Las Vegas 1-24! was an amazing weekend with an enthusiastic crew, a great facility, and even a mascot named Benjamin Franklin. It was a perfect way to kick off the Appleseed Season! Before talking details, I want to thank Desert Sportsman's Rifle & Pistol Club for providing their clubhouse for the entire weekend. :bow:
I'll start with an "ice breaker", or maybe ice breakout, story. A winter storm swept through the South on Monday night before the IBC, causing hazardous roads for the entire week. The entrance to my neighborhood was barricaded on Thursday morning due to multiple accidents. Yikes! As luck would have it, temperatures warmed slightly above freezing and a light rain fell all Thursday night, creating just enough slush for MO to arrive in The Bat Mobile his Jeep to get us to the airport. Temperatures started falling as our flight took off and the area was ice-bound again until Sunday. This IBC was meant to be! O0
Saturday morning we were greeted bright and early by whangdoodle, Gasguy, derschneller, and ChaoticCrouton ready to get started. We talked about Appleseed Guidelines, characteristics of an instructor, pointers for telling history, and the standard course of fire. The group was well prepared and had several questions that led to thoughtful discussion. We demonstrated and practiced points of instruction (POI) and discussed organization of Appleseed before the day was over.
On Sunday we spent the morning finishing POIs then did my favorite exercise: History presentations. Each attendee gave a short history presentation and the rest of the group had an opportunity to provide feedback. It's always fun to hear unique approaches to the topics and it's a good exercise for managing time. In the afternoon we discussed strategies for effective coaching and had a group exercise in putting that into practice.
The NV crew worked hard all weekend honing their skills for the upcoming season. It was obvious first thing Saturday morning that they were already solid in their fundamentals and in their passion for the mission, which is a testament to their leadership. My hat is off to everyone that dedicated their weekend to improving their effectiveness as an Appleseeder.
Thank you again for everything you do for Appleseed and for making me feel welcome in the desert Southwest! :bow:
The entrance to Desert Sportsman's Rifle & Pistol Club
(https://i.imgur.com/ongdYGS.jpg)
Our mascot for the weekend: Benjamin Franklin
(https://i.imgur.com/DVAQQk0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YiNMPKa.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XspAnub.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZUa5SXm.jpg)
Love this pic of Gasguy:
(https://i.imgur.com/zbHdzo5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0agTJmI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AEzPFtM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6m9T3pa.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XzXmu6W.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x27q6GD.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sDekOzg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hILeW6M.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BS7r99Q.jpg)
^:)^
This was a great weekend of instruction. Working on incorporating it now for our next shoot 2/17 & 18.
Thank you for accommodating Benjamin Franklin joining me. He's a good pup, but too young for 2 full days. I am so glad I was able to attend.