Another great weekend at TCSC in the books! 7 students made the pilgrimage out to be on the line for this two day pistol event on this warm May weekend. Everyone who attended was a previous Rifle event student!
Saturday morning's hits count target showed that there was skill present, but we also had some work to do. The class stayed attentive and soaked up all points of instruction. BBQ_Bandit captured everyone's attention with his rising telling of the 1st Strike. Many drills and points of instruction followed, along with a great 2nd strike by BBQ_Bandit. The end of the day Saturday wrapped up with a PQT, to which John lept out of the gate with a 230! This also turned out to be the high score for the weekend for the students! Everyone showed significant improvements on the hits count target (but alas, no one was able to hit that darned button).
Sunday morning's hit count target showed significant improvement over the prior days' efforts, and I knew that I would be handing more patches out by the end of the day. We started off the morning with a PQT (with many to follow). Afterward, we switched gears to the Big Dot Little Dot challenge, to which Kevin bested all the other rimfire shooters with a time of 32.84! John took the fastest time for centerfire with a 39.19!
Lunch brought on the 3rd strike, and in between PQTs we also covered a lot of ground with the Onion of Self Defense and holster considerations. Everyone showed significant progress throughout the day, and the whole class participated in ProgressNotPerfection's onion of self defense presentation.
I mentioned that I would be handing out a few more patches on Sunday and Kevin rose to the challenge to obtain one of them! He consecutively scored Pistoleer™ with a 210, 219, 214, and a 218. He knows very well what he is about!
First time Pistol Clinic student Simon also earned one of those coveted patches. He scored a 211 on the second to last PQT of the day. Simon made incredible progress throughout the clinic, and we're all proud of the great strides that you made!
Dynamic duo Donna and Bobby (repeat students from one of my pistol clinics last year) came back with some new gear and with a goal of improving their skills. Donna made SIGNIFICANT leaps in skill between the last clinic and this one, and I'm excited to see her progression as she continues along this journey. Bobby also honed his skills as well, and came oh-so-close with a 203! Bobby's got what it takes, and I'm sure I'll be handing him a patch at the next event that he attends.
Toni also made significant progress throughout the weekend. She started with a new to her pistol, and made significant strides right away. After some initial troubles, swapping to a red dot equipped FN 502 allowed her to take another great leap in skill. Keep at it!
Many time Appleseeders John and Joe persisted throughout the class, and kept things fresh by swapping out gear a few times. John attempted the PQT with a 5 shot revolver (he was able to get all rounds off within the time limit on every stage!), and also brought a .45 (God's caliber) to the line for a PQT or two. Joe was knocking on the Pistoleer™s' door throughout day 2 with many scores in the high 190s - with a subcompact 9mm! I'm confident that your next event will result in a patch.
That said, PQT scores aren't the only thing that matters - I'm so proud of the significant progress made by each and every one of you!
The last chance at Pitcairn's button proved elusive, and despite the challenges presented throughout the weekend, all the students ended the class on a positive note. As I said earlier, I couldn't be more proud of the progress made by each and every one of you - you were a fantastic group of students to guide through the Pistol Clinic.
I highly encourage you all to practice what you learned with both live and dry fire. Working under the pressure of the clock is something that some practice can also overcome.
Lastly, thanks to the instructors on the line for this event, and the host Club, Thurmont Conservation & Sportsmans Club, for a great weekend on the line. I also want to give a shout out to the TCSC volunteers that cooked the phenomenal grub that was offered during the Strawberry shoot on Saturday and Sunday!
Pictures are available in an online album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mQBdrqmZf8mHy7pv9 (https://photos.app.goo.gl/mQBdrqmZf8mHy7pv9) and will soon be posted to our Maryland Appleseed Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064405762810 (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064405762810)
I hope to see everyone on the line at a future pistol or rifle event!