WOW!
What a great weekend. The instructors were very impressed with the level of perseverance this weekend.
On Sat the wind chill had the temp in the mid twenties. Sunday had virtually no wind so we stayed around 30 deg all day. There was some snow/ice underfoot and we had to watch our step. During the instructor meeting on Sat night we had the bright idea to provide hot water/ hot choc/tea/instant coffee on Sun :slap:. This made a huge difference (aided by 2 propane heaters). SB needs to take a beating for not setting this up for Sat ~~:).
Sat had 8 first time shooters on the line (one was only signed up for Sat) and Sun had all 7 back on the line. Students had a VERY teachable attitude ^:)^ . We made do with a very short break on Sat afternoon and were done with the afternoon redcoat just as the light was fading. Then we retired to the heated clubhouse for the 2nd and 3rd Strikes and a short Benediction.
Very Honorable Mention: Kim and her 13 yr old daughter held rifles for the first time on Sat. They shot some very impressive groups (Pics to follow). Kim shot 207 on her first stage by stage AQT on Sat afternoon (and that was with 2 dropped shots on the 4th stage) :wb:.
Kim persisted. Even though she only got off 9 rounds on Stage 3 of her last 2 AQTs on Sun she posted a 208 on the 2nd last AQT and this was followed by a 216 ^:)^ ^:)^ ^:)^.
Lets not forget to thank Hucktuey for marring the right girl: On Sat she sent him on his way with a crockpot of chicken chilli (first time I had this and it was very yummy). On Sunday she outdid herself and provided a crockpot of the best "pasta vijool" - its too late on a Sun night for this guy who was "educated" in Africa to Google the spelling of an Italian soup!!! :cool2:).
Many thanks to my home range for allowing us to hog the pistol range and clubhouse this weekend - hats off to Northwestern Connecticut Sportsmans Association.
Talking of "hats off" reminded me that after we said the Pledge of Allegiance on Sat morning we had a Moment of Silence to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor (7 Dec).
l will return to tell you the story behind these smiles (and to post more pics)..... in the meantime you can admire those elegant CT State Patches and wonder what Team Pink Power had to do to earn them :pop:.
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We were lucky that it only snowed on Fri nite
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Happy with the grouping
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Discussing the finer points
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We were set up on the Pistol Range
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NPOA (note the CT instructor's "shooting Jackets" - supplied by Carhartt ^-^)
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On Sunday the sun warmed the roof and dropped a sheet of snow on my audience >:D
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Look Mom! Its Pink! Can I have one? O0
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Following in her Mom's footsteps with a nice group - nice way to start a Sunday :bow:
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An Appleseeder's Best Friend
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The Warming Station - Part A
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Part B
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What its all about
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Last AQTs onSun produce a Marksman and a Rifleman O0
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A Young Patriot
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Sun Afternoon ..... pretty good instructor to student ratiom (5:4)
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I will return tonite to tell you about the CT patches and the competition between Pink Power and The Twins.....
Stay tuned
JH
WOW!!!!! My daughter and I had a fabulous weekend!!!! Although we were cold on Saturday, ok, FREEZING on Saturday, I could not have had a better day! Well that was until Sunday when I earned my Rifleman Patch! ^:)^ ^:)^ ^:)^ I still can't believe it!!!!! Now I can't wait to go out and purchase my own rifle! (If I bring my daughter I have a feeling it will end up being pink! (Thanks A LOT Phil)!!!!!!! **)
I was also super impressed by the professionalism from all of the instructors! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU for the use of your equipment as well! I will now be prepared for the April Appleseed! I will definitely be bringing some friends with me!!!!
THANK YOU to all of the instructors for your time, energy and knowledge! You are all amazing folks and my daughter and I appreciated everything you did for us!!!!
I hope to see you all in April!!!! O0
Kim
This kind of weekend makes me grateful to be a small cog in such a wonderful program.
Definitely a most determined group of students, and all were a pleasure to work with. Through cold, wet conditions :-\, and the frustration of some minor equipment issues ???, NOTHING seemed to be an obstacle! ;D
On Saturday, these soggy souls kept coming back on the line and rarin' to go when most less motivated folks would have packed it in for a warm blanket. Then to see so many back for another chapter on Sunday was hugely gratifying. From youngsters to not-so-youngsters alike, my hat's off to you all for your perseverance and desire. O0
Hope to see you all back again at a future AS event.
- Ed
Hello! I'm Stephen. My brother and I definitely enjoyed coming up! I made the, in retrospect, disastrous blunder to not take a waterproof mat on day 1. Word to the wise: take a tarp! You can put whatever you want on top of it, but if there is snow on the ground put a tarp first. I'd learned my lesson by the second day.
I must say, the course helped me better understand how poorly my Ruger 10/22 fit me too. Taking some foam or something else to pad the stock in the future would be wise for new attendees as well.
Certainly I improved my marksmanship skills, but there's still a lot for me to improve on!
What a nice AAR. Those faces - true joy.