...And It's in the Books!
Another incredible Appleseed at world famous Good 'Ole Bay 7 inside the the shooting paradise known as CCFSA in Wilmington, OH. That's short for Clinton County Farmers and Sportsman Association where Project Appleseed basks in the wonderful hospitality that Southwestern Ohio is all about.
We had us one Huzzah shoutin', Redcoat shootin', AQT droppin', Rifleman producin' machine going this weekend and frankly it was hard to stop. Nineteen fantastic Americans turned out for the best marksmanship instruction the world has ever known and, man, they turned in on! When the smoke cleared Ohio had itself FIVE, that's right Five, new Riflemen and two re-qualifiers in it's ranks.
Saturday afternoon offered the chance for one official AQT and Chrystal, Grant, and Robert all answered the call. Chrystal with a 215 (first AQT, 1st Appleseed BTW), Grant and Robert each with 211, and Evan re-qualified with a 215. That was enough for one day! The Redcoats were so scared we almost had to shoot 'em in the back as they tried to turn and run away!
Sunday was even more intense. Grant poured it on from AQT #1 and kept on scoring. 211- 224- 222- 234. I think there was another but we lost track! Greg re-qual'd next with a 213 then honored us all by accepting an Orange Hat under the forum name "Owl1" and joining the instructor team that already included the new IIT Ben as "DocHolliday."
Frank had been quietly creeping up until he blasted through with a 215 for Rifleman number four and then it happened...
After slogging through AQTs for nearly a fifth of her entire life, showing slow and steady improvement each and every time, overcoming the pressure of fierce competition with her own brother...
...10-year old Michelle brought one home scoring a 211 and making us all as proud as we can be! AWESOME shooting Michelle! Great Job!
And so we regretfully closed it out. The Redcoats tried to mount a charge but we cut them to pieces and everybody rode off into the sunset Rifleman strong and AQT proud.
Other great shooters deserve a mention. Matt H. was so close he could taste it- as were Ross and Kevin. Greg impressed with his never-give-up attitude. Nolan, it's your turn, buddy. Show us how it's done next time! Matt N. and Mark will turn in a score before long for sure. Jay, Mitchell, Luke and Ian just need persistence and practice to bring it home. Don't give up guys! And thanks to Chester for giving everything he had.
You all were great to shoot with and we hope to see everybody back on the range soon- with a friend!
It was a great weekend. What interesting and glorious weather for June.
Here are some photos of the opening of the event and when we started getting the readcoats on the run.
So proud of my kids once again. They are surpassing me as riflemen and learning the the skills and history taught at Appleseed isn't just fun and stories but real history, real people, and real lessons. Michelle got her scores over 210 first and there really was little hope for Nolan that day after that. I'd rather have a column of redcoats marching at me than have the kind of pressure that was put on him knowing he was going to have to ride home with her. But he stuck it out and posted high 100's the rest of the day. We will get it next time. I'll post some pictures from our first Appleseed and this one. Big thanks to the instructors and volunteers that make these events possible.
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Starbucks82,
I am proud of you and your children. Nolan and Michelle are troopers, for sure.
Tell Nolan that we will help him as much as possible when you visit again. We want to see him succeed in his goal but, there is no pressure. We want to make sure he is having a good time.
If they know of any stories of Revolutionary War children, it would be really nice to hear their thoughts.
Take care,
Matt
Wow, sounds like a great event. Great event and my congrats to all who participated. Well done Wilmington. Corvette
Wilmington is always a great time. The weather was SO weird, but welcome! We missed the hot lunches at CCFSA. And Nelson!
I enjoyed watching our new Riflemen fight their way to a patch, but having Michelle grind through the AQTs all weekend and getting it done at last was the best. I felt bad for Nolan, but I think he's one event away.
Jeff, Darren, Matt and Ben were a quality instructor crew. Ben and I were able to requalify thanks to Darren doing extra line boss duties. And Jeff and I decided to "walk the walk" by clearing Sunday's final redcoat.
Darren took some of these pictures I'm posting. Thanks Redleg!
Until next time!
What a fantastic weekend of sowing the seeds of liberty in Wilmington, OH! The weather cooperated very nicely and all shooters showed great improvement as the weekend continued.
Below is Ohio's newest crop of Rifleman, our newest Orange Hat, an "action" shot of the line, and a pair of great instructors!
Well done all. Looks like you all had a fantastic weekend. Great to see that our instructors showed that they still have it.
Corvette