Jefferson County Sportsmen's Association never disappoints, anther great event in the books. Twelve shooters joined us Saturday under clear skies to learn marksmanship and heritage. A few shooters, and even a rifle were firing their first shots ever this weekend they were so new, which we love to see. The group kept up with the pace well but after Saturday's AQT we knew Sunday still had room for improvement, individual improvement and persistence being all we ask for.
Sunday came with much cooler, cloudier skies and the occasional rain made for somewhat more challenging conditions. Many shooters had prior commitments on Sunday so our numbers dropped off the desire to learn remained. Great improvement from the day before was measured on the hits count target and shooters took the pace of the day as best suited them. Andrew's first AQT was a 107, and by the end of the weekend he'd gotten up to 206. Returning volunteer Shadow Catcher took the weekend high score of 207, just shy of requalification but full of enthusiasm and excitement after a few years away.
Scores so close to that 210 threshold can be the most frustrating for both shooter and instructor and leave us wondering if just one more AQT would've made the difference. While we will never know that for sure, I can say all shooters walked away having learned something about themselves, maybe something about their equipment, skills to practice at home or with friends, and most importantly, their shared heritage. I look forward to seeing you all back next time!
It was so good to be back to Appleseed. I had a great time seeing the changes to the format, and found it to be a very comfortable return, although I'll admit these old bones were out of practice. I was glad to shoot a 207 after not shooting an AQT in 3 years, but like so many others I'm chomping at the bit to do better! I knew that was my best score of the weekend because my performance started back down after that knee in the curve. I also have recruited 3 friends for November, so even if my shooting was not back up to snuff yet I think my enthusiasm was contagious! My thanks to all who attended, both students and instructors, it was a well structured and run weekend and very friendly as well.
Shadow Catcher (Norm)