4th Annual Sporting Clays Challenge
The 4th Annual AIA Richmond Sporting Clays Challenge was held on May 16th at Old Forge Sporting Clays in Providence Forge. While the event had sold out, 53 shooters made it out to shatter some birds and fight through a brief thunderstorm that caught a few teams at the far limits of the OFSC property. The format for the event provided all AIA Members, Allied Members, and industry partners the opportunity for some much-needed networking and fellowship.
This event helps fund AIA Richmond’s K–12 Program the AIA Richmond Scholarship fund. We expect upon final audit to have raised more than $1,750 for those two endeavors.
The shooters teamed up after a safety briefing by Jim Snowa, and proceeded to shoot 100 clays from 16 Sporting Clays stations across the OFSC course. The competitors were shooting for prizes, gift cards and trophies (plus bragging rights). This year the Experts were separated from the Novices into 5 classes in which the winners were as follows:
Expert Class – Ned Bowden (Emerald Construction)
Hunter Class – Charlie Kreye (Draper Aden Associates)
Shooter Class – Nick Garrett (Odell)
Novice Class – Grant Missimer
Top Lady Shooter – Rachel Shelton (Lighting Virginia)
Winners of each class received a $25 Green Top Gift Card, 2 boxes of shells, and a hand-turned walnut “sporting clay bird.”
As an extra incentive, we also featured a prize table. Funded by sponsors, each participant put their score card in a drawing for valuable prizes. Prizes ranged from a half-day hunt at a game preserve, gift cards, top shelf bourbon, wine, free rounds of sporting clays, and gift certificates for personal instruction at Old Forge. Every participant left with a prize from the table.
We would like to thank our SPONSORS. We could not raise these funds without their generous support:
Platinum Sponsors – Clancy & Theys (Annual), Lynch Mykins (Annual), Shade & Wise (Annual), GroundForce IT (Event)
Bronze Sponsor: Lee/Shoemaker PLLC (Annual), Gulf Seaboard (Annual),
Hydration Cart: Dunlap Partners, Poole & Pool Architecture
Traps: Clancy & Theys, Lynch Mykins, GroundForce IT, Lighting Virginia, Pace Collaborative, Seacom
Lunch: Argos
After Party – Poole & Poole Architecture
Special thanks to Robert Vaughan, Hon. AIA Richmond for the Herculean effort that he has put into this event each of the past four years. We could not do this event without his vision and energy. Also, thanks to AIA Board Member Forrest Frazier for helping with mulligans and the 50/50 raffle.
Save the date, May 15, 2023, for the 5th Annual AIA Richmond Sporting Clays Challenge! See you there!
Respectfully submitted by Jeff Nelson, Allied Member Director
