Fast draw champ Blinn goes out with a bang
By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
Though she captured her sport’s top two titles this year, fast draw fans won’t get to see Bearspaw’s Alanna Blinn compete again for at least a couple of years.
Blinn, 20, who won the Canadian World Championships in Cochrane Sept. 3-5, and the National World Fast Draw Championships in Cripple Creek, Colorado Oct. 1-2, said she’s decided to take a break to concentrate on her studies.
“I’m taking two years off because I’m in the cinema, stage, radio and television program at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology),” she said. “We’ll see where life heads, but I couldn’t be focussed enough if I was trying to do it all.”
Blinn beat out 90 top shooters at the National Worlds to win the title she’s held at least three other times before.
“I’ve won it before but it’s really hard to keep it because it’s the main one that everyone wants so there’s a lot trying to take it away from me,” she said.
Blinn’s fast draw abilities have led to appearances on a number of television shows, and it was during the taping of a local news presentation that she learned of the SAIT program.
“I was talking to a camera guy and he told me about the SAIT program,” she said adding though she’s also done some acting, she’s more interested in the directing and producing aspects of television work.
“There’s so much more you can do with it,” she said.
But Blinn admits she’s going to miss the crack and smoke of the fast draw circuit.
“I do love it, but I’ve got to get my head on straight.”