Hey all
Sorry I could not make it there :'( Believe I would be there if I could ,I have heard it is a good turn out O0.
Wade
Ok all I know so far is folks are camping in the Snow there (at lest its not the normal Rain O0 ) .
And over 20 but less then 30 ppl,,thats about all I know,,,,,Now how about a flash report from some one that was there Im waitting and will get back some time this month &)
Wade
Well... It was cold... And wet... And cold... Dragon Wood is gonna need a week or so to thaw out.
We had around 30 or so shooters for day 1. The cold and wet is slowing things down a little bit. (Kinda hard to get back to the line quickly when you sink into the mud!) But we are expecting to see riflemen and riflewomen tomorrow.
WISH YOU WERE HERE WADE! I'm gonna try to do justice to Hezekiah Wyman and Sam Whittemore tomorrow, but I don't for a moment think that I can fill your shoes!
So one more flash report before I go thaw out.
Day 2 was cold, snowy, and a heck of a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we saw what made all the hard work and frostbite possible.
Wade's DAR has produced two more Riflemen. Excuse me. RifleWOMEN.
Nadia, who had never really shot a rifle in a serious course of instruction. Whom this week is taking the oath to become an AMERICAN CITIZEN. That's right folks, she has chosen to adopt this humble little chunk of dirt in the world as her home. Somehow it seems fitting that this young woman will become an American Citizen as a RIFLEWOMAN.
Sue, who before this weekend, had NEVER fired a rifle before. She overcame technical issues to not only learn how to shoot a rifle, but to become a RIFLEWOMAN. She was an instructor's dream. No bad habits to break, but merely a blank slate that could be taught how to shoot the Appleseed way. Well, she learned alright, and is now a proud RIFLEWOMAN.
We had several who showed marked improvement.
One example, a young man named Chasen. I got to score the last AQT he shot. He improved throughout the weekend, and shot a 191.
Sal, who fought through equipment issues to improve throughout the weekend, but never quit.
To all the IIT's and Instructors who made the sacrifice of their weekend to come grow some new Riflemen (RIFLEWOMEN), thank you.
To all the shooters who made all the hard work and cold well and truly worth it, THANK YOU.
Day two..... about half as many shooters........and about half as many degrees....Fahrenheit that is....
while yesterday it was snowing on the way up to the shoot today it was icy...
Trying to reinforce NPOA with shivering shooters. Telling the story to a crowd huddling for warmth. wallowing in the mud demonstrating positions.
As Fred says "there aren't any bad Appleseeds...the shooters, each and every one of 'em, thanked me and promised to show up here and chime in.
Shooters??????Is there anybody out there??????
Wheeler44
The IBC was a grand success. (I believe we had many IBCs this weekend, so look for reports from all over!) Minted a few new IITs who are well on the way to forming a great NW team, which when linked to the CA contingent will plant seeds from BC to Mexico. Congrats to the grads!
The pre-dawn drive to the range yesterday was an eye opener. Lots of slush, huge snowflakes, and freezing rain in places. But the day went well, just a little rain after we got started, temps in the upper 30s.
Wade would be glad to see his range decked out in a covered shooting line! Thank goodness for easy ups, plastic sheeting and duct tape!
The shooters all hung in there through the day, ignoring the conditions and learning all they could. Sure wish I could have been there today to see Nadia get that patch! Congrats to the new Riflemen!
Now I'm back in the 'real' world, and wishing I was still among Riflemen. JB
Hey all
I really wish I could have been there ,it really sounds like it was warm compared to here in Denver low last night -19 and yet another snow storm coming in ,looking at replacment truck today with a bigger sleeper witch meens I will be able to keep more then 1 Rifle with me :D :) .
Glad it went well wish I had been able to improve the range before the shoot that was my plan,,,,,
Wade
Wheeler, Ambulance Driver, Junior Birdman, Kool-Aid, Polar Bear, Dragon Wood, Earl, and my apologies to any instructor I missed...
This was my first Appleseed event and it blew my hair back! And the weather was perfect.
I need to mention again; my sincere gratitude for taking time out of your life, for your country, and to meet us newbies in the snow [and mud] in Castle Rock, WA. to teach us how to be a rifleman. It is men [and women] like you who are true patriots, who love their country, and have a profound love and respect and loyalty for her and recognize what our founders sacrificed.
Thank you for sharing those important dates in our nation's history and thank you for telling those stories of our history the government schools fail to mention. IMO, those history lessons are equally important as learning to be a rifleman.
I am officially hooked on Appleseed! It is Tuesday and my adrenaline is still going strong. My goal is to earn my patch at the next shoot and then go on to become an instructor to carry on the tradition and educate my fellow Americans. I will help promote the Appleseed Project to the best of my ability.
Ambulance Driver: Thanks for the suggestion on that shooting jacket. I just placed my order for a 2XL RH and can't wait to get the book - Fred's Guide to Becoming a Rifleman.
Last weekend was the most phenomenal experience I had in recent memory - it EXCEEDED my expectations. I especially appreciated the level of professionalism of the instructors and their commitment to safety and attention to detail. Thank you all again for your selfless acts of patriotism and I will see you again soon...with others in my circle of influence.
Wade, looking forward to meeting you at the next Castle Rock event and thank you for setting up an Appleseed. You did a my-t-fine job with that backhoe O0
In liberty,
New York
Shooters??????Is there anybody out there??????
Wheeler44
My co-worker and I had a great time on Saturday and we both regret not being able to show up on Sunday. Thanks to Wheeler, Polar Bear, Ambulance Driver, and the rest of the instructors for truly top quality instruction. We both learned a lot and are looking forward to more local events in the future.
Regards,
phlii
I am looking for a way to send all those chilly pictures I took. So how does one do that?
http://wmearl-justthelibrarykeeper.blogspot.com/2008/12/who-were-sunshine-patriots.html
That is my snippet on my blog, but I have been busy fighting the weather and need to catch up at work, I do need some email addresses to send the pictures.
The Castle rock Appleseed was very informative and very fun. Weather be damned! We had it easy compared to our forefathers. Whenever I am miserable, I simply think how easy I have it.
Thanks to all the instructors who drove from far and wide. Thanks to the other appleseeders, who learned important skills and inspirational history.
I shall see you all in Monroe. wheeler, if you need something, I could help out.
(http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr229/Wheeler44photos/20081214Line.jpg)
A little undercover one on one
(http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr229/Wheeler44photos/DARDec142008.jpg)
The line boss, the line.
Sorry it Took me a while to get back to this.
I attended the first day of Appleseed as a new shooter. My experience was a pleasant one (minus the cold and mud but pain is weakness leaving the body right?). I enjoyed the one on one time with a few of the instructors and i could see marked improvement in my own scores once i got more comfortable shooting and was able to establish NPOA quickly and more easily. In addition the instructors were very helpful to me and those around me in offering suggestions and tactics such as "when you go back, what is one thing you are going to work on?"
I will definitely attend more Appleseed shoots as well as continue shooting when I get the chance (being a college student means very little time for much other than school, work, and some friend time). It was a great experience and has opened my eyes to the world of shooting.
I would just like to conclude, though it was talked about at the after action report, the time it took to get through the events. The instruction seemed to drag on with numerous "and one more thing" 's as well as a lot of standing around at the target line as the instructors tried to get to every shooter and explain or try to show insight as to why the spread was in such a way. Being a new shooter, toward the end of the day, i got tired since it seemed to drag on with not enough shooting. Or at least not as much as i would have liked being a new shooter eager to practice, practice, practice. When we got around to the unofficial AQT, we hardly had time to shoot (getting one minute for the fourth set of targets versus the regular allotted 5 for example).
Overall, it was a great experience for me and I look forward to shooting again with you guys in the future!