Shooting Clays, Helping Kids

The winning team, from Operating Engineers Local 3.

Second Annual IBEW Nor-Cal Clay Shoot

Union sportsmen and women shot down a lot of clays and lifted up a lot of kids at the Second Annual IBEW Nor-Cal Sporting Clays Shoot.

The event, held May 4 under a blue and sunny sky, was co-sponsored by IBEW Local 1245 and hosted this year by IBEW Local 180. Last year’s Clay Shoot raised over $8,000 for Boys and Girls Clubs in California, and this year’s event is expected to produce similar results when the proceeds are tallied. The best part: people had fun doing it.

“It’s a good way to get everybody together,” said Gerry Stinson, a PG&E Electric Crew Foreman in Vacaville and 15-year IBEW member. “You get a bunch of people together, you shoot, you have food, you have beer—you can’t beat that.”

The Clays Shoot gave Brandon Gross, a Service Rep at PG&E, an opportunity to meet IBEW members from other employers. “It’s a great way to meet new people and maybe new hunting buddies,” Gross said.

Eric Wright, a PG&E Electric Crew Foreman in Oakland who hunts at a pheasant club, said he only got about half the clays he shot at. “Quail is a lot easier—a little bit bigger than clays,” said Wright. But he wasn’t complaining.

“It’s a good thing, a great thing.” If the union sponsors a shoot again next year, he said, “I’ll be here.”

PG&E lineman Daniel Witte said Raahauge’s Hunting Club, where the shoot was held, provided a good course with challenging clays. He’s used to hunting duck, goose and big game. Clays, he said, move more.

Witte was one of eight members from the Stockton yard who traveled up to Dunnigan for the shoot. Another was Lineman Travis Glock.

“We had a blast. We’ve been shooting together a couple of weeks, just to get in practice,” said Glock, who just got his hunting license last year. He said it was good to get out with his union brothers.

“It’s a great event. There’s a lot of union members who like to hunt. I will definitely be back next year.”

Witte, too, is looking ahead to next year’s shoot.

“We managed to pull eight people out of the Stockton Division yard and I think when (we) get back and tell ’em what a great time we had I guarantee it will be double out of our yard for next year,” he said. “It was a fantastic time.”