Last Friday marked a day of friendly competition and community spirit at the UCHealth Sporting Clays Invitational, where the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) showcased its marksmanship, securing the top spot among first responder teams and a notable second place overall in the event hosted at the Kiowa Creek Sporting Club in Bennett, Colorado. Attending teams represented various branches of emergency response from the region, including individuals from the Teller County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Springs Police Department, Colorado Springs Fire Department, and American Medical Response, all joining forces for a day that went beyond clay pigeons, a day that underscored a deep commitment to health and service in the Pikes Peak region.
Embroiled in the competition, the deputies representing EPSO, Jacobson, Witherite, Nelson, and Aguilar took their skills to the course and succeeded with pride, but it wasn't just about the title or the trophy, it was about supporting a cause touching the threads of human life within their jurisdiction; it was about the Whole Blood Resuscitation Program, a program funded in part by the proceeds of the sporting event which, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, has already garnered over $70,000.
The Sheriff of El Paso County, Joseph Roybal, didn't mince words when expressing his pride for the EPSO team, "I couldn’t be prouder of our team—not only for taking home first place among first responder teams in the inaugural UCHealth Sporting Clays Invitational, but for the awareness they’ve helped raise around such an important cause," as per El Paso County Sheriff's Office, extending gratitude to UCHealth for spotlighting the critical work being done through the program, which serves as a lifeline catching those in the clasp of hemorrhagic shock, severe blood loss, a grim harbinger that remains a leading cause of pre-hospital deaths in the United States.
