What a challenging and inspiring Appleseed we had this weekend at Cardinal Shooting Center, in Marengo, Ohio. We had eight shooters answer the bell Saturday morning even though the weather forecast was terrible. It was very much a family affair as most of the shooters were related. It took some time to setup in the morning as we worked to post tarps on the back side of the shoot house to stop the rain from blowing onto the equipment line and the shooters.
After the welcome and the safety briefing, rifles were brought to the line and the Saturday morning Red Coat was shot. This was followed by instructions on the steady hold factors in prone, the six steps and NPOA along with related shooting drills. All the shooters were bearing up well with the on and off rain and wind that occurred all day.
Squares targets were shot and IMC was presented. Sights were adjusted and it was time for lunch. Thankfully, the range gave us access to a meeting room and we could get in a heated space and dry off from all the rain we fought. The first Strike was presented at lunch and we returned to the range for more work.
After lunch, we worked on the steady hold factors in seated and offhand with related drills. The weather forecast said that it was going to get worse in the late afternoon so we skipped the Second Strike at the afternoon break and pressed on to the practice AQT.
After the practice AQT, we shot the Saturday afternoon Red Coat and broke down the line early to beat the heavy rain that was coming. All the shooters moved to the cabin I had rented for the weekend for a combined Second Strike, Third Strike and a call to action. The day ended with the shooters fighting heavy rain on the way to their cars.
Well, Ohio weather can be fickle. The front came through and the rain and 50 degrees on Saturday turned into snow and 20 degrees by Sunday morning. And, in addition, we had a steady winds from the north west.
Four shooters arrived Sunday morning to challenge the weather and their skills and we kicked off Sunday with a safety review, review of the Points of Instruction from Saturday and the Sunday morning Red Coat. The weather was brutal.
One of our shooters cleared the morning Red Coat but had to retire as he had lost all feeling in his hands. The rest of the shooters pressed on. We shot five AQTs on Sunday and all the shooters pressed forward with a great persistence.
While we did not make any new Riflemen, there were a number of great scores. Thanks to the Cardinal Shooting Center for hosting our event and thanks to all the shooters for sticking it out in terrible conditions. Thanks to Cadence, Crazyduckhunter and Cactus Jack for working this event with me. You guys are the best.
Corvette
The Cardinal Shooting Center was definitely something to see. What a huge shooters paradise. This venue has something for every shooting sports enthusiast. A big shout out to the range for hosting an Appleseed event here. Without ranges like this the program would really struggle. Thank you.
WOW. The weather was brutal. Three seasons (fall-winter-spring) over the course of the weekend! And, if there ever was a windy season we had it in abundance. So glad we broke down the line somewhat early on Saturday before the really heavy rains moved in to wash us away.
A big shout out to the shooters that stuck with us through the weekend. Hope that everyone is able to attend another event soon and hope for better weather next time.
Mother Nature - Thou art a fickle Bit cruel taskmaster. The weather conditions were brutal to say the least. I've dealt with wind, rain and cold before, but not quite in the intensity and combination we received this weekend.
A good group of shooters that persevered through those conditions and showed great improvement and promise. Please come back and join us again (hopefully under more pleasant weather conditions). There was great potential in this group.
Special thanks to Doug, Jake and Ron who came back on Sunday to endure more of mother nature's wrath and try for the Rifleman's patch. Had it not been for weather conditions, I'm sure we would have made some riflemen this weekend.
As always, it was nice to work with a great group of fellow instructors, Shoot Boss - Corvette, CrazyDuckHunter and Cactus Jack, who helped make sure the shoot ran smoothly and safely despite difficult conditions.