More than 140 shooters braved the heat Saturday for a skeet shooting competition that also served as a fundraiser for Vicksburg Catholic School.

The event, dubbed the Lightning Round Sporting Clay Shoot, was on the woods course at Tara Wildlife Refuge at Eagle Lake.

“The weather has been pretty nice, I haven’t heard any complaints,” said John Heggins, the father of a St. Aloysius graduate and an 11th-grader. “It’s a fun thing. You can always write a check for a fundraiser, but you’re getting something out of this one.”

The cost to participate in the competition was $100 per person, and shooters were divided into six-person teams for the event. There were three rounds of competition, the first beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 2:30 p.m.

Not all participants had a direct connection to the school, however. Shooters from Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama all registered to be a part of the competition.

“I love to shoot, and I try to do it often,” said James Burwell, a participant who traveled from Jackson compete. “I just love the sport, it’s fun and challenging and this was a good way to donate money to a good cause.”

Burwell said he and his friends learned of the competition on a Mississippi shooters’ website and decided to come out for fun.

“I think it’s been nice,” Burwell said. “It was good that they got to raise some money from it.”

Temperatures during the event reached 95 degrees, but tents and fans were set up throughout the range to ward off some of the heat. The shooting stations were set up in the woods under the protection of shady trees.

“Everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves,” said Michele Connelly, St. Al principal. “We’ve seen a lot of new faces out here supporting the school, and that’s always exciting for us.”

Members of AmeriCorps NCCC volunteered at the skeet shoot, acting as scorekeepers and performing other jobs throughout the day.

“AmeriCorps has been a blessing to us, we couldn’t have done it without them,” Connelly said. “It’s been a long and hot day for them, and we appreciate their help.”

But Heggins, an involved volunteer at VCS, said the most important part of the day was the camaraderie the event created.

“It’s a family thing with Vicksburg Catholic School,” Heggins said. “Teachers are off for the summer right now and kids are busy, but the turnout has been impressive. That’s what this is for me.”