Women constitute nearly 50% of new gun buyers in the United States, according to a 2021 National Firearms Survey obtained by the Wall Street Journal — an increase from 10–20%. Despite this growing trend, “there’s not a lot of coaching or mentoring for women,” says Pia Henzi ’89. “That’s a big empty spot.”
Henzi — who is a competitive shooter in her free time and was recently NRA certified as a pistol instructor — is filling that need at her local sports club in Walden, N.Y.
Four years ago, Henzi picked up a rifle for the first time and then moved into the pistol division of competition with the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) and the International Defensive Pistol Association. “For me, it was brand new at the ripe old age of 52,” she says, explaining that she and her partner, Mike, became interested in the sport through friends. “The more time I spent behind the pistol practicing, the more interested I became, and I realized that I could be a halfway decent shooter.”
She spends her weekends traveling to matches and enjoys the sport because it keeps her sharp physically and mentally. Courses are always different, and targets are arranged in such a way that the competitor can only engage with them from a certain position. “You have to be highly efficient in figuring out your plan based on your skill set,” explains Henzi, who is ranked as a B Class shooter. “For lack of a better term, it’s running and gunning. You are committed to figuring out how to shoot a course in the shortest amount of time with the most points accumulated as possible.”
On the competition field, Henzi is in the minority; she estimates that women make up approximately 5%. “But we compete on the same plane completely.”’
In addition to competing, Henzi is a USPSA certified chief range officer trained to ensure range safety and competitive equity.
Coaching and mentoring is a small part of her involvement in the sport, but it’s an important one, she says. “Some women really don’t respond to men teaching them, and some men don’t know how to teach women,” Henzi adds.
“There’s quite a bit to know,” she says, from etiquette at the range, to cleaning and storing, to safety measures. “I look at each student, depending on where they are in their skill set, and either try to undo some of the bad habits they’ve formed or take them from zero with a brand-new firearm and teach them how to safely operate that firearm.”
Henzi does not consider herself an adrenaline junkie — although her previous hobby was skydiving. She says she likes to learn new skills as well as the social aspect of these sports. In both, she says, “people come from all walks of life. They do not discriminate on any level. A 22-year-old plumber can compete against a 55-year-old, white-collar professional — everyone’s trying to do the same thing, which is kind of cool.”
By day, Henzi is managing director at MCI Miritz Citrus Intercontinental LLC, a company based in Germany. She opened its U.S. sales office in 2000, importing, marketing, and selling its citrus-derived products that are used in fragrances, aromatherapy, food, and the CBD sector. Her Colgate minor in German (political science major), as well as an alumnus connection through Career Services, helped Henzi land her first job in the industry.