Fresh off a week filled with fireworks, cookouts, and American flags, we had 17 patriots join us at the Interlake Sporting Association in Redmond, WA. These men and women were ready to hear the message of Liberty, and to be reminded that while July 4th is a very important day in American History, April 19th is at least as important!
On Saturday we told the Three Strikes of the Match that caused the Revolutionary War to erupt in flames. Our shooters learned about the sacrifices that ordinary Americans just like them were willing to make to protect the Liberty of their posterity - us! We reminded these patriots that it is their responsibility to make sure that the American Revolution - that set of radical, revolutionary ideas - does not end with the present generation.
Oh, and I guess I should mention that we taught them how to shoot :)
Our first Hits Count target on Saturday showed that this was a group of shooters who had been dry practicing before they came to the event. We showed our shooters the fundamentals they need to build stable positions, how to fire by-the-numbers, and how to find their Natural Point of Aim. Shooters were quickly shooting groups in the 6-8 MOA range, and were ready to learn IMC.
On Saturday we were able to shoot one AQT, and Jake scored a 230 (with iron sights) on his first ever attempt at an AQT! Congratulations Jake on your Distinguished Rifleman qualification. Your practice and persistence before the event was evident, and I hope you'll join us again to continue to improve.
Sunday we reconvened, reviewed the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship, and got into shooting. Shooters were showing so much progress that we were able to get in an AQT before the Known Distance presentation at lunch! We were also fortunate to be joined by Washington's newest IIT, alexh1001, who taught our shooters about the Rifleman's Bubble with admirable simplicity and precision.
To break up the AQT grind in the afternoon, we had shooters team up for an "Encounter at the North Bridge". Teams of shooters engaged peppermint 'officers' and 'enlisted' in a friendly competition - and did us proud! In this 2-minute engagement, half of the 'officer' peppermints were successfully engaged, and the peppermints beat a hasty retreat away from our cadre of ordinary Americans - showing that nearly 250 years later, Americans still know what we are about!
Sunday also saw us mint 3 new Riflemen. Congratulations Mat W., Deniz, and Ezra on earning your Rifleman patches! We had several requals, including Jeremy who challenged himself to requalify with a bolt-action rifle, and achieved Rifleman again with a score 222! Alex and Ian (IIT and Instructor) both requalified at this event as well. Our youth shooter Ayden proved he is a Marksman with a high score of 159, and I believe he will score Rifleman one day soon with practice and persistence!
For those of you who did not score Rifleman at this event, remember that a Rifleman persists. You heard stories of Samuel Whittemore and Hezekiah Wyman, both crack shots in their own right. I promise you that they had to persist to become marksmen worthy of talking about nearly 250 years later. Keep up your dry practice and you will continue to improve. I hope to see you back at one of our events in the future (especially if you bring someone new with you!)
Shooters, THANK YOU for joining us at this event. Please remember to share your experiences here with other folks in your life, and invite them to join us at a future event. Remember that it's your responsibility to carry on the legacy of the American Revolution, and the American tradition of Marksmanship. And of course, you're always welcome to volunteer with us to help our shared history come alive and inspire your fellow Americans ;)
To Doc Sporseen, IBorche, and ultragtr - THANK YOU for volunteering to work this event and for making it such a success. Our shooters are incredibly fortunate to have such experienced, patient, and dedicated instructors, and I am incredibly fortunate that I get to work with you all to put on events like this.
A special thank you to Interlake Sporting Association for hosting us this weekend. Without ranges like yours, we don't get the opportunity to reach new shooters with the message of Liberty. Your continued support over many years is greatly appreciated, and I know the members who joined us were thankful to find an event like ours close to home.
And now the pictures!
Ultragtr covers Sight Allignment
(https://i.imgur.com/vnyXX89.jpg)
Doc Sporseen and Ultragtr teach the prone position
(https://i.imgur.com/yAs9DXb.jpg)
CaptainRebop teaches IMC
(https://i.imgur.com/WufIDBb.jpg)
Ultragtr and CaptainRebop teach open-legged sitting
(https://i.imgur.com/AvtJvPL.jpg)
Doc Sporseen and ultragtr teach the standing position
(https://i.imgur.com/SI3BsxS.jpg)
IBorche gives a presentation on flintlock firearms
(https://i.imgur.com/TpPXAzU.jpg)
IBorche and CaptainRebop ready their flintlocks for a volley
(https://i.imgur.com/IgNtzTm.jpg)
Jeremy requalifies as a Rifleman with a bolt-action with a score of 222!
(https://i.imgur.com/zRYRicZ.jpg)
Mat scores Rifleman!
(https://i.imgur.com/TW97CDc.jpg)
What an amazing weekend. Thank you to everyone who ran the course, Interlake Sporting Association and all my fellow attendees.
Very proud to have earned a patch and spent quality time with great people :)