-year-old sharpshooter, first started shooting arrows as a youngster and now his bow and arrow skills have earned acclaim as well as college scholarship offers.
It may partially be genetics given the Garrity’s family history.
“I’ve been shooting about half my life and competitively for about five years. My grandfather of my mother’s side was an archer and my mother as well, so it was only natural for me to fall into it,” he said during a recent practice break at an archery range in Fairfield.
The high-level skill set required to consistently fire off arrows to hit bullseye or near bullseye targets — a few inches in diameter — from 20 yards or more was a challenge Garrity found irresistible.
“It’s really fun to shoot well. It feels great because it really requires a lot of persistence and effort and I’m always happy to shoot really well. And the teammates are really cool too and fun to be around and it’s nice to receive encouragement and encourage them too,” he said referencing his local archery club.
More evidence of inherited bow skills can be found in Garrity’s twin brother, Ryan, who finished fourth at the same archery championship as both teens have won numerous archery honors over the years.
The boys are also winners away from the range, said Garrity’s mother Gina.
“Both boys belong to the National Honor Society at Fairfield High School and both have been accepted at Purdue University in the honors college. And both have hundreds of hours of volunteer service and have been on several mission trips to Mexico working with an orphanage,” she said, adding the two are also captains of the archery team for Cincinnati Junior Olympians & Archery World USA.
Garrity’s coach Jim Coombe, who is also head coach of the Cincinnati Junior Olympians team, said the teen’s reasons for success are easy to see.
“He is very determined. And a very good pressure shooter and the higher the pressure the better he tends to shoot,” said Coombe.
“He did that at the recent nationals, where he was the two-time defending champion. He was down a point or two after the first day and he came back to put a substantial lead over everybody else to win his third title,” he said.
Garrity said he is still considering whether to pursue a spot in the next Olympics but he revels in the joy his sport now gives him.
“It’s a fun and competitive sport and I really love it.”
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