Zanesville, OH. - Dec. 15/16, 2012

[slim]

Placeholder till after a good night's sleep. Feel free to post without me.

Modified - So ticked off right now. I just uploaded all the pics and it dumped on me. Uuuurrrrgggh! 

I'll give it another shot. See below.

[BensonAndHedges]

I hope I'm doing this right -- I don't really know how things work around here. I attended this Zanesville meet, and I have to say Appleseed made a wonderful first impression. The instructors were all fantastic, and did a great job of being welcoming and accommodating. I'd especially send a big 'thank you' to Edheler and Barbie for all the one-on-one coaching. But beyond that, I feel like I took something away on behalf of every instructor.

I am very impressed by the program instruction as a whole. I think there is definitely a lot that is done right. I've tried to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship before, but nothing has ever really stuck. I assumed I'd never get it. However, while I was nothing to be proud of by the end of Sunday (others can attest), I saw significant progress in myself. I was doing better than I'd ever done before. This is a good time to mention my incredible appreciation for Slim's lessons. I learned so much in one weekend, and it all just sort of clicked as it never had before.

Thanks to Corvette for the  history lessons, and so well-told. It felt good to revisit why I'm proud of this nation's persistence, and I certainly learned a lot about the Revolution (and put a few more books on my to-do list!) It was very interesting to apply the pretext of history to frame the apparently unrelated sport.

Grats to Linda, by the way. I recall you were new to instructing, and you definitely brought some good points to the table, and your personal experiences were very helpful. Thanks, as well, to Birdman. It was great learning from you. You are one inspiring gentleman (I was pretty excited about your 250).

I have no pictures to share -- only words, so I'll use those. I, for one, had a fantastic weekend. I'll be attending every shoot I can. Hopefully one day I'll be good enough to give a little back and instruct. I would advise anyone with the least interest in marksmanship to give Appleseed a try. Thanks, everyone!

[Corvette]

Indeed it was a special Appleseed last weekend in Zanesville.  It was the last one of the 2012 Appleseed campaign attended initially by nine dedicated shooters.  Saturday dawned chilly which wasn't that bad because the temp kept the mud frozen.  As the day warmed, so did the mud. But, our shooters and the instructors all pressed forward.

Slim and Barbie got us all in the mood for the season with their unique instructor outfits. (See pictures below) We had two father-son teams on one end of the line, a group of four very motivated young men in the middle and our version of a Dangerous Old Man on the other end.  Everyone worked hard getting to know their rifles better and how to use their slings to better effect. By mid-afternoon we were shooting AQTs and unfortunately we ran out of daylight all too soon. But, not before we found one shooter (Brian) "who knew quite well what he was about" shooting a Rifleman's score Saturday afternoon.

Camping at the range Saturday nite was breezy but warm. We thought about unplugging Birdman's heater when he crawled into his truck bed tent for the nite in shorts and a tea shirt but that wouldn't have been right.  The next morning the mess tent opened early and after sausage, eggs, juice and toast, the instructor team was ready for another glorious day at the range. 

Unfortunately, the breeze didn't work any magic on General Mud which was back the next day from the outset.  Our four musketeers in the middle of the line and after a review of Saturday's instruction points, we started back into AQTs.  Scores were steadily improving throughout the morning session.  In the afternoon, after telling the stories of David Lamson and Hezikiah Wyman in between AQTs and after a KD instruction session by Slim, we all moved to the 300 yard range.

Our musketeers had the opportunity to send rounds down range and bang some steel at 300yds with M1 Garands, a Springfield 1903, and several ARs.  Comments like "Wow, this is really fun." or "Oh, I gotta get me one of these" were overheard as we spotted the shots.  The day ended when Birdman hit the cross brace and knocked down our steel target. 

thanks to Bryar Rabbit range for having us, thanks to the shooters for coming with such great attitudes and thanks to the Slim, Birdman, Edheler, Linda and Barbie for giving  up a December weekend to support the "Seed".  Great working with each and every one of you.

Lots of pictures got taken so lets get them up on the site as soon as you can.  Looking forward to seeing them.

Corvette
(PS, some of us got to shoot some on Sunday and even with these, old, tired eyes, I managed to squeak out a re-qualifying 213 on an AQT.  Not bad for an old fat guy.  )

[Barbie]

I tell ya what, it didn't feel like an appleseed til the rain rolled in.  Luckily, it didn't last too long at all, and provided us with that all too familar AS mud. 

Thank you to all the folks who attended.  You did a great job, and we sure hope to see you back out on the line soon (with more friends/family!!!  *hint hint*)

After a rather entertaining dinner Saturday night, the instructors headed back to set up Camp Appleseed.  A wild goose chase for Christmas wood ensued, and we built us up a nice lil' bonfire.  Breakfast in the morning was delicious, and we were off to another great day.

A special thanks to those who were able to make it back Sunday.  Nate, Alex, Nick, Benson... each of you guys improved greatly from where you had started Saturday morning.  Keep working on those fundamentals, and you will continue to improve more and more each time you come out to the range.  I don't know where ya'll got all that energy to run downrange to retrieve our steel, but I'm happy it was you guys runnin' and not me!  All that aside though, there was one thing that made my weekend... when asked if you guys would "rather shoot some more or hear some more history", you guys asked to hear more history.  That is why we do this... and for that I thank you.  Continue to (along with working on your marksmanship skills), learn more about your heritage, pass it on to others, and become more involved in the world around you.  Do that and the possibilities are endless. 

To those attendees who are/were retired/active military-  Thank you for your service.  Spread the word, and invite more friends and family out to our events.  We look forward to seeing you all in the future.

Fellow instructors:  Thank you for one fun and memorable end of the year event.  Ya'll were great and I'm looking forward to working with everyone again in the future.

Stay posted for pictures from the weekend, they will be up within the next couple days.

See ya'll on the trail.

~ Barbie

[LindaFromAppleCreek]

One of the most fun things that happened was our version of shoot out the stars. The guys clearly needed a break, and since there were 4 instructors ready to shoot, and four students, we paired an instructor with each student, and set them on a mad minute of shooting  stars.  Wow! The stars were obliterated, and the students had clearly put their shots in those stars. Way to go, guys! (I was calling the line; there is a particular kind of fun saying "with everything you got, LOAD!" )

I wimped out and stayed at a motel, because my husband was worried about me. No motel next time!

[Birdman]

I love mud....
Everybody's boots left this Appleseed much heavier than when they arrived.  Again, a great group of Patriots layed in the mud for two days, learning Marksmanship and Heritage. Brian's groups looked real good right off the bat and he quickly earned his Rifleman patch early on.  Hats off to Nick, who brought 3 friends with him to this event. That is what it is all about. You guys did great. Do a bit of practicing what you learned and it will all soon come together, probably at your next Appleseed. It is quite difficult to get ALL the 6 steps figured out all at the same time. Wayne, wayyyyy off on the left side of the line, thanks for your service to our country and also everything you do with the Patriot Guard Riders. It was an honor to have you on the line with us. Thanks to all the others for actually showing up, in December, in Ohio, in the mud. I hope that all had a great time. I did.
MR Slim is a great SB, and it is an honor to work along side him and also Barbie, Corvette, Edheler, and Linda. We had a great dinner and campfire Saturday evening.
Corvette, great job on history. Everybody soaked it up. Sunday at the 300yd range, the steel took a beating by our 4 returning Sunday Patriots. Thy did great! You guys could have hit at 500yds if we would had a 500yd range.
That is it for the Ohio Appleseed season. Let's all give it our best next year. Till next year....Birdman

[Edheler]

I was just wondering where my week has gone. Sorry to be late!

It was a great weekend! Many thanks to all of the shooters for helping keep my faith that it isn't too late! Nick, you rock for having brought Nate, Alex and Benson! Congrats to our rifleman of the weekend Brian!



Our posterity also seemed to have a good Saturday:



Congrats to Birdman for scoring a 250! It is only the second time I have ever seen it achieved!

I am glad everyone enjoyed my steel target! I do need a new 1/2" steel bolt since someone hit it pretty good!

It was also awesome to be able to shoot all day on Sunday. It is clear that I need more centerfire practice and have to figure out how to not have my AR bite me! It helped me develop a massive flinch late in the day.

[slim]

The warm weather couldn't stop 11 patriots from getting out on the muddy line and exercising their heritage as marksmen. Note that a few ladies taught a dozen dudes to shoot!

Huzzah...lalalala la la la laaaaaaaa.

[slim]

More muddy pics...

[slim]

And still more muddy pics...

[slim]

And finally... the KD pics!

[Edheler]

Oh, one other thing: did anyone find my leatherman? It was on the picnic table when I last saw it. It along with my tech-sights adjustment tool, eyedrops and chap-stick are missing at the moment.

[Corvette]

Didn't see them but I will check my radio bag which was the last thing on the table Sunday.

Corvette

[slim]

The mud has them now...

[Birdman]

Edeller, were they silver, had lots of gadgets like pliers and stuff?
Nope....haven't seen 'em.
I will look through my mud caked boxes.
Glad everyone got home safe.  Have a great Christmas!

[Quisling]

I had an awesome multiparagraph reply all ready to go at work, then while I was finishing up the last touches it locked hard and I had to restart it. I'll get my thoughts up here at some point.

Second Appleseed woooo.

Mike: Just went through all of my stuff and I don't have any of the stuff (which is kinda surprising, considering Alex kept borrowing our stuff and then putting all of it in my bags). I'll check with the rest of the guys this week and get back to you.

[Edheler]

Birdman, yes, and it was in a black leather carrier. I don't really care about all of the other stuff, as they are inexpensive and easily replaced.

[Corvette]

Checked my grip, no sign of your weatherman. Sorry man, I hate loosing stuff.
Corvette

[mckeanb]

Sorry this is so late in coming . . . 

I had heard good things about the Appleseed Project and their events and it turned out to be so much more than anyone could have explained.  This was a GREAT event, I haven't seen anything else like it.  The fundamentals of shooting are taught in a very systemic and easy to learn manner.  The instructors are there, volunteering their time, to share their knowledge and to help everyone at every level become a better shooter.  If only for the instruction and the practice the event would have been worthwhile, but that wasn't even the half of it.  In my opinion, where this event really shines is the history.  So many people, including myself, forget at times, the price that was paid and the actions that were taken to start this great country of ours.   Men, woman and children gave up everything for something that was bigger than themselves, the Appleseed Project is a good reminder of what it was all about, what it means and how it was obtained.  I attended this event with my son and the discussion that was prompted from this event was priceless.

I would recommend an Appleseed event to anyone and everyone -- great instruction -- great history -- it could not have been any better. 

--Bryan

[Corvette]

Bryan, it is never too late to share your Appleseed experience.  It was indeed a pleasure to have you and your son on the line last month.  Your attendance and your kind words are exactly what keep us all involved and volunteering our time to Appleseed.  We hope to see you and your son back on the line at the next Zanesville shoot or at one of our other shoots around the state.

Looking forward to seeing you on the line again.  [PS, you still haven't heard the Sunday history presentations so you gotta come back, right? :-) ]

Thanks again for joining us and for sharing here on the forum. 

Corvette

[Edheler]

Great news, the items have been found! They weren't anywhere they were supposed to be. I found them while packing for Michigan.

[Corvette]

Edheler, glad you found your Leatherman and other missing stuff from Dec in Zanesville. FYI I may have a lead on some surplus plate armor that I can get cut into steel targets for use at AS for KD. Will include you on details when I get them.

Corvette