TargetTalk

What scum! What will they ever do with it?

saw it off and sell for $100 to a gang member?

Umm leaving it on the back seat of the truck wasn't the smartest of moves, albeit it in a locked case. Almost certainly an opportunistic thief who spotted a case in plain view.

Rob.

RobStubbs wrote:Umm leaving it on the back seat of the truck wasn't the smartest of moves, albeit it in a locked case. Almost certainly an opportunistic thief who spotted a case in plain view.

Rob.

From what I've read on other sites it was not in plain view, it was under a bunch of other stuff in behind the seat of her truck.

Thieves came into the parking lot, circled once then broke into her truck only.

Doesn't sound like an opportunistic thief to me.

Well a bit of good news is that she shot well with the gun she had with her and after the final was #2, so she made the WC team.

It's hard to keep a good woman down! Good for her!

A Surprise of Olympic Proportions
Kim Rhode reacts after receiving the surprise of a lifetime.
After what was intended to be a quick stop at an outlet mall for "wedding goods" a week ago, Kim Rhode got the surprise of a lifetime.

Her custom Perazzi shotgun had been stolen from her car.

What should have been a quick stop, turned in to a long day dealing with police reports and mourning the loss of her gun. After all, this wasn't just any gun, it was the gun with which she has won so many medals, including medals from the Olympic games in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, and this year's Beijing games. Sixteen years worth of Olympic efforts.

Something I have a hard time wrapping my mind around is the fact that Kim Rhode woke up the morning after her gun was stolen and flew out of Los Angeles to Colorado Springs to compete in the USA Shooting Shotgun Fall Selection Match. Shooting with a gun that was "thrown together" Kim ultimately won second place.

I got the chance to catch up with Kim on Monday. During that conversation, she told me about her second place finish with a gun she'd "literally, only shot three rounds of twenty-five targets and started competing." Competing for a position on the US Shooting Team where a single miss can, and usually does, make the difference in qualifying and staying home.

Despite being frustrated and emotional about the loss of her faithful gun, Kim still accomplished the goal of securing her spot in the 2009 World Championships and the 2009 World Cup events.

Little did Kim know that somewhere there were generous "unnamed private donors" planning to give her the surprise of a lifetime.

Monday, Kim attended a convocation ceremony at Cal-Poly, Pomona where she is a Pre-Veterinarian and Animal Health Sciences major. At that convocation, the school and about 1500 students, faculty, administrators and staff honored her for her many Olympic accomplishments. They officially declared Monday, September 22, 2008 as "Kim Rhode Day".

Kim knew of the honor, but had no idea what was to follow her brief remarks, which included a mention about the major disappointment of having her Perazzi shotgun stolen.

Kim told me, "I knew they were going to read a proclamation and announce "Kim Rhode" day, but after I spoke, Dr. Ortiz said, "don't go anywhere.""

Kim Rhode receives her brand new Perazzi 2000S Shotgun.
"They had been hiding Lucio Sosta from me, but when I saw him, I just knew. I was just so shocked and was telling myself not to cry, but I couldn't help it."

Lucio Sosta is the Vice President of Perazzi. He was there to present Kim with a brand new model 2000S Perazzi shotgun. It wouldn't replace her old gun, but it was a heartwarming gesture toward a young woman who always tries to stay positive in any situation.

"I've tried to stay positive," she told me, "hoping the $5,000 reward will bring information in about my gun."

But, she says, she can't dwell on that. The Monday surprise, she said was "so awesome" because her college believed in her and did something like that for her.

In typical Kim understatement, she told me "It's great to know you're believed in."

She's not fired her new gun yet. California law has a 10-15 day waiting period before an owner -even an Olympic gold medalist- can keep a gun in possession.

Still, Kim hasn't given up hope that someone will claim the $5,000 reward or the suspects will be caught.

Today, Kim's on her way to Belarus to compete in the World Cup Finals - with the same "thrown together" gun she used to place second in the Fall Selection Match in Colorado Springs. It's not her old gun, and she can't use her new Perazzi until she gets back, but we know she's still capable of accomplishing great things under great amounts of stress. Using an unfamiliar gun only adds to that stress.

My favorite remark from Kim was about her performance in Colorado Springs. "It was so frustrating to finish the match and think, 'I could have done so much better' and then go 'wow, I accomplished this without my gun'".

Later in the conversation, Kim said, "It's hard to believe all of this has happened, but that's the true test of an Olympian."

Couldn't have said it better myself. And the competitors at the World Cup Finals better be on the lookout for a girl shooting a "strange shotgun." She may have something to prove - to herself. We know she's capable.

-- Erica Shepherd

What a great gesture by her college and the Perazzi folks. It must make her feel good that all that hard work over the years is recognized. Too often, athletes are quickly forgotten after the games. Shooters, even olympic champions, are usually not even recognized during the olympics. I hope she gets her gun back and that they catch the criminals who stole it and prosecute them to the fullest.

Kudos to Perazzi and Lucio Sosta!

I wish I could have contributed. If I ever get a really fine trap gun I know what brand will get first look!

Bravo Perazzi!!

Dwight

I hope she gets her gun back. I know it must be a hard thing to deal with.