Steven Clay Groh
Sporting Clays

In trying times it pays to be philosophical.

When a neighbor loses his house, when a friend is diagnosed with cancer, when a marriage dissolves into bitterness it is difficult to reconcile the promise of life with the reality of living.

And so it is for a young couple whose limitless joy at the birth of a child soon descends into unutterable despair, when they are told that their prized son or daughter is sentenced to an incurable illness and (they imagine) a life of suffering and ridicule.

Such thoughts come to mind from time to time, and so they did on Friday evening at Cerebral Palsy of Colorado's Straight Shot Sporting Clays Championship.

It had been a relaxing and enjoyable summer day beneath the rustling cottonwoods of Boxelder Creek at Colorado Clays, where shooters enjoyed a catered lunch, generous "goodie bags," golf carts, and plenty of cold drinks to while away the afternoon in the ample shade of the sporting layout - all of which were an ideal prelude to the hospitality which was to follow.

After an ego-boosting round, the contestants reveled in the camaraderie of fellow shooters and were treated to a fine array of single-malt scotch whiskies and hand-rolled cigars.

With one such cigar in hand and a dram of Ardbeg in the other I entertained the philosophical musings of Bud Ham, a management consultant, philosopher, fly fisherman, and sometimes shooter. "One of life's great truths," he said, "is that to get what you want in life you must give just such a thing in equal measure."

I nodded thoughtfully, but I suppose vapidly, for he continued, "For instance, if you want money, you give money. If you want respect, you give respect. If you crave love, you give love" – interesting stuff indeed.

Whether or not the shooters that gathered to aid those with Cerebral Palsy, a condition which afflicts over a million men, women, and children, had this in mind, it is hard to say.

But shooters indeed assembled – 240 strong - on August 13-14, 2010 to raise much needed treasure for CP of Colorado, which provides a wide variety of services for those who suffer the congenital disorder which causes a range of problems with learning, seizures, muscle control, balance, and coordination, skills which we shooters take for granted. And once again former 6-time All-Pro Denver Bronco linebacker, Karl Mecklenburg hosted the two-day affair combining hospitality, charity, and competition.

Friday's corporate day treated participants to a relaxed affair, with shooterfriendly targets set to please widely varying abilities. Most top-flight shooters posted scores well into the 90's, and "mulligans" were available for purchase to those interested in padding their scores - for a small donation.

To accommodate 240 shooters in one rotation, legendary Colorado shooting instructor, Warren Watson, a few years ago came up with a unique solution: 20 stations with three shooting stands each, whereby 60 shooters at a time could alternate shooting. Once again, it kept the targets flying and the shooters moving.

At day's end, the safety bracelets came off, and the aforementioned whiskies and cigars were offered up as a prelude to an auction of sporting guns, art, hunting and fishing trips, and other valuable items.

Halliburton had donated its extraordinary rolling catering rig, a fifty foot trailer complete with a commercial kitchen indoors and two massive smokers outdoors, to prepare what was a fine Texas style barbecue to conclude the first day's festivities.

For the championship event on Saturday, shooters were greeted with balmy temperatures, a gentle breeze, and a legitimately challenging course designed by Doug Kraft and operated by the capable crew at Colorado Clays. The targets were a match for Colorado's best shooters. In fact only one shooter broke into the 90's.

In the end, it was 2009 Straight Shot Champion, Chris Higgins, who prevailed with a 93, eclipsing three runners-up tied at 86: Jamie Blei, Frank Embree, and Heath Whitman. There was triumph and heartbreak in the ranks of each class, but the smiles outnumbered the scowls. But – then again – maybe that was whole point of the matter.

The 5th Annual Straight Shot Sporting Clays Championship was a shining example of the best our sport has to offer: raising over $150,000 for the programs of Cerebral Palsy of Colorado, so that thousands of disabled people and their families will have a better opportunity to live productive and rewarding lives.

And, if Bud is right, a lot of shooters walked away richer too.

© Steven Clay Groh 2010