Outdoors: Shooters take aim at cancer.
Event proves to be quite a blast for survivors
MUSKEGO Clay pigeons were shattered and paper bull’seyes had their hearts shot out.
A metal plate “gonged” in the distance.
Even a few bowling pins were peppered with projectiles.
On this day, the targets didn’t stand a chance: they all had a “C” on their backs.
The equipment varied from shotguns to rifles to handguns and bows and arrows.
But the shooters all had something in common.
Whether a patient themselves or a relative of someone with the disease, cancer had touched their lives.
And on June 10, they gathered for “Take Aim at Cancer” at Schultz Resort Rod & Gun Club in Muskego.
The event provided a literal and figurative means for fighting back.
“As cancer patients, we’re not in control of a lot of things,” said Gina Zarletti, 41, an ovarian cancer survivor who lives in Racine. “Standing here, I feel much more focused and in control. It’s stress relief, too.”
Some people use vulgarity to articulate their feelings about the disease.
The event allowed the cancer patients to express themselves with firepower.
It also provided an opportunity to meet and share experiences with others who have battled or are still being treated for cancer.
Take Aim at Cancer is free for “all men, women and children with cancer and their families,” said event founder Frank Schuh.
All equipment, including guns, targets and ammunition, is provided, as is instruction and supervision by range safety officers.
Free food and beverages are served, too.
All Schuh asks is for people to pre-register so he can be sure to have enough food available; this year 84 people participated.
Schuh, 58, of Big Bend has first-hand experience of the negative impact cancer can wreak on a family. Both his father and stepfather died from the disease.
He also had seen how some activities for cancer patients were poorly organized and didn’t allow the families “a day off.”
In 2013 he decided to do something to give back at a venue with which he is well acquainted: shooting.
Schuh, a member of Schultz Resort Rod & Gun Club for about a dozen years, approached the club’s board of directors with the idea of the cancer shoot.
The board agreed, but it would be up to Schuh to raise funds and get things organized.
The event became a second job for Schuh, who by day works in pharmaceutical sales.
The first year about 20 people attended. It’s grown since, in participants, volunteers and sponsors.
More than 30 sponsors donated items or cash this year. Major sponsors included the Schultz club, which provided the venue; Waukesha County Conservation Alliance, which contributed all the food; and Safari Club International (Wisconsin chapter), which provided financial support, Schuh said.
Target shooting has been increasing in popularity in the U.S. over the last decade, according to Statistica.
In 2015, 29.5 million Americans participated in target shooting, up from 21.8 million in 2006, according to the service. The statistics don’t specify how many target shooters take part in a cancer shoot each year. Or how many have the disease.
This much is clear: Take Aim at Cancer is a rare bird.
The entire event is free and makes no attempt to sell anything, whether memberships or merchandise.
“This is about having cancer patients and their families out for a relaxing day,” Schuh said. “They can shoot as little or as much as they’d like.”
To attract participants, Schuh hangs fliers at cancer treatment centers throughout southeastern Wisconsin. This year he hung 900 fliers.
Under warm, summery conditions, many groups sat on picnic tables in the shade or strolled around to see the various shooting venues.
Lunch was served in the club’s air-conditioned clubhouse.
Natasha Gerlova of Franklin was back for the third straight year.
Her blue T-shirt said “OncoWarrior.”
“It’s a wonderful outing and I wouldn’t miss it,” Gerlova said. “It’s good for people who shoot and people who don’t shoot. I tell all my (breast cancer) sisters to come out and bring their families.”
Robert Collett, 24, of Sussex exemplified the spirit of the participants. Collett, who has been blind from an early age and was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma several years ago, was making the rounds to as many shooting stations as possible.
“I’m having a great time here,” Collett said, fresh from the trap range where he had been assisted by his father, Robert Collett of Milwaukee, and Jeff Marusic, a range safety officer and member at Schultz.
Three generations of Carol Schneider’s family were on hand, too.
Schneider, 65, of New Berlin has been living with colon cancer for 10 years.
This year 25 members of Schneider’s family joined her and her husband, Tom, at the event.
“This is a great outing where the family can get together,” Carol said. “I feel fortunate for the support of my family and for the opportunity to come here.”
Schneider missed last year’s event. But in 2015 she shot a Gatling gun at the event, a highlight she still talks about.
At midday, Schuh drew tickets from a hat and awarded prizes to the cancer patients. Many participants stayed at the event for its entire 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. run.
Schuh plans to keep building Take Aim at Cancer.
“First, I hope the cancer patients and their families have a nice time,” Schuh said. “If they learn something about firearm safety, so much the better.
“And it would be really great if some of them make new friends and create new networks with people who can help them as they deal with cancer.”