This past weekend, twelve intrepid Appleseeders stumbled into the Sidney Paul Gordon Range (Otero County's hidden gem!)
-- somewhat zombified from the previous day's Pistol clinic: https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=58414 (https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=58414) --
to
gorge themselves on instruction, and
feast their brains on the Appleseed Way!
This IBC was an absolute blast :))Old-school IBC? Maybe the Old-school is the best school!
This was a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, Maggie bar-the-door kind of IBC.
Classroom? Air Conditioning? PowerPoint? Who needs that!
We had shade, a cool breeze (at times), our manuals, and friends -- and that made it a fantastic time!
In the rugged landscape of Alamogordo, our group forged the kind of camaraderie you might only find between the closest of friends - on a battlefield, perhaps - or a sauna.
These are the kind of friends that have your back. Friends that hydrate you when you look a little red. Friends that remind you of why you're part of this amazing project in the first place.
You know, Appleseed friends. :1luvu
Oh, before I continue this AAR, I'd like to point out a few interesting facts about Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the Sidney Paul Gordon Range:
- Alamogordo, NM is home to the worlds largest Pistachio. Really. It's enormous!
- The word Alamogordo translates to Large (Plump) Poplar (like the tree). Or Fat Alamo, if you're from Texas :)
- The Sidney Paul Gordon Range is NOT in Alamogordo, but next door in La Luz
- There is a magic tunnel nearby, dug through solid rock, that will absolutely blow your mind (Cloudcroft, ftw!)
- The Range Master at the Sidney Paul Gordon Range is Mark, and he is all sorts of Awesome
- New Mexico's Appleseed contingent is FANTASTIC
But most importantly - Everyone - EVERYONE - learned something O0Saturday started with donuts and sausage biscuits, and things just got better from there!
We pledged allegiance to Old Glory, then sat down to learn what it means to be a good Appleseed Instructor!
We had handouts, of course, and each student got to demonstrate POIs with some of the best in the business.
Safety presentation - Check! Safe Rifle - Check! 6 Steps - Check! Slings - Check! Prone POI - Check! NPOA - Check!
Whew - Time for Lunch (A pair of 4' long Submarines from a local Deli!) Hey, a visit from Mark! And Uncle Chuckie!
Move on to IMC, Standing, Seated. Then Rifle Familiarization, and we closed out with a hamburger/hotdog cookout - ROCK IT!
Sunday, after some of the best breakfast burritos known to man, we started with 3 hours of Appleseed at the range, with our students doing Safety, Calling the line and RSO duties.
It was an honest-to-goodness Appleseed shoot! Can't say much about it except that we got to score the Hits Count! target in a new and exciting way :)
Lunch was some awesome pizza from - no kidding - "Spaghetti Western", and leftover chips, then it was ON TO HISTORY in a big way.
Unfortunately, like all good things (and this AAR), the IBC had to come to an end.
As we packed up to leave, I couldn't help but think how grateful I am that I live in America, that I have the freedom to do these things, and that I got to know such wonderful folks!
Jim/Ghostring
What an amazing team! and I am so glad that hotairbill and This range opened up for us to have an awesome event. Although most of us felt like camels (storing water) we did survive! And as the other AAR for the pistol clinic says "What a blast!" Never a better crew than those in the southwest especially NM. I hope to see all of you again soon.
An Appleseed weekend to put up against the best of ‘em! Good people always make for good times. The IBC gave us all a great opportunity to learn from each other and practice some teaching. Now I just have to sort through my 5 pages of notes! I also was able to get some evidence (photos) to prove that this event did, in fact, take place. Huzzah!!
Before we started, a new Appleseed Flag was presented to the Simon Paul Gordon Range Complex and HotairBill. Thanks for saving this event!
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And although they aren't new to Appleseed, we had some new volunteers step up to finally claim their "hats". I can't wait to see these guys out on the line!
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Everyone worked their butts off on Saturday. The New Mexico State Coordinator (Mrs. Smith) presented some New Mexico cadre patches and a group photo finished up the day.
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New Mexico Cadre Patches!
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Day 2 of the IBC started with red, green and gray hats down on the mats while IITs ran the line and tried to fix some bad habits!
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Every IBC I've attended has been amazing in a different way, and this one was no exception. I mean, every other one was in JANUARY!!! Late May in the desert is nothing to trifle with, but everyone maintained an excellent attitude, despite sunburn and a bit of dehydration. Jim wasn't kidding; no matter how much you think you're drinking, it's NOT ENOUGH.
Sigh... so much fun. I love you guys :1luvu