ROBSTOWN, Texas — Do you remember what you were doing when you were 14-years-old?
Well for local teenager Luke Priestly, he's in his backyard practicing the sport he loves: shooting skeet.
"I tried different sports and they didn't work out," said Luke. "I joined a local club and started getting good, this is what I love."
His father says they really tried it on a whim.
"Hunting was his passion," said Walter Priestly. "I asked him if he would be interested and he said he would give it a try."
It was the right choice. Medals and trophies line the walls of the Priestly household in the Robstown area.
The practice and hard work has been paying off. Just recently, Luke received a phone call. It was a call that anyone in the sport had been dreaming of receiving. Luke had been invited to join the United State junior national shooting team.
"I was so happy," said Luke. "I was a little bit shocked but it was like 'wow I made it'."
Walter, was overcome with emotion.
"We started jumping up and down," he said as he holds back tears.
Priestly is just one of four people on the roster, and in August the team will be packing their bags and heading halfway around the globe to compete in the international tournament in Kazakhstan.
"It's really cool," said Luke. "I'm a little nervous but I am very excited to go and compete."
Luke hopes this is the first of many international tournaments he finds himself competing in. He tells me, he wants to shoot in the Olympics someday.
This is certainly the right step for Luke. Soon now, he will get a new shooting vest. One that will have his name and the American flag.
Luke will soon not just represent the Coastal Bend, but the entire nation.
