Union Sportsmen’s Alliance Celebrates 200th Fundraising Shoot

After providing union members and other shooting sports enthusiasts with camaraderie and exciting competition for nearly a decade, the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Shooting Tour celebrated its 200th fundraising shoot November 3, 2018 with the 9th Annual IBEW Southern California Sporting Clays Shoot in Corona, California.

The roar of more than 100 shotguns marked the occasion, joined by the cheers, laughter and applause of attendees. Title sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association, the Corona shoot drew 125 participants, support from over 30 local unions, union councils and vendors, and raised more than $65,000.

The event was a perfect tribute to the many successful shoots before it. Launched in 2009, the USA shooting program has to date engaged more than 17,000 participants and raised more than $9 million to protect North America’s outdoor heritage by uniting union members to volunteer in community-based conservation, public access and outreach projects.

USA shooting event attendees enjoy friendly competition and union fellowship while raising funds to support USA-organized efforts including the renovation of public parks, fishing piers and other facilities, wildlife habitat restoration, youth activities and mentorship campaigns.

“Our 200th shoot is a huge milestone for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, and there are many engaged members, locals, councils, partners and volunteers that we need to thank for helping to achieve it,” said USA Director of Special Events Heather Tazelaar. “Our program has grown from three shooting events in 2009 to achieving our 200th shoot only nine short years later.”

Tazelaar noted the first shots of the USA Shooting Tour were fired under leaden skies at Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, Maryland. Undaunted by looming thunderstorms, 152 union members and other shooting enthusiasts gathered on June 18, 2009 for the inaugural AFL-CIO Capital Area Sporting Clays Shoot. On October 23rd of that same year, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers hosted its first USA shooting event, the Boilermakers Kansas City Sporting Clays Shoot. Both events flourished over the years and celebrated 10th annual shoots in 2018. In fact, the 2018 Boilermakers shoot set an all-time USA event record with a gross revenue of more than $201,000.

“Along with raising critical funds for conservation and providing participants with a great experience, one of our proudest accomplishments is hosting military shooters at no charge,” Tazelaar added. “We have been blessed over the years to host hundreds of active duty military servicemen and women, and partner with groups like the Wounded Warrior Foundation, Freedom Alliance, Fishing for Freedom and the Union Veterans Council. This year, we rolled out a new process of pinning all veterans at shoots with a USA logo veteran’s lapel pin to honor our guests who have proudly served in the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Tazelaar, who has worked with the tour since its creation, also noted the events’ strong focus on the next generation of shooters and conservationists. “Our leadership is committed to introducing youths to the outdoors and the shooting sports, so if you attend a USA shooting event, you’ll likely see youngsters on the shooting course,” she said. “Each event offers discounted youth pricing and awards a high overall youth trophy.”

Tazelaar also predicts the USA shooting program has a bright future. “The tour has united thousands of union brothers and sisters in the outdoors since 2009 and raised millions of dollars to help preserve our shared outdoor heritage,” she said. “Our 200th shoot is a wonderful milestone, but I believe it is only the first chapter in a long and successful story of union brotherhood and conservation. We are already planning to expand the tour to additional locations in 2019 and beyond.”