Ahhhh, October...Such a beautiful time of year in Wilmington, OH. Fall colors, cool mornings, fluffy-comfy shooting jackets and pumpkin spice AQTs. It's the weekend we've all been waiting for!
Seventeen grateful patriots turned out for the final Appleseed Rifle Event of 2024 at the venerable Clinton County Farmers' and Sportsman's Association range tucked in behind historic Wilmington Airfield (once known as Clinton County Air Force Base) just south of the town for which it was named.
They signed up for the marksmanship but were blown away by the history and heritage; as is the fate of all Appleseeders we must conclude. And what a weekend it was!
Before the chill in the air burned off Saturday morning we were treated to the First Strike of the Match and it was on from there. Good 'ol Bay 7 is no stranger to the scourge of the Redcoats and their siege took hold early, threatening to last all day, until Doug put them in their place in convincing fashion. From there it was on to the blocks of instruction.
We cranked open the firehose, always a challenge for those not in the know, and our regiment absorbed it like future Riflemen should. We honed our skills on those little squares and, before we knew it, it was time to engage our first AQT!
Doug and Michael both posted identical re-qualifier scores of 215 and we again faced off against those Crimson Clowns of the Target Line where they got the upper hand and retired to the high ground to taunt and threaten us all night long. What savages!
We limped back to our vehicles and headed for the relative comfort of our pillows to regroup and come out swinging in the morning.
At the crack of dawn Sunday it was obvious that this day was going to be a scorcher! After a few drills and squares the temperature started to climb but so did the scores. Everyone with a trigger to squeeze made a most valiant effort with fantastic improvement being showed by all.
Nick, Doug, and Michael set a furious pace, each attempting to top the others. Michael was the state of perfection, nailing the Rifleman score each of the six times he tried but it was Doug who took home "final high score" of the weekend with a very impressive 235!
Everyone kept it up through the relentless sun and it was Mike J. who became the latest Rifleman in the known universe with a 215 on his second attempt of the weekend.
So many shooters were close to joining him. Eugene and Joe B. just need a little more dry-fire practice along with Dan and Jim. It was great to see Michael, Sara, Rylee, Malachi, and Eli show such enthusiasm for the cause and who could miss Nancy and Susan pounding away at it all weekend. Dan kept up with the pack and it was great to see Russ and Joe C. put their all into it as well.
Overall a great crew of safe, attentive students who will, no doubt, remember this weekend for a long, long time.
Our sincere thanks to the RWVA Instructor Corp without which no floggings would be delt and no history would be felt. Irreplaceable and unmistakable! And to the CCFSA range, board, and members. We love you guys and cherish the opportunity to use these fantastic facilities! Three HUZZAHs to you all!
Until next year,
In Liberty!
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Introducing the newest Red Hat Instructor....
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Congrats, Octopus! Thank you for your contribution to the program. :beer:
What a great weekend. I left the event with a some new friendships. Congratulations to Octopus for his Red Hat. It is a lot of hard work to earn it. You made the Points Of Instruction look easy. I look forward to seeing some of you folks again in the future.
Here are some pictures I was able to snap over the weekend: https://imgur.com/a/e2a0YeB
geek
We can't thank you all enough! The family had a great time and learned more than we expected. Your program was outstanding and it couldn't have been run more professionally. All of the instructors poured into all of us and gave great advice. The whole family is wanting to take what we acquired and practice, so we can return and shoot for the rifleman patch! We all very much appreciate everything you all do. Mike, Sara, Rylee, Eli and Malachi
Congratulations on another great shoot, and special congratulations to Octopus, well done!!
Could NOT have asked for a better weekend! My heartfelt thanks to all the shooters who sacrificed their time to spend a weekend out in the heat and learn a bit about the history and heritage of our amazing nation.
Poppadent, thank you for bringing the family out and we hope to see you all in the future.
Nancy, safe travels and prayers as you make your way back home and into the teeth of another hurricane.
Octopus, congratulations on your red hat! You are a huge asset to our instructor corps and I look forward to many more events with you.
Congratulations also go out to Mike, our newest rifleman and all those who cleared Redcoats over the weekend! Job well done!
Quote from: Poppadent on October 08, 2024, 09:29:41 PMWe can't thank you all enough! The family had a great time and learned more than we expected. Your program was outstanding and it couldn't have been run more professionally. All of the instructors poured into all of us and gave great advice. The whole family is wanting to take what we acquired and practice, so we can return and shoot for the rifleman patch! We all very much appreciate everything you all do. Mike, Sara, Rylee, Eli and Malachi
Thank you for the kind words, Poppadent. We'd love to have you join us at our next Appleseed.
V/R,
Octopus
Quote from: Shep on October 09, 2024, 10:59:30 AMCongratulations on another great shoot, and special congratulations to Octopus, well done!!
Thanks, Shep. It was a great weekend. I'm just hoping we hear from our newest rifleman, Mike, what rifle he picked out for his reward! ^:)^
Attentive participants.
This was a great weekend. It was wonderful to see everyone out drinking from the firehose of liberty.