This Appleseed event was billed as "Day 2" of a regular 2-day event. So, all but one person (who had been advised of what to expect) had previously attended an Appleseed event. All were in good spirits in spite of the day starting with and continuing with heavy rain. which only lightened up near the end of the day. It was clear from looking at the first squares targets that many had learned and practiced for this event. The course of fire was modified to complete the safety briefing, move through a quick review, then some practice to lead up to AQTs right after lunch.
Since all but one had heard the "Three Strikes", history was started by leadslinger66 and Gator0246 (our new Orange Hat) each sharing a Dangerous Old Man story, followed by an expanded version of Elizabeth Zane, then a presentation of the "Battle of Kings Mountain". In spite of the weather, father/son Russ and Nathan shot respectable Rifleman scores, followed by John W, Steve, and John M. To prove it was not "luck", Steve shot Rifleman scores three more times, just falling short of the Distinguished Patch, with a 238! And, at the end of the day, John M requested an Orange Hat! Huzzah!
It was a joy having many young folks on the line, including a good representation of the Tate Clan. Thanks to the great cadre of instructors who were present to share their knowledge, and to Black Knight for assisting on the line and with many other tasks.
Great Group of folks
Riflemen
Review and practice
Our host
What an awesome group of shooters and instructors alike! And a great weekend despite the weather! Glad to have been a small part of it!
This group of shooters had the best groups I have ever seen on a Saturday morning. Huzzah to Russ, Nathan, Steve, John W, and John M for shooting Rifleman scores (John W scored distinguished twice with iron sights with a 232 and 234). My favorite quote of the day was from John M. When I told him his score, he asked "Does that mean I can get on the apple cart, now?" A double Huzzah goes to him for accepting an orange hat. I took a few pics.
A big Huzzah! To Evan as well. He was the lone shooter who had never been to an Appleseed, and since this was a "Day 2" event, he didn't have as much formal instruction as his contemporaries. In spite of that, he cleared the afternoon Red Coat! Evan, I know you will excel at your next full event. Hope to see you on the line again soon!
Quote from: leadslinger66 on November 26, 2019, 10:34:48 PM
A big Huzzah! To Evan as well. He was the lone shooter who had never been to an Appleseed, and since this was a "Day 2" event, he didn't have as much formal instruction as his contemporaries. In spite of that, he cleared the afternoon Red Coat! Evan, I know you will excel at your next full event. Hope to see you on the line again soon!
Huzzah! That is no small feat.
Definitely a great event full of shooters who were eager to learn. I especially appreciate all the little tips the Instructors gave me to help on my journey to instructor.
Love the Wears Valley Ranch range!!!
Even though it rained the entire morning (didn't even need push pins to hold the saturated targets to the backers) the shooters of this weekend maintained a high morale. We had some repeat shooters and several new ones as well and everyone was eager to learn. We had a surprise guest all the way from Alabama that morning, Maximum Ordinate! Always a pleasure to have border raiders come out for a visit.
I'm looking forward to all the 2020 Wears Valley events. I was a little leery when we switched it to a one day event a while back. But now I have come to really enjoy the shortened instruction. I think this one day setup brings out additional shooters that may not be able to make a 2 day event.
Special thanks to Cokeguy for the pictures. I didn't have a chance to snap many this weekend.