The Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation recently hosted the third annual Sporting Clays Tournament. The popular event was held at the Cleghorn Gun Club in Rutherfordton on November 3, 2023, and raised over $17,000 for Foundation initiatives. It brought together College partners and donors who shared a desire to expand educational opportunities through Blue Ridge.
Executive Director of the Educational Foundation Trina Stokes expressed her gratitude to those who invested in education through their love of marksmanship.
“This annual event provides us the opportunity to connect with our dedicated corporate partners who generously support our work all throughout the year,” she said. “Their collective efforts and sportsmanship both on and off the course, allow us to further our work and foster meaningful relationships. We are so grateful to our industry partners for supporting our educational initiatives.”
The highly anticipated tournament brought together a total of fourteen teams who competed to safely hit airborne clay targets with rifle rounds. Sponsors included First Bank (tournament sponsor), UNC Health Pardee (tournament sponsor), Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc. (lunch sponsor), Horizon Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC (trophy sponsor), Vannoy Construction (gift sponsor), and in-kind sponsors Image 420, Pepsi, and Asheville Metal Finishing. The Foundation extended its gratitude to each and every individual who participated in this memorable event.
The following participants earned trophies handcrafted by Blue Ridge’s very own Computer Integrated Machining Department.
The Overall Team Winner with a score of 371 was Benton Roofing with team members Caleb Benton, Chuck Freeman, Daniel Gibbs and Anthony Waters.
Individual Awards
Class 1 First Place Individual – Daniel Gibbs, Benton Roofing
Class 1 Second Place Individual – Chuck Freeman, Benton Roofing
Class 2 First Place Individual – Walter Carpenter, UNC Health Pardee
Class 2 Second Place Individual – Michael Smith, Pepsi
Class 3 First Place Individual – Chris Youngblood, First Bank
Class 3 Second Place Individual – Ted Sullivan, First Bank
Throughout the year, Blue Ridge’s Educational Foundation partners with area businesses, individuals and organizations to drive student success through funding of priority programs and needs. The Foundation also funds hundreds of student scholarships worth approximately half a million dollars annually. Learn more about this work at www.blueridge.edu/foundation.