Six intrepid students braved the threat of thunderstorms to enjoy two near-perfect, if a little warm, days of marksmanship fun at the Izaak Walton League. It was great to have four beginners on the line, and to see Mary, Sarah and Josh making it a family fun weekend.
Everyone made great progress with dramatically improved scores throughout the weekend. Our beginners went from mid-double-digit AQTs to 150s by Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, range rules had us begin shooting at noon. We had a productive morning of dry-fire practice, finding that comfortable position with correct steady hold factors in prone and sitting positions, followed by the KD lesson. We broke up the Grind after the third AQT with some flour-filled balloons as reactive targets. They certainly reacted!
Kim (Oddsreven), who has persisted and continually progressed through four Appleseeds, achieved her Rifleman qualification with a 212 on Saturday, followed by a 210 on Sunday. She immediately asked for an Orange Hat. It was an honor for me as SBIT to present Kim with her patch and hat. Kim went to work right away, helping to instruct and calling the line for an AQT and a Redcoat. We welcome her to the Virginia instructor corps with a loud Huzzah!
We hope that all the students will apply not only the marksmanship skills they learned, but also their appreciation for what their forefathers did on that fateful day, by actively participating in their government at all levels. Remember, voting is the very least you can do, and if you want to own your government, you have to act like and owner, and you must raise your voice if you want to be heard.
Thanks to all the students for being attentive to safety on the line. We had no sweeps or late/early firing at all. Thanks to Izaak Walton League of Lynchburg for hosting us at their beautiful park.
I would like to applaud every one's effort during this event. Instructor and student alike. FiremanBob has now rounded the bend to becoming a ShootBoss. oddsreven has gotten set up on the Appleseed trail, and everyone else improved their skills greatly over the weekend.
We certainly hope to see everyone back- and don't forget to bring those friends, neighbors and family members.
sgtmace -Tim