Inaugural clay shoot successful as new FCA fundraiser

MIDDLETON – Fellowship of Christian Athletes tried something new this past weekend for a fundraiser, and they might’ve started a new tradition.

“Someone brought this idea to me, and I wasn’t sure about it at first because I didn’t know anything about it,” said Barry Cox, the director of FCA of Southwest Tennessee. “But it turns out a lot of high schools in our area have teams in this sport.”

The sport Cox was referring to is shooting, and FCA hosted its inaugural clay shoot tournament at The Clays at Lone Oak Farm in Hardeman County on Saturday.

A total of 28 teams – most of them consisting of four shooters – competed in the tournament with about 100 shooters throughout the course all day with morning and afternoon flights.

Steve Haggh is the director of The Clays.

“The setup of this is really like a golf tournament in a way,” Haggh said. “There are 14 stations where shooters go through and shoot at clays, and their scores are based on how they each did throughout those 14 stations.”

Some stations are in the woods. Some are in more open areas. One station has a rabbit clay, which rolls and bounces on the ground instead of flying in the air.

“The thing about clays, especially rabbit clays, is when they’re shot, the shot doesn’t change over the course of the tournament,” Haagh said. “But a little gust of wind or something can change a trajectory.

“And the slightest thing on the ground can change the trajectory of a rabbit clay. But they’re made a little thicker to allow them to be able to roll.”

Angela Snider is the chairman of the board for FCA, and she said getting sponsors and teams to sign up for the inaugural event was good for the organization.

“Knight Farms in Milan signed up as a presenting sponsor, and a lot of other businesses and individuals who believe in FCA’s mission were great about signing up as a sponsor or to sign up a team or both,” Snider said.

Cox said the funds raised from the shoot did well toward funding the overall mission of FCA, which is to provide character coaching for as many athletic teams as possible in the high schools, middle schools and colleges of southwest Tennessee.

As soon as Cox was finished with the clay shoot, he and his wife were heading to Memphis to join a few coaches who were at a coaching clinic in Memphis.

“It’s an event I usually go to, and I’m glad to spend time here and there with them before the weekend is over,” Cox said.

A few collegiate athletes were able to go to an FCA retreat in February.

“We had a few rededications come out of that trip, so we’re very thankful for that experience for them,” Cox said.

The next fundraiser for FCA is its annual golf tournament on June 19 at Jackson Country Club.

Former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs will be the guest speaker at that event.

“Josh is a great young man with a great testimony, so we’re looking forward to that event,” Cox said. “And then less than two months after that, we’ll be back with the FCA Golf Classic for the high school teams at the Country Club to start the high school season in August.

“There’s a lot going on, but we’re reaching these athletes and coaches for Jesus so they can hopefully be a positive influence on the rest of their school.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news