Left to right: Jim Belina, Vicki Ray, and Greg Ray from the PebbleCreek Gun Club competed in the 10th annual breast cancer awareness fundraising trap shoot at Casa Grande Trap & Skeet on March 4.
Vicki Ray
When Tiger Volz realized $270 was added to the water carboy used to collect cash donations during her week-long, drop-in Breast Cancer Awareness trap shoot, there were tears in her eyes and a grateful hug. “Please thank your members,” she said to the three PebbleCreek Gun Club members who brought the donation. Tiger, and her sidekick, Rosie, run Casa Grande Trap & Skeet and conduct the fundraiser that’s now in its 10th year.
“We usually collect enough money to help three underinsured local women with their breast cancer treatments,” Tiger explained. Talented quilters and crafters add to the fundraising effort with a raffle and a bazaar featuring handmade quilted pieces and soaps, among other delights. Shooters purchase commemorative hats and T-shirts in addition to 5% of their shooting fees going to the local breast cancer center. The total for this year’s effort was $4,200. That’s a lot of broken clay targets.
Donating the money, collected from members of the PebbleCreek fiber arts rug hooking club and the gun club, was the highlight of the day. Shooting in 20-plus mile-per-hour wind was not. The clay targets stayed low in the air and dropped suddenly to the ground rather than taking the expected path upward.
Jim Belina seemed less bothered by the wind, shooting the highest singles score of the day in the senior veteran category. Novice shooter Vicki Ray outshot her expert-shooter husband Greg Ray in the final two singles rounds. “The more I shoot in adverse conditions, the more I realize all I can control is my process and my focus,” Vicki said. “I was looking forward to lunch at the food truck,” Greg admitted.