She Has What It Takes: Sophia Bultema Shoots for the Paralympics

Written by Stephanie Gordon

She doesn’t have a left forearm, but she has what it takes to shoot clay targets with a shotgun. Sophia Bultema, ’26, has been shooting guns since the age of 10, and fondly remembers her first gun, a purple .22 rifle. From the purple rifle to being sponsored by Krieghoff and Winchester Ammunition, Sophia has put her name out there in the shooting sports world, and missing a forearm hasn’t held her back.

Sophia was born in China during the one-child policy, and because she is female and was born without a forearm, she was placed in an orphanage. At age five, Sophia was adopted by her family and grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Since a young age, Sophia has been surrounded by firearms.

“We live near the mountains, so hunting is a big activity for our family,” Sophia said. “Shooting has always been important, and it’s something we respect and enjoy doing.”

After learning to shoot baby rifles, Sophia’s love of shooting grew, and she eventually started shooting competitively at St. Mary’s High School in Colorado Springs.

“St. Mary’s had the first high school shooting team in Colorado, so we competed against other organizations,” she said. “I am innately competitive, so once I became better at shooting, the more I loved it and wanted to improve. It’s a very rewarding sport, if you do it well.”

Initially, Sophia only shot American Trap. However, it became monotonous after a while, so she took on bunker shooting, better known as International Trap. “International Trap is my specialty,” she said. “I learned International Trap from Dale Royer and Caitlin Connor Royer, who are now my assistant coaches at Hillsdale College.”

Dale, an International Trap shooter, and Caitlin, an International Skeet shooter, met Sophia in 2018 when they were living and working at the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. “Sophia wasn’t afraid to try International, so that was exciting,” Caitlin said. “She tried Skeet first, but with her forearm missing, it was harder for her to move the gun across the field.”

That’s when Dale and Caitlin decided Sophia should focus on Trap because there’s less gun movement involved. The two worked with her regularly, and set her up with a gun that was easier for her to manage.

Sophia said she fell in love with the gun that actually fit her. “Guns didn’t really fit me, and they hurt,” she said. “I started shooting better with that gun, and they [Caitlin and Dale] gave me specific coaching. They took me to the next level—focusing on the Paralympics.”

Sophia currently competes for the Charger shotgun team and the USA Shooting Paralympic team. She became a world record holder in 2022 after competing in France at the Chateauroux Para Sport World Cup, hitting 100/125 clay targets. She’s keeping her eyes set on the Paralympics, though.

Para Trap (shotgun), will be an official Paralympic event in 2028, with a possible trial event at the 2024 Paralympics. “In 2028, it will for sure be a Paralympic event. That’s what Sophia is shooting for, and she has what it takes,” Caitlin said.

There are big things coming up for Sophia. There’s a possibility to travel to a World Cup competition in India at the beginning of the year, and the John Anthony Halter Shooting Center will host a Para Trap World Cup competition in Hillsdale this summer. “It’s not just a big deal for Hillsdale College, but it’s a very big deal for the United States,” Dale said. “It’s difficult to get a World Cup, and we’ve been able to secure that through 2028. I kind of do this with Sophia in mind, but it’s an overall promotion of the sport.”

Sophia says her success is based on focus and keeping her head in the game. “People think this is a fast sport, but you have to be slow and methodical with your gun, and everything you do has a rhythm,” she said. “Sure, I have to go to the gym and strengthen my body, but it’s really a mental sport.”

“I have no doubt that Sophia will make the Paralympic team,” Caitlin said. “But, it’s also important to keep in mind that Sophia is very competitive on the able-bodied side of things. Personally, I don’t put it out of her reach for making a Junior World Championship for able-bodied shooters. She has a lot of potential moving forward.”

The psychology major plans to attend law school after graduating from Hillsdale. She also hopes to attend as many Paralympics, World Cups, and World Championships as funding allows her. “Shooting has opened so many doors for me,” Sophia concluded. “It’s given me the opportunity to make something of myself.”

Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys paleo baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, and breaking a sweat at the gym.

Reposted from the spring 2024 issue of Arete.