Boy Scout Fundraiser

VCDSA Trap Team Places 1st at

VCDSA Trap Team receives first place award from the Boy Scouts. Pictured from left to right: Sgt. Todd Werre, Deputy Victor Medina, Senior Deputy Steve Mayorga, Sgt. Bret Uhlich, and Senior Deputy Mike Beckett.

By Sgt. Bret Uhlich

For the second time in four years, the VCDSA Trap team won the annual Boy Scouts “Shootout for Scouting” held on October 2 at the Oak Tree Gun Club located in Newhall, California. This annual fundraising event was hosted by the Boy Scouts of America and Ventura County Council; our association assisted with sponsoring our five-member Trap team. For those of you who are not familiar with the game of Trap, it is a shooting sport involving the use of a shotgun and a squad of five persons where a clay target (or ‘bird’) is released from a “house” located 16-yards in front of the shooters. The trap machine located in the house oscillates as the bird is released to vary the angle of the target. Each person shoots and then rotates through the five positions located on the trap field. A total of 25 targets are released per rotation.

I was the squad leader and other team members were: Sgt. Todd Werre, Senior Deputy Steve Mayorga, Senior Deputy Mike Beckett and Deputy Victor Medina. The participation was bigger than the previous year making the competition even tougher. The event is becoming larger every year and other law enforcement teams from our department, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and Ventura Police Department also attended the shoot. DA Greg Totten sponsored one team comprised of several female Assistant DA’s and they all shot exceptionally well. Trap and Skeet shooting is becoming very popular lately with women and some of them are better shots than the guys in my experience.

There were approximately 40 squads and some of Ventura County’s sharpest Trap shooters were present. It is rumored that several of the competing teams sponsored by various county businesses brought in “ringers” in an attempt to take the coveted 1st place trophy. Retired District Attorney Mike Bradbury’s “Hang’em High Boys” won last year and he again brought out his squad of skilled marksmen to defend their title. Our team shot exceptionally well and our high combined score allowed us to take the win from Mike’s team. I’m sure next year he will really be “gunning” for us now!

All of us had a great time and the camaraderie of shooting side-by side with our fellow law enforcement brethren made it especially fun this year. Our thanks again go out to the VCDSA Board and also to Joe Mulrooney for getting us our team t-shirts.