AAR: Riley, IN (May 28-29, 2011)

[techres]

Another Great Seed!

This time we had a bunch of fathers & daughters plus some returning seeders with even a border raid by a pair of IL's best.  Two long days, one wet & windy, the other hot & windy, but neither with the tornados that beat the area down the previous week and damaged the club's roof.

Friday night had me loading up line, rifles, gear and everything but the kitchen sink into a car that really needed to be a semi.  I carved out a small space for my older daughter who was coming to her very first seed.  With everything piled around and on her, she looked like one of the russian cosmonaut dogs:



We got to the clubhouse to bed down under the protection of the moose head and were so tired that the dripping ceiling was ignorable and only the visit from a mouse made much of a fuss:



Come morning we go up, fed and with the help of arriving instructors, setup the line just in time for our shooters to arrive.  Soon enough HQ has us going:



After safety briefing and all the basics, we were on our way with rifles firing the sounds of freedom:



Instructors began the one on one coaching for each:



And group instruction:




Our youth shooters also began working their targets:



Everyone had a lot to do, a lot to learn/relearn, and a lot of fun:



After a lunch with history, we were back on the line doing ball & dummy:





Soon enough we took a history break and then went back for the final positions leading to our first of three Saturday AQT's:





And by the end of the day, Mike of IL had his Rifleman's patch!  (SPQR  has the picture!)

Day 2 had us back on the line and running AQT's as well as prepping the centerfire rifles for KD:



After a morning of squares & AQT's we backed up and hit steel at 100 & 200 yards:





And, there's nothing cooler than the first time you wail on steel far away, especially if you are only 9 years old:



More AQT's and then we had to close down for the weekend.

Thanks to all who came, you worked hard and did well.  Thanks to the dad's who worked to make this a daddy/daughter weekend.  And thanks to our newest Rifleman (mike) and June who will be the next before long!

See you all on the trail,
Joshua/Techres

[yellowhousejake]

THAT is a great AAR!

YHJ

PS "cosmonaut dog"... too funny   

[SPQR]

AAAAND more pics

Every person who has discovered that ATM has reproduced has thought, "Can you imagine THAT guy as your dad?"  It seems to be working out for some folks, though!


9 year-old groups


Oh NO!  Sock Monkeys have taken over the Tactical Sandals!


June, scanning for those nefarious sock monkeys.


IIIITS BACON!


Rifleman Mike


Now da yoots get der patches!


C'mere you rotten sock monkey sandal thieves!


Great Googely Moogely!  The villainous sock monkeys have joined forced with the villainous regulars!  They were in cahoots all along!  Get em!


Sentimental Father/Daughter picture.  Ugh!

[HQ]

Saturday was a ton of fun!  I wish I could have been there to hear that steel ringing Sunday!!

I want to congratulate our three youth shooters this weekend, you girls ROCK!

Excellent focus and perseverance!  I'm sure it will not be terrifically long before we'll be seeing patches on all three!!!

I had a great time with all the shooters on the line, can't wait to see you all again soon!

[ATM]

Saturday was great! The weather just doesn't get any better for shooting (if you like nice weather, that is.) 

Sorry we couldn't make it back for Sunday. Please tell me someone shot the steel to the ground...

Congrats to Mike, who shot Rifleman on Saturday, and to June, Phillip, Sarah, Sarah and Zora who all made excellent progress. 

I wish the line had been full, but this small group started well ahead of the curve with prior Appleseed experience and progressed rapidly into fine-tuning and identifying their specific items for focus during ball and dummy drills and, of course, as they shot AQTs.

I trust they will return, practiced, refined and fired up for another go at it!

Just don't forget that 7th step: bring some friends back with you! 

Riflemen persevere - nothing stops them - always learning - always improving - always passing that fire on to others.

Sharing in the history and heritage on Memorial Day weekend with such great fellow Americans was very special.
My daughter and I had a great time.

Always a pleasure to seed with Techres, DHolder, SPQR and HQ. Thanks for sharing your time and passion.

Sock monkeys... coming soon to an Appleseed near you!