It was a great weekend at Double Tap Training Grounds in Calera, AL! The weather was good, our hosts Butch and Kim were awesome. Double Tap recently completed their bunk houses, so traveling shooters had a place to stay at minimum cost!
We had 15 shooters come together to learn the quintessential skill of marksmanship and hear the story of our heritage. All of our shooters worked really hard and many came SOOOO close to earning their Rifleman patch! I'm confident I'll see most of you wearing one soon!
Sherman - I hope your son is feeling better. A stomach bug is no fun at all. :(
Richmond & Rich - y'all were awesome to work with! Thanks for coming so willing to learn.
Terri - I saw your groups at the end. I think you're going to qualify at the next AS with your leaf sights!! ^:)^
Dennis, Danny, Brad... y'all are knocking at the door. Keep dryfiring and remember to relax into the sling!
To all the boys who came out, I'm proud of you and you're welcome back on my line any time at all!
I want to extend my thanks to the instructors who came out, especially RamblinWreck who came from Georgia. A special congratulations to Headshot Heather who earned her Red Hat at this event - it's well-deserved and long overdue! ;)
Double Tap will be hosting our RBC the last week of January. With a heated classroom and great bunkhouses for men and women, I think this is going to be a first-class event! I hope y'all can make it out!
in liberty,
Rusty
A few pictures... and the link to my Photobucket folder for the rest. Feel free to send me a note if you'd like a full resolution copy of any of my pics!
Group pic
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV149_zps2ed1a3c7.jpg) (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/media/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV149_zps2ed1a3c7.jpg.html)
Heather retiring her Orange Hat
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV145_zpsee2a2ad0.jpg) (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/media/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV145_zpsee2a2ad0.jpg.html)
The boys (minus Matthew :( )
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV1410_zps5e15caf4.jpg) (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/media/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV1410_zps5e15caf4.jpg.html)
A group shot of the Veterans, just before Veterans Day
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV1411_zpse3857342.jpg) (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/media/2014-11_CaleraAL/CaleraAL_NOV1411_zpse3857342.jpg.html)
Link to the photobucket album! http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/library/2014-11_CaleraAL (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/library/2014-11_CaleraAL)
Had an awesome time that weekend!
Great group of folks and very helpful instructors!
I really enjoyed the weekend with a group of shooters with teachable attitudes. Remember folks, a rifleman persists. ;)
Hope to see all of you at the RBC at Calera in Janurary.
HUZZAH!
Ramblin' Wreck
Had a great time - the weather was especially nice (it is mid-20s and spitting snow today in Indy...). Great group of instructors as well, and I was very glad that my Dad was able to get out there and experience the event as well.
-Rich
Dear Fellow Patriots,
I enjoyed spending the weekend with all of you. The weather was perfect O0. The Range and our hosts (Butch & Kim) at Double Tap Training Grounds was absolutely wonderful O0 O0. All of you worked really hard and your shooting skills improved dramatically over the weekend. I couldn't think of a better way to end this years Appleseed schedule. I hope to see you ALL again soon. I will include the pictures I took.
In Liberty,
AR-Mike
Attached is the pics from Saturday. If anyone wants a full resolution copy send me a message and I can email you one.
AR-Mike
Attached is the pics from Sunday. If anyone wants a full resolution copy send me a message and I can email you one.
AR-Mike
Here's a special set of pics for Headshot Heather. Heather was promoted to Full Instructor and received her RED Hat from Shoot Boss Rusty.
Congratulations Heather O0
In Liberty,
AR-Mike
What a perfect weekend for an Appleseed event! I really enjoyed meeting all of you. Richmond, your determination is inspiring. Rich you are lucky to spend quality time with your dad. It was good to see Danny and Dennis again after the IBC we attended last summer. Terri, I didn't know you are part of the MCP! Me too! Brad, you're knocking at the door of that rifleman score. Nick, thanks for persevering. Keep practicing! Alan ran into a few equipment issues but never gave up. Braden, I haven't seen you since Guntersville last August - good to see you're still on the road. Ben you did great on Saturday and I hope to see you on the range again. Tyler seemed to be having a great time, nice shooting! Thanks again to Rusty, Ramblin' Wreck, 4merUSMC1803, and AR-Mike for showing me how the pros do it. Mano3 it was great working with you. And Heather, congratulations on your Red Hat! Awesome. Thanks Butch and Kim for hosting us at Double Tap!
First off, HUGE thanks to Double tap for letting us come out and shoot/tell the history, and thanks to all the shooters for signing up and listening to us jabber on. You all were such a pleasure to instruct, and it was even more rewarding watching the vast improvements made over the weekend not only as riflemen and women, but as Americans and patriots. It gives me such satisfaction to tell the story and take in the reactions of the shooters when certain points hit. Those "oh my gosh, i'm such an apathetic American," wake-you-up reactions are what this program is all about. O0
I would like to give a special thanks to Rusty, 4merUSMC1803, and tlawley for their continued support and encouragement while pushing me outside of my comfort zone, as well as the much needed constructive criticism while I pursued my red hat.
Also I hope to see my uncle Dane, cousin mean machine, and brother lil lawley join the ranks of Lawley instructors real soon!
A personal note on earning my red hat:
When I first put on the orange hat I didn't think anyone would take me seriously. I still felt that way when I donned the red hat for the second day of this shoot, and when I later wore the red instructor hoodie all week, and right before I started writing this post. I am proud, yes, but still in disbelief that I finally earned it. Then I look at the men and women I've had the opportunity to instruct with, the same ones that taught/judged/graded/passed me as I made my way up the IIT ranks. The caliber of these men and women wouldn't allow me to stand next to them wearing this hat without question if I wasn't up to par. :bow:
With that being said, I am more proud and honored than ever to serve shooters and instructors alike. ^:)^