Miamisburg, OH : May 15-16

[MeanStreaker]

SB: MeanStreaker
IIT: Hoover, too tall


Another wonderful weekend of Appleseeding.  The weather held off for us and allowed a meeting of Americans to reconnect with their Heritage and partake in the traditional American skill of Marksmanship.  While attendance was a bit lower than normal as we have always sold out this location prior... it was a blessing as we got to know our students better and provide extensive one-on-one instruction.

Lori, Congratulations on your persistence and dedication!!!  Lori showed up Saturday morning and let us know that she does not have a lot of rifle experience, and also had neck surgery not that long ago.  Her doctor told her she should not be in the prone position.  With our help, she quickly adopted a very stable seated position and said she'd use that for the whole weekend.     I was trying to think how long I could personally stand to be in the seated position (and I think mine is pretty darn good and well-practiced)     and was figuring we'd have to award her a special round of applause if she made it to lunch.

Forget that!  She toughed it out all weekend with a beautiful cross-legged position and had incredible improvement, culminating in a 204 AQT score and nearly clearing Sat's final redcoat!  Only one 300 yard flier!  Very well done!       (All from seated!!!  Even those 400 yard targets and the RedCoat Head Shot!)

12 yr old Mike was a treat to have on the line and earned our Most Improved Student award, turning in some very nice AQT scores on Sunday.  

Mike also owns the best quote of the weekend that Instructors overheard.  

Mike's Dad (Tony) asked his son if he knew what stage of the AQT we were getting ready to shoot just before Prep Period began.  Because we were starting Stage 4, Mike answered, "The money round.... Let's Cash in."  with a determined look on his face as he positioned his loop sling.         You gotta love it!

Mike also let us know Sunday after our final talk closing the day that he is looking forward to becoming a Jr Instructor once he makes Rifleman and decided to write a paper for his eighth grade class on Lexington and Concord.


And a hearty congratulations to Tony for earning that Rifleman patch!  Huzzah!


This was a great weekend and I thank everyone, Instructor and Student alike, for allowing me to spend it with you.

See you at the next one.  (Next week in Athens!!!!)



Pictures will be posted once I download them.

[Hoover]

I agree that this weekend was spent with some exceptional students.  Lots of individual improvements were evident along with the persistence to make it happen.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Randy--who also made some great improvements on Sunday--overcoming some personal equipment issues.  You could tell he was really focusing on shooting as he would come to rely on special reminders of round counts on the lower AQT stages.

I also was impressed with Lori's stamina and occasional creativity toward new variants of seated positions (e.g., "the genie"; think cross-legged/off-hand/loopsling).  Talking targets helped to serve as a reminder of which positions are the most stable.

It was a pleasure spending the weekend with everyone.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on your next Appleseed!

[HPT]

This is Tony (Mike's Dad) mentioned in the after-action report.  These guys are the greatest instructors anyone could want.  Mike and I started off pretty rough but they stayed with us and we improved on every target.

I have been to a few shooting schools and the Appleseed was far and away the best and far beyond my expectations.

It's not just shooting - we have ordered several books from the reading list and are serious about studying our heritage.  Some day I want to be able to tell the stories of our heroes the way MeanStreaker and Hoover do it.

Mike made Marksman and I am a very proud father.  He stuck with it and had no problem keeping up with the adults.  I was hoping to make Rifleman but had no confidence.  The instructors carried me right up the learning curve and I made it!  I still have plenty of improvement ahead  - a lifetime of it.

Mike and I are already registered for next month and we're bringing another son - Mike's big brother.  I hope to see you there.
Tony

[dademoss]

Lori and I had a fabulous time!  Well, actually, I am having a little trouble moving today, and my knees and elbows are shot 

Great instruction, a fabulous group of people, I could not be more impressed with the caliber of people I have met from Appleseed.

A couple of months of stretching so I can get into the seated position, and I will be ready to give it another try :-)

Think of all the dryfire practice we can get in

[dademoss]

Hi Everyone, this is Lori (Dave's wife - aka dademoss).

I just wanted to thank everyone, especially Gregg for being so patient with me this weekend.  Mike, you are right, I've never shot a gun before and that patience went a long way to developing my skills and safety habits!

Gregg, you went there - I called that my modified standing position  - couldn't figure out why my seated position wasn't working for me - guess it helps to use those darned elbows.

Beware, next time I show up at an event, I could be a big problem for you all if I can do all the positions!  You may have to have a Rifleman patch ready (ok, that is wishful thinking - but I'm going for broke here!)

At the beginning, my main goal was to be able to at least hit the target paper (didn't much care if I could hit a fly at 1,000 paces) just the paper - and when I saw I could do that - well... I just had to go for broke!

Thank you for making this experience a blast (pardon the pun) and one I look forward to repeating when I'm completely cleared by the doctor - and our schedules align.  I know Dave will be happy to bring me along.

Take care and SAFE shooting!  Lori

[MeanStreaker]

Dave and Lori, I hope to see you again soon!  It was great meeting you.  Definitely keep in touch.

Here are some pics...





Believe it or not, this star belonged to the team that lost!




Lori who did great from the SEATED position all weekend!  Including a 204 AQT and this Sat PM Redcoat.

[Hoover]

Beware, next time I show up at an event, I could be a big problem for you all if I can do all the positions!  You may have to have a Rifleman patch ready (ok, that is wishful thinking - but I'm going for broke here!)

I don't see that as wishful thinking at all--rather, a commitment to persist!  It was great to work with you and Dave as you showed steady improvement and an eagerness to learn.  I'm thinking two patches are in your futures.

[too tall]

It was a pleasure, as always, working with everyone and seeing the shooters improve as the weekend progressed.

Here's some pictures of Tony getting his Rifleman patch as well as an action shot of the Rifleman's Baptism for shooting a 210 on the nose. Way to persist!








MS - I think a stocking-up of patches is in order for the next Miamisburg shoot, as I have a feeling those who come back will earn 'em.