She has accolades almost too numerous to list, but we will try. Shooter, Veteran, Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur, and even a Call of Duty character. Michelle Viscusi is no stranger to danger, and certainly fits the bill of an Oakley SI Ambassador.

Believe it or not, Shooting wasn’t Michelle’s first love but rather gymnastics. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was 10 when she moved to the warmer climates of Arizona and began competing in gymnastics. “I always found myself being drawn to the sport of gymnastics,” Michelle says. “And I competed from an early age.” Despite some young exposure to firearms, Michelle wasn’t immediately drawn to firearms and instead was focused on bars, beams, and tumbling.

“Patience and experience will take you farther than a sub-second draw.” – M. Viscusi

Several years later in 2010, Michelle decided to join the Army National Guard at the age of 20. With an eye towards a career in law enforcement, Michelle began handling firearms on a daily basis. “I wanted to join the National Guard to see if the military lifestyle was for me, and I wanted to better myself and to be a cop,” Michelle says. Michelle was assigned to the 856 MP Company, Detachment 1 in Prescott, Arizona, on a three-year enlistment. Serving on the Arizona-Mexico border alongside Border Patrol, Michelle began to get plenty of trigger time, quickly realizing it was something that came naturally.

Big Breaks

Big breaks can happen at any moment, and a couple years after joining the National Guard Michelle got one. Michelle was recruited to the TV show Top Shot, a celebrated and infamous show where top shooters from across the country compete in various shooting challenges. 16 contestants, split into two teams of eight, compete in various types of shooting disciplines and events. One by one, the contestants are eliminated until only one remains. That contestant receives a $100,000 grand prize and the title of “Top Shot.”

The experience was life-changing and allowed Michelle to envision a future as a professional competition shooter. “When I got back home, I started training more for competition because I met a lot of competitive shooters at the TV show and thought I could do it too,” says Michelle. “As I really got heavily involved with shooting competitions at the range, I met more well-known competition shooters, and they helped me get to where I wanted to go.” In November 2012, Michelle signed on with Glock, the start of a 10-year relationship that accelerated her career and solidified her as a legit pro.

In the last decade, Michelle has been very busy. Michelle and her husband Mike are parents to three girls, all while being a Nationally competitive shooter with many endorsements. Family comes first, but she has been able to stay very competitive across the country. Michelle captured the 2019 International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Limited Ladies National Championship. She repeated the feat in 2022, making her a two-time national champ. Additionally, she has a number of professional partnerships with companies like Galco, Leupold, Winchester, Mantis, Axil, Prairie Fire, and gun brand Staccato.

Of note, in 2020, Michelle was introduced to the multiplayer military video game franchise Call of Duty. “Call of Duty is always looking for new characters, and I happened to know one of the past characters who introduced me to a company called TacGas,” says Michelle. “The owner of TacGas reached out and asked if I would be interested in shooting for Call of Duty.” Long story short, Michelle became the character ‘Wraith,’ a Norwegian woman with blonde hair and a mohawk. With the magic of makeup and a four- to six-hour transformation process, Michelle became Wraith for the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season Three.

We were able to sit down with Michelle and ask her a few more poignant questions about her career, tools for success, and her favorite eyewear (of course).

How have you been so successful in Shooting Sports, and what advice do you have for a rising star?

There are so many incredible shooters in this sport, I feel humble shooting next to the “Greats.” If I had to say what has led me to success in shooting sports, I’d have to say I truly love what I do. I have made so many lifelong friends in this sport who have all contributed to my success. I am constantly reaching out to shoot with athletes better than me. I love challenging myself at the range with new shooters to see how they train and getting new perspectives of stage break downs and strategies.

My advice I would give the next generation coming up would be patience. I know that may sound a little cornball but, patience and experience will take you farther than a sub second draw. The experience that comes with time is priceless. I have choked at nationals, and I have won at nationals. Both were valuable learning tools for me, and I became a better competitor from both. Having patience and showing up to matches, gaining experience, and having a good attitude will make all the difference!

What is the secret to balancing everything in your life?

We absolutely have a consistent schedule. When I have a match coming up I am at the range 4 days a weeks. I have my speed and accuracy drills I stick to, along with transition drills. Gym time is always around 4-5 days a week as well. I am able to balance it all with an amazing husband who has always supported me. We are busy with kids gymnastics, preschool, tutoring, and getting lunches made for school but, we love it and wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

How have the advancements in product impacted your sport?

Every year for Christmas I would get a new pair of Oakley’s. Mike (my husband) would go out and buy me a new pair for my shooting season. It quickly became tradition, and I would always anticipate a new pair in my stocking. Eye protection, with polarized lenses, on the range keeps my field of view brighter or darker, depending on the stage. It has absolutely been a difference maker.

Showing up to matches when I first started off with a plastic pair of makeshift wood shop eye pro from high school, I quickly learned not all gear is created equally. I remember shooting a match early one morning when the sun was just rising enough over the back of the berm flooding the bay with early morning light. The bay was set facing East, and there was some morning dew making the smoke from the muzzle blast linger what seemed like forever. This combination made it impossible to see targets behind cover needing to be engaged. I quickly swapped out my clear half jackets to my polarized lenes that cut through the smoke and made the sunlight manageable to clear the stage.

What’s your favorite pair of Oakley’s?

My Go-To Lifestyle sunglasses are the Manorburn. I really like the way they frame my face and I just think they are super cute! For shooting I have two favorites, the EVZero™ Blades and the Sutro S. I was very happy to find great quality in eye protection to fit my smaller face. Go to color is Prizm Shooting lenses!

What are you excited about for the future?

I have been doing very well in my shooting matches and want to bring home some national titles to my family and sponsors who make this all possible. This sport is filled with amazing people, and it is such a fun community. Looking forward to this year’s season!

You can FOLLOW Michelle and all her exploits on her Instagram and SUBSCRIBE on her YouTube Channel.