Olympic champ backs area gun club
By Marianne Love, Staff Writer
EL MONTE -- Olympic gold medalist Kim Rhode took her case to the Azusa City Council recently in hopes of convincing them not to shut down her primary training facility.
Rhode said if the council closes the San Gabriel Valley Gun Club it would be difficult for her to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
"Closing this range will severely hamper my next bid for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, and could possibly mean the difference in the United States winning another Olympic gold medal," said Rhode, an El Monte resident.
"As an elected politician you know that often times city elections are won by just a few hundred votes or less. I can't imagine why you would even consider the possibility of closing this range, which is an asset to your community, because a few people bought homes close to the range and now claim it's too noisy."
Rhode said her schedule is hectic, trying to juggle competition with training and taking classes at Cal Poly Pomona. She said she can't afford the time or money to travel outside of the El Monte area to train.
"There is no other option for me," she said.
The gun club, where Rhode, 25, got her start as a preteen and where she primarily trains in skeet shooting, is under fire by a group of homeowners from Mountain Cove, a 220-home neighborhood within earshot and eyeshot of the range.
In preparation for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Rhode primarily practiced at a gun club in Santa Clarita for the double trap event for which she won a gold medal. Because of the distance, she says that's not an option for the 2008 Games, where she'll compete in single trap.
Some homeowners want the Valley Gun Club shut down, saying the sound of gunfire and the possibility of lead pollution from the ammunition are concerns.
Plus, city officials want to rezone the entire city. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
Bill Mitchell, executive director of USA Shooting, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of shooting, said it was disappointing to hear Rhode might be hampered in the 2008 bid for a gold medal.
"The concern goes beyond an immediate impact. It has a negative impact on the future through the reduction of the athlete and coach pool," Mitchell said. "It's not new. It's unfortunate we deal with this situation more than we like."
Currently, the gun club --which sits below the Angeles National Forest in Azusa -- operates on a special-use permit.
City officials have indicated they may allow it to stay, but for how long no one is saying.
Rhode, the most-decorated female Olympian in the history of USA shooting, won a gold in 1996 and 2004 and a bronze in 2000. She also captured gold in the 1999 and 2003 Pan American Games.
In 2002 and 2003 she was named USA shooting "Female Shooter and Shotgun Shooter of the Year."
"Kimmie does light practicing at the club. It'll hurt a lot if she doesn't go to the Olympics," said Jim Daugherty,chairman of the club's program for young people. "There aren't any ranges for anyone to practice high-powered rifle. We just don't have anything anymore. It's all gone."
-- Marianne Love can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2108, or by e-mail at marianne.love@sgvn.com.
