Every shooting sport has its standouts — the juniors who work hard, perform well, and have the potential to accomplish big things in their sport, especially if they stick with it as they grow older. In action pistol competition, 16-year-old Layla Ziegler of Washington, Illinois is that phenomenon.
Layla never shot BB guns growing up. In fact, she didn’t shoot her first gun, a .22 LR revolver, until she was 12. Her grandfather served in the Marine Corps and “never stopped shooting after he left,” Layla said. It was he who introduced her to shooting.
“It was an exciting and nerve-wracking first experience,” she recalls. Interest piqued, she shot for fun at an outdoor range for a year before deciding she wanted to seriously pursue competitive shooting. She attended a local match at C.I. Shooting Sports where she met the owner, Stephen Stewart, who noticed her innate abilities. Stewart introduced her to action pistol and she immediately fell in love with it. He is now her coach. Action Pistol is a shooting sport based on accuracy and speed with four main events: plates, mover, barricade and practical.
Now, three years later, Layla holds her high master classification after firing a 1903/1920 in the 2024 Louisiana State Championship. “It felt amazing," she said, “because I knew that all of my hard work and practice had paid off. When I was shooting, I was more relaxed and had more confidence in myself than I ever had.”
Layla is sponsored by Zero Bullets and C.I. Shooting Sports, competing with a 9mm 1911 Stewart built for her from primarily Caspian parts. She also carries a range bag from MidwayUSA and uses Walkers’ ear muffs and Oakley shooting glasses, changing the lenses for different light conditions.
Over the last few years Layla has worked on developing a healthy competitive mindset and trying not to be too hard on herself. “Marksmanship has taught me discipline, because I’ve had to practice and work hard to be where I am and continue improving. It has also taught me great people skills because I’ve met so many people from all over the world, and had practice at communicating with many different people.”
The shooting community lies at the heart of Layla’s passion. She recently started shooting trap and USPSA and says she has never met a mean person across any shooting discipline. “The friendly and uplifting atmosphere…pushes you to be your best not out of spite, but out of pure love for the sport and people,” she declared.
Shooting isn’t Layla’s only talent. She plays clarinet in the marching band and concert band as well as piano in the jazz band. She plans to pursue a double major in college, one in music performance, all while continuing to compete in action pistol and trap. Military service is also a route she is considering. She is particularly interested in joining the United Sates Army Reserve Marksmanship Unit during college or the Army Marksmanship Unit after graduation.
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