Alyssa Okimoto treks through life’s oscillations with relative ease. That’s no simple trick for anyone, especially a self-professed perfectionist.

Somehow, the overpowering will to succeed in everything she does and the extreme effort it takes is outwardly eclipsed by her innate breeziness.

Those characteristics were present in Okimoto’s nearly whispered response when the standout air riflery competitor at Island Pacific Academy was asked at practice last week to define her life goals.

“To do well,” she said, smiling and positive and purposefully leaving her future canvas unmarked and waiting for the proper brush strokes.

It was a serious response and she answered the question the best way she knows how. The 17-year-old senior has way too many things ahead of her to set detailed plans.

The response didn’t change much when Okimoto was asked about her approach to today’s air riflery state championship meet: “If I win, that’s cool. If I don’t, oh well. Shooting is still fun. I don’t need to win, but it’s definitely a nice feeling.”

Okimoto placed fifth at states a year ago and finished the Interscholastic League of Honolulu “sporter” regular season with the highest scoring average (268.4) this fall. The ILH also has a “precision” season in the spring in which more fine-tuned and expensive equipment is used.

As a sophomore, Okimoto had what Navigators coach Mike Axelrod called her “moment of Zen” by winning the ILH precision individual championship. Okimoto snuck into the 20-person competition as the second alternate when two of the qualifiers dropped out.

“It just clicked,” Axelrod said. “She put everything together. Then, coming into sporter season (as a junior and senior), she just rocked.”

None of the league coaches or competitors, and especially not Okimoto, expected that ILH victory.

“When I found out I was tied for second after the first (portion), I was thinking it didn’t matter because I was going to tank the final,” Okimoto said. “I called my mom and she wanted to come and watch, but I told her that I wasn’t going to do well so don’t bother. I ended up beating the girl I was tied for second with by .1 (477.0 to 476.9). I was told she was really mad, but I don’t know because I haven’t seen her since. And the guy who was in first place (boys and girls compete against each other in precision season) tanked the final, I guess.”

But how can Okimoto be a perfectionist and not get ultra mad when things don’t go her way?

“I (spend most of my time) doing schoolwork,” she said. “It’s hard for me to like other sports (she tried soccer, flag football and volleyball) because I wanted to be good at it, but I wasn’t, so it frustrated me that I couldn’t. I’m getting better (at dealing with it), though. Since high school started and I got involved in more things, it got harder to organize my time and make everything perfect. I learned to calm down and give in a little. Eventually, there’s a point where you just gotta let it go.”

In order to make things work a bit easier in her junior year, Okimoto gave up bowling after knocking down pins for IPA her first two years with the Navigators. She remains involved in numerous extracurricular activities, including the National Honor Society and the Science Olympiad, as well as an upcoming school play. Not surprisingly, after saying yes when asked if her grade-point average is 4.0, she later — when pressed — admitted to a 4.17 cumulative average.

“She’s über-focused,” Axelrod said. “When she’s shooting, nothing disturbs her. She has developed exponentially from year to year. She’s very quiet, very studious, the captain of the team and helps other shooters. She’s here to set up, she’s here late, very dedicated. It’s unusual to be able to develop that level of focus. She’s perfected and fine-tuned it herself.”

Okimoto is appreciative of siblings Nathan, 13, and Danielle, 9, for providing rambunctiousness that has led to her skillfulness at blocking out extra noise.

“My mom says they took all of the energy that I should have gotten,” she said. “I just sit around and do nothing and they bounce off the walls.”

As a matter of fact, Okimoto picked air riflery and bowling because of the relative lack of movement.

“No sweating,” she added.

Okimoto, who will know her state tournament fate this afternoon, has another kind of shooting competition in mind.

“My grandfather took us duck hunting, and my cousin, Mady George, and I shot the same bird and killed it. But who did it? Now I have to get another one so I can beat her.”

As usual, no pressure for Okimoto. Or is there?