Can there be a better way to open the new year (for many of us) than to spend the weekend with fellow patriots at Logan's Ferry in New Kensington? 11 loyal Americans (including several first-timers to an Appleseed event) came out for beautiful weather (if you don't mind a little wind).
We opened the day with our safety brief, then brought rifles to the line so that the students could show what talents and abilities they had brought with them. A look at the first Redcoat showed a wide range of skill levels, from those who had probably earned their Rifleman patch at a prior event to those who came to learn some things that they might not have been exposed to before the event.
We moved right into the basic foundational areas, including the Steady-Hold Factors, the Six Steps to Firing a Shot, then going into NPOA. Explaining that the main difference between the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Empire State Building is a good foundation helped to reinforce the need to master the basics. And master them they did.
Before the weekend was over, we had two new Riflemen and three re-quals. We also had three clear the Redcoat and earn the Pennsylvania First Regiment patch, with Larry clearing it all four times and taking home the only "Full Weekend, No Miss on a Redcoat" patch that I have awarded in the two years that I have made them available. In addition, by the end of our event, nearly half of the team had become Riflemen. You don't want to tangle with this group in a competition.
Taking a break from the AQTs, we shot a team event mid-afternoon on Sunday. Breaking up into three teams, each team member was allowed a single round (sounds kinda like Morgan's Shingle, doesn't it?) with no time limit.
The only pressure was what each team member put upon themselves. We posted a scaled-down 100-yard target for each team and let them go for it. By the conclusion, there were 10 holes in the 5 rings and 1 in a 4 ring. Two teams tied for a perfect score and the winner was decided by the one that had no shots touching the outer line of the 5 area. Our winning team members were presented with the seldom seen by highly sought Appleseed sticker, suitable for application to a gun case or ammo can.
We concluded our event with the firing of the Memorial Volley, then the final Redcoat.
Thanks to Logan's Ferry, for hosting our event, to our instructor team for coming out on the first truly beautiful weekend of the season, and to our student cadre, for attending. Don't forget to come on back and bring a friend. :snipersmi
If anyone has any additional photos and would like to post them, please do so. :pics:
A few photos...
Starting the day with the safety brief:
Working on the basics and building a good foundation...
Teaching Known Distance
Trying to hold the white-board so that it doesn't blow over for the third time...
Great Day, Great Group, Great Friends. Who could ask for more. And here is to our fearless leader.
Alway nice to see the people at Logan's Ferry.