Thomas Luehrmann watched and observed as his older brother David became a top marksman and captain of the pistol team at the U.S. Maritime Academy.
That got Thomas interested in shooting, and now he’s following in David’s footsteps.
Last month, Thomas became the Indiana State Junior Air Pistol champion after scoring 519 out of a possible 600 in Precision Air Pistol at the Indiana State Junior Olympic Selection competition held at the XCount training center in Fort Wayne.
"I wouldn’t say it came as a huge shock because I felt like I was shooting well," Thomas said.
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Thomas, 15, a home-schooled sophomore, earned an invitation to the National Junior Olympic Championships that will be held this spring at the National Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But he thinks he may wait to do that until next year.
"I’m not sure I’m going to shoot there this year because I’m not really good enough to be competitive in it," he said. "So I’m probably going to do it another year when I am better."
Luehrmann has been shooting for three years at the Hoosier Hills Rifle and Pistol Club under the direction of NRA-certified instructor Jerry Thomas. Thomas Luehrmann is the fourth Hoosier Hills youth marksman to earn invitations to the junior Olympics in the past five years, following former state air rifle champion Morgan Greenlee, David Luehrmann and Eli Edwards.
"Those other shooters that have earned invitations, they usually peak pretty much at age 16 or 17, whereas I think Thomas in the last year at 15 has reached a comparable level," Jerry Thomas said. "He’s progressed a little earlier in his age."
Thomas Luehrmann uses a Russian-made air pistol for the 10-meter event.
"It’s actually a club gun, but the grip isn’t original to it," he said. "The past coach for the Purdue pistol team makes 3D-printed grips, and since my hand is slightly smaller, I use a smaller grip."
Over the past year, Thomas Luehrmann has been working on obtaining his Distinguished Expert Award. He earned that at the state competition
Now, he is considering following his brother in competing on a pistol team in college.
"I’m shooting well enough that I think if I put enough time into it, I can improve a lot," he said.
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Name: Thomas Luehrmann
Age: 15
School: Home-schooled
Year: Sophomore
Notable: Luehrmann recently became the Indiana State Junior Air Pistol champion to earn an invitation to the National Junior Olympic Championships.
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