When it comes to the weather there's nothin like a perfect weekend for shooting to remind us who's in charge of the big picture! The magic gravel dust of Good Ol'Bay 7 at the Clinton County Farmers' and Sportsmen's Association in Wilmington, OH was the benefactor of some Devine Providence that was certainly reminiscent of the one-and-only, great American kind that graced this very land some 250 years ago (and counting.)
In a year that has seen more than the average amount of rain and snow and wind and cold our 17 awake and ready Patriots emerged from their caves of hibernation to a glorious spring Saturday for a round of semiquincentennial American History, Heritage, and Marksmanship at the hands of the renowned RWVA Rifle Instructor corps.
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The Redcoats never saw it coming in our first engagement and that was the fuel we needed to light the fire of Liberty and make some serious headway into the world of marksmanship. After a rousing First Strike of the Match and the all-important safety lessons we did what they were begging us for and opened up the fire hose!
The groups were looking good across the backer board and even those who needed the best coaching in the business to tighten theirs up had a great teachable vibe that was truly contagious and wonder to behold. The Second Strike of the Match at lunch time made us feel unworthy of the sacrifices (as it always should) and rekindled that spirit we all needed for a great finish to the day.
Through the swirling storm of shifting hips and swapping mags we finally posted our first AQT and got the reward we were hoping for. Teresa Achieved the title of World's Newest Rifleman with a squeaker at 212 and was joined handily by requalifiers Doug and Nick with dual 226 scores along with Saturday's high of 231 turned in by Nate.
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That was all we could stand of this marvelous day so we took on another company of Redcoats and sent them running.
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Sunday morning broke with a few clouds and some chilly temps but that didn't cool the enthusiasm one bit. We cranked out a thorough review and took to the line bright and early. I'm pretty sure the Redcoats saw us coming this time for they made quite a stand but no-one seemed to mind because the scores started flying high.
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Nick blew us away on the day's first AQT earning a Distinguished Rifle patch at 240 and Michael stepped up with a 218. The second go-around produce yet another first time Rifleman as Susan proved that persistence is key with her 214. She really lit it up later on with a fantastic 232!
Holding down the left flank, Jeanne laid down rounds with a smile on her face while Joe and Kathy were hard at it and Terry was giving it his all. Sophia was taking in all she could and putting it to practice and Steve and Doug had determination that made us proud. Adam was letting it all soak in while Nancy was trying a fresh approach to her shooting style. Eric was holding down the right flank on his centerfire adventure making every shot sound like a grand HUZZAH!
The pressure was building to get in those high scores when suddenly Matt qualified for a North Bridge Baptism squeezing in at 210!
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Soon it was time for the highly anticipated Memorial Volley. An amazing silence overtook Good Ol' Bay 7 as shooter and instructor all stood in reverent honor of our fallen heroes from that fateful day so long ago. Even the creatures of the sky seemed to rest in quiet respect. The names were called and our shots rang out along with those of our Appleseed brethren around this great land in deep and heartfelt gratitude. It is our hope that we remember their sacrifice for all eternity!
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Then, in order to properly celebrate the Liberty we hardly deserve we quickly split into three teams of five for our Sunday team drill. The challenging Parker's Revenge Target was enthusiastically engaged and the winning team each chose the deck of Appleseed playing cards from the infamous bag of "Fabulous Prizes of Unspeakable Value."
Our awesome weekend came to a close with one final redcoat battle and it's safe to say that, unfortunately, the enemy currently holds Good Ol' Bay 7. We'll have to fight it out with them in June!
Our sincere thanks to the members and board of CCFSA for their unwavering support of the Project Appleseed program and our events. This truly is the greatest range in Appleseed. And, of course, special thanks to our instructors and students for a safe and memorable event.
See you next time!
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Enjoyed working with each and everyone of you. Great job Teresa!
What a FANTASTIC weekend! After a chilly start, I don't know that the weather could have been much better this time of year.
Congratulations to our newly minted Rifleman, Teresa and our latest Distinguished Rifleman, Nick! A hearty job well done to all the requalified Rifleman as well!
It's always a pleasure to work with shooters who approach the weekend with an open mind and show significant improvement over the course of the event. Job well done to everyone out on the line and hope to see you all out again!
I was one of those 17 awake and ready Patriots who emerged from my cave of hibernation to this glorious spring weekend. And while I have yet to obtained that glorious status of Rifleman I did "Clear a Red Coat". :1luvu
This is a great bunch of instructors and with their help I hope to achieve Rifleman status next time. My scores have been improving and I know it is possible for me to do so. Hazah!
@Longrifleman, is that how you spell hazah? ;)
Such a great weekend for an Appleseed. It was my privilege to work with all of you Patriots and share in your accomplishments and progress - just wish I could have been there for all of Sunday's events. Hope to see all of you on the line again, soon.
Another busy weekend. My heart goes out to the 1st timers as they learned "Rifle marksmenship".