The California Teachers’ Association has recently awarded its coveted Gold Award to one selfless Los Banos resident.
Eddie Vierra, a retired Firefighter, was surprised with the award last month for his dedication as Head Coach and Treasurer of the Tiger Trap skeet-shooting team. Also acting as the Trap Skeet Director at the Los Banos Sportsman’s Association, Vierra has decided to fill his retirement with clay pigeons and shooting competitions.
Eddie Vierra retired as Los Banos Fire Captain five years ago, but, after 32 years of being on active duty keeping the community safe, he wanted something to do with the massive amounts of free time he suddenly found himself left with.
Once his son joined the junior trap team, he saw his opportunity: tapping into his marksmanship skills gained from years of competitive pistol shooting, Vierra helped his son and his teammates with the basics of skeet shooting, eventually taking on both the role of Treasurer and Head Coach after just a year of being a part of the team.
“I needed something to do with my time after retirement, and being head coach is a year-round responsibility,” Vierra stated, “It’s nice to teach [the kids] the sport I’ve come to love, and how to be teammates instead of single individuals.”
The CTA only gives out just one Gold Award per year to the resident or organization that demonstrates the same passion for public education and community involvement that the Association itself continues to uphold. This year the Merced / Mariposa chapter of the Association was even kind enough to present the award to Vierra during a dinner amongst his peers and his spouse – a presentation that was as kind as it was unexpected.
“I thought my wife was getting the award!” Vierra recalls, not realizing the dinner was in his honor, “[My wife] was the one who presented it to me, I was really surprised but even more honored when it was all said and done.”
The official reason for bestowing this honor on Vierra is his “special support of public education,” and the Tigers have felt this dedication from their Head Coach since before he was even on the team.
Though Eddie Vierra has been recognized for his recent efforts with the Tiger Trap Team, the skeet-shooting group has existed in Los Banos for about 15 years.
Established as an offshoot of the Ag (a.k.a. 4-H) programs that helped high school and college-aged students stay engaged with their community, the LB Skeet-shooters were the only junior team in the area for a solid two years.
By the late 2010s, however, various other teams had risen in the area and the sharpshooters of LB had some competition to sharpen their skills against, and before you could say “pull,” the trap scene in Central California had expanded into a healthy network of shooters spanning the entire length of the Valley.
By the time Vierra had taken over as head coach, the Tiger Trap Team had grown to include various divisions of students of all ages, with the Rookie division hosting shooters as young as 8 years old and the final bracket – appropriately defined as the Young Adult division – hosting competitors in their early 20’s, with every age in between being represented by their own separate class.
The Skeet season stretches from January to June, and our fierce Tigers should be heading to Kingsburg for the state championships later this month to cap off the 2026 season. During the calm of the winter months, though, Eddie Vierra and his co-coaches will be working hard to plan another year of events and practices.
Vierra’s commitment to one of the Valley’s newest organized sports teams has reminded shooters and spectators alike that when you shoot for the moon, sometimes you hit a bullseye.
