Aeriel Alease Skinner

Aeriel Alease Skinner was born on December 20, 1994, in Lodi, California, and grew up in Jackson, California. Her competitive shooting career commenced in high school as a member of Amador County’s local youth shooting team, the A&A Shooters. Following high school graduation, she pursued higher education at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology while continuing her competitive shooting with the college team. Skinner first joined the USA Shooting World Cup Team in 2017 and has since consistently earned spots on multiple USA Shooting National, World Championship, and World Cup Teams.

Skinner’s career progression includes joining the U.S. Army in January 2025, completing Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then Human Resource Specialist Advanced Individual Training in May 2025. Subsequently, she was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Team as an Olympic Trap shooter. Before her military service, Skinner accumulated a significant record of achievements in competitive shooting. In 2018, she was recognized as the National Trap Champion at the USA Shooting National Championships, became a member of the USA Shooting National Team, and joined the World Championships Team. That year, she secured a Bronze Medal in Women’s Trap Team at the World Championships and a Bronze Medal in Women’s Trap at the World Cup Guadalajara. In 2019, she achieved a Gold Medal in Women’s Trap at the World Cup Final. Her 2022 accomplishments include a Gold Medal in Women’s Trap at the Championships of the Americas in Peru, making the World Championship Team and the USA Shooting National Team. In 2024, she earned a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Bunker Team after placing fifth in the Olympic Trials.

Skinner has also been involved in shooting instruction and operations, joining the staff at Hillsdale College in October 2023 as an instructor and clay target range operator at the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center. Prior to this, she worked as a club assistant at Camanche Hills Hunting Preserve in Ione, CA. Her recent achievements in 2022 also include a team silver in women’s trap at the Nicosia, Cyprus, World Cup, a team gold in women’s trap at the Baku, Azerbaijan, World Cup, a team gold in trap shooting at the Lima, Peru, World Cup, and a team gold in trap shooting at the Rabat, Morocco, World Cup.