Dania Vizzi, a member of Team Winchester, is a talented skeet shooter and seasoned international competitor who is no stranger to podium finishes. At the 2023 Pan American Games, Vizzi won a gold medal with teammate Vincent Hancock in the mixed skeet team event, along with securing a silver medal at the 2023 ISSF World Championship. Most recently, she landed a women’s skeet silver medal at the ISSF Lonato World Cup in Italy this past June.
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to talk with Vizzi about competing at high levels and the rigors of the international shooting circuit.
SSUSA: When did you start shooting, and when did you decide to shoot competitively?
Vizzi: My journey in shooting started when I was 15. I began to shoot competitively when I was about 16, not long after I started.
SSUSA: As many of our readers already know, you were originally a dancer. What made you switch from dancing to shooting?
Vizzi: I started competing in dance at six years old, competed all the way up till I was 18. What drew me to shooting was I put my whole heart and soul and many years into dance. I was planning on going to Juilliard for college and pursue a career as a professional ballerina. After so many years spent on the dance stage, I was sick of all the political aspects in the sport. I wouldn’t be tall enough for one judge, or they didn’t like my song choice, or they would prefer a blonde over a brunette. Achievement wasn’t always just based on your skill level. When I started shooting, I quickly learned it was all about whether I was hitting or missing the target. It didn’t matter who you were or where you were from. That aspect resonated with me. And in the end, that’s what made me switch from dance to shooting.
SSUSA: Those are pretty good reasons. Let’s switch gears—how do you feel about competing at the highest levels of skeet shooting?
Vizzi: Honestly, I’m still kind of shocked, as if it isn’t reality. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, and I don’t think that it will until I step out on the firing line. But it’s such an amazing feeling. After spending so many hours in training and at competitions, along with traveling all over the world, to finally make it to my end goal is surreal. I’m truly honored and humbled to be able to represent the U.S. at the highest levels.
SSUSA: Let’s talk about Winchester. When did you first hear about Winchester Ammunition?
Vizzi: When I first joined our junior team, Winchester was a sponsor and we were given an allotment of ammo every year. I always loved the performance of Winchester ammunition and the feel of it. The Winchester ammo was always reliable and I never had problems shooting it. So, when I got the opportunity to have Winchester as a personal sponsor, I enthusiastically jumped on board because to me, it is the best ammunition. And the fact that I’m going to be able to shoot it on the international stage against some of the best shooters in the world is such a great feeling, because I know how well it performs and that I won’t have to worry about my ammunition while I’m competing in international competition.
SSUSA: Why do you shoot for Team Winchester?
Vizzi: I have so many amazing things to say about not only about Winchester’s products, but the people as well. Winchester has always been like a family to me. When I’ve traveled to Illinois, the Winchester folks have always welcomed me. To me it’s not just a company-athlete relationship, it really is more like family. And they do try to help me in any way possible. They’re always asking me if I need anything extra. They’re just the best people.
SSUSA: Sounds like Winchester has been a big supporter of you on your competitive shooting journey thus far.
Vizzi: Yes, Winchester is definitely one of my top supporters and all the people that work there are great.
SSUSA: What is your preferred load for international skeet competition?
Vizzi: I shoot Winchester AAs, No. 9 shot for skeet. This 24-gram load always weighs out perfectly and I never have to worry about if my ammo gets tested, it’ll weigh heavy or anything like that. Failing to meet weight requirements never crosses my mind, which is what I love most about Winchester ammo.
SSUSA: Where do you train at?
Vizzi: I train in Dade City, Florida, outside of Tampa. I used to train at a range called Silver Dollar in Odessa, Florida, but they had to close their skeet fields down in 2018, leaving me with nowhere to train in the area. So, I packed my bags and went to Colorado Springs for summer training, living at the Olympic Training Center. Later, my parents found a piece of land about 40 minutes outside of Tampa and bought it mainly to build me a skeet field to shoot on. They ended up falling in love with it, and they just built their dream farmhouse on the property. So, now I train at my parents’ farm on a private range.
SSUSA: That’s fantastic. Have your parents always been big supporters of you and your shooting career?
Vizzi: My entire family supports me immensely. I always tell people that I put in plenty of hard work, but without my entire family, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My parents even built a field for me to train. My mom goes to the range with me every day and pulls targets. My sister travels with me to all my national competitions. It really is a team effort.
SSUSA: How much time do you spend training?
Vizzi: About six days a week, three to four hours a day. The rest of the time, I’m in the gym or at the Pilates studios, things like that. I also do mental training, and if my coach is in town, we train from nine to five, with plenty of ammunition put down range. That’s why I’m so blessed to have Winchester as a sponsor.
SSUSA: If you had to guess, how many how many shot shells are you shooting each year?
Vizzi: I shoot about 10 boxes a day, so 250 shells a day. And if I’m not traveling too much, I’m shooting six days a week. So, a conservative estimate would be 15,000 and 20,000 shells a year.
SSUSA: What kind of shotgun do you use for competition?
Vizzi: Right now, I’m shooting a Perazzi High Tech 2020.
SSUSA: You recently earned a women’s skeet silver medal at the ISSF Lonato World Cup. Do you think that you are adequately prepared for international competitions in the future?
Vizzi: Yes, and that was part of my goal for this last competition. It was in Lonato, Italy, just about every athlete shows up to this ISSF World Cup because it’s such a beautiful range. It’s centrally located and it was the final World Cup prior to the biggest competition around, so pretty much everybody that I’ll be competing against at in the future was at this World Cup. My goal was to make that final and have a good performance in the final, and just kind of see where I’m at. Coming out of the World Cup with the silver medal—just one shot behind the gold—left me happy. That performance gave me good confidence going into upcoming matches. With some minor tweaks, I definitely feel like I can post a winning performance. I have no doubt that I can do that. Also, I’ve gained confidence from that match that I really needed. So, I feel very prepared for the future.
SSUSA: Do you approach different events with a similar mindset?
Vizzi: In the past, I’ve approached them differently. In individual skeet, I’m shooting for myself and if I shoot poorly, then it only hurts me and my score. But in a team event, if you don’t perform, you’re hurting somebody else, too. I’ve always had that thought in my mind when shooting team events. But, I was talking to someone recently who told me, “You need to just shoot it for yourself, because really it is your score that you’re posting. You’re just posting it next to somebody else’s score.” With that in mind, I’m going into future matches with the same mindset for both competitions, rather than feeling more scared because I’m shooting for somebody else, because I’m really not. That advice was correct—I’m shooting for myself, but the other person’s score just adds on to mine. So, I’m not going to change my mindset.
SSUSA: What does it mean to you to represent the United States on the world stage for competitive shooting?
Vizzi: It means everything. I love this country so much, and the fact that I get to represent the U.S. at the highest sporting levels is such an incredible feeling. And while I’m going to compete for myself and for my family, most important to me is representing the U.S. I’m just so blessed and honored.
SSUSA: Do you have any competitive shooting heroes?
Vizzi: I grew up loving Danka Barteková, who is a skeet shooter from Slovakia. I’ve always loved her. She always won with such grace, and she has so much class and style. Growing up, I remember going to my first World Cup. Barteková was there and I met her in the bathroom. I thought meeting her was the coolest thing that had ever happened to me. Now that I have the chance to compete alongside her on the world’s biggest stage will be a really cool experience.
SSUSA: What are your top tips for new skeet shooters?
Vizzi: First, get a gun that fits you. The first time I ever shot, I cried because they gave me a gun that was too big for me with heavy ammunition. Having that bad experience the first time, I never want somebody else to experience something similar, because if I hadn’t never tried it again (which I never wanted to), I wouldn’t be competing at the level I’m at today. So, be sure to try a gun that fits you with the right ammunition and do it with somebody who knows what they’re doing so they can teach about it. You need that good initial experience, so you don't lose interest.
Jake Wallace, marketing brand and content coordinator for Winchester Ammunition, shared the following about Winchester’s sponsorship of Dania Vizzi.
“In everything that we do, Winchester strives to be the best, partnering with the best people and organizations in our industry is a part of our brand’s success. I know Dania is a solid representation of that. Winchester products are American made and for us to have our country represented with our products at the highest levels is something that we take quite seriously. Our employees here at Winchester really follow events like these and work tirelessly to produce the world’s finest ammunition. It’s as much of an honor for us to sponsor Dania as it is for her to shoot AAs.”
Learn more about Winchester Ammunition at winchester.com.
