BULL'S-EYE HANSEN RECEIVES OAKLEY AWARD FOR SHOOTING EFFORTS.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer

MOJAVE - Annie Oakley, considered one of the best marksmen in American history, was believed to have shot the ashes off the tip of a cigarette while it was still in someone's mouth.

Mojave's Cherel Hansen, a 34-year old wife and mother of three, has not have pulled off such daring feats in her storied shooting career. Although her status as a pioneer in women's shooting and instruction, has resulted in Hansen receiving the first Women's Shooting Sports Foundation's Annie Oakley Award.

The award will be given each year to the person or organization that best encourages women to participate in shooting sports.

``When they called and told me I was a finalist, I called headquarters to ask if it was a mistake,'' Hansen said. ``To have your name mentioned in the same sentence with Annie Oakley is pretty cool.''

Hansen was a logical selection to receive the award, which is represented by a replica of Oakley's 1896 .22-caliber rifle. She is a WSSF-certified instructor and is a three-time National Sporting Clays Association All-American, two-time state Women's Sporting Clays champion and a five-time member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association Central Zone team. She made the ATA state team this year.

All of her championships and distinctions in competitive shooting had little to do with the Annie Oakley Award. That recognition comes from the nonprofit organization CLAYS (California Ladies and Youth Shooters), which Hansen co-founded with five other women who are also champion shooters.

The organization offers free or low-cost shooting clinics and competitions for women. CLAYS has about six clinics per year, with the next one scheduled for March 11 in Kingsburg, which is located between Fresno and Visalia. Hansen and her husband, Homer, also teach a 4-H class of 24 youths about gun safety.

``The first year I had 17 girls at my clinics,'' said Hansen, who has three daughters who have all learned to shoot. ``Now I have to cut them off at 40. The most rewarding thing for me is when I see them come back again.''

The 4-H class is held in one of the Hansen's three businesses in Mojave. The main building houses Homer's heavy equipment repair shop and Cherel's screen-printing business. The third business is their mobile shooting endeavor, which consists of a trailer loaded with countless trap- and skeet-shooting machines.

The mobile shooting business started when the Cherel and Homer bought some machines to help them improve as competitive shooters. Soon, people asked to rent them.

Hansen is beginning to curtail her competitive shooting to focus on her daughters Casey, 13, Christa, 11 and Catelyn, 9, and the family businesses. Casey will soon begin competitive shooting and the family enjoys vacationing at clinics and competitions.

``It gives a family something that's good and wholesome to do on the weekend,'' Homer said. ``It's something to look forward to.''

The Hansen's interest in shooting led to hunting when the family led an all-girl Christmas pheasant hunt.

``It was Christmas dinner,'' Cherel said. ``We had pheasant. But I wanted the girls to understand there's a purpose for it. We clean it and eat it. We don't shoot animals just for fun.''

On the horizon for the ever-busy Hansen is the long-term plan of establishing a shooting club in Mojave, which would reduce travel.

For the time being, Hansen is excited about competing for the ATA state team. Trapshooting is the one discipline she is trying to concentrate on as she shifts focus away from competitive shooting and toward instruction and her family.

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Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Mojave's Cherel Hansen is the first recipient of the Women's Shooting Sports Foundation's Annie Oakley Award, recognizing her contributions in shooting for women.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer