"little shotty"? A 12 gauge shotgun is not small. Also, in case you've missed it, a 20 gauge shotgun -- which uses smaller shells and thus is usually smaller -- is much more commonly used by beginners and is even effective when hunting certain game. It's almost a certainty that a champion 11 year old girl would practice almost exclusively if not always with a 20 gauge since using a 12 or 10 gauge in competition would be a disadvantage because of the recoil.