Click on the link at the end of this to see a select group of pictures!
The Marlette Sportsman's Association hosted its 21st event! The club grounds were well prepared and ready for the weekend. The shooters were well prepared as well! This event was sold out with twelve shooters. One was attending his very first Appleseed event. Nine were repeat Pistol clinic attendees. The instructors also came prepared and the history was fantastic!
The key to earning a Pistoleer™™™ Patch for most students is persistence. It is not easy, and it takes a mastery of grip, stance, and trigger. You must focus on the fundamentals, maintain the right mental toughness, and conquer exhaustion and doubt. Seven received the coveted Pistoleer™™™ Patch! Those that fell short were very close.
Craig showed that he was prepared with a 241 to earn a Pistoleer™™™ and a Distinguished Patch too! Nice job earning the high score of the weekend. Craig also gave a rousing speech about our flag generating applause from the entire group. Very nicely done!
Jerry scored a 229 on his first PQT. He followed that up with a high score of 232. Jerry was also the proud winner of the "Speed & Accuracy Fun Shoot" with 7 shots on a 7" Circle at 7 yards in 2.49 seconds. This fun shoot starts out with a 7 second par time. Almost everyone was successful and those that were, repeated with a 5 second par time. This group was not even challenged, and the par time was set to 3.5 seconds. Two remained and a new par time of 2.5 seconds was set. John's time with a centerfire was 2.33 seconds but one round was just out of the circle. Jerry made all seven shots on the 7" circle with 0.01 seconds to spare.
The Father and Son battle was a tie. Brad I had a high score of 232 for the old guys, just over Brad II's 228. However, going head-to-head, young Brad II won four out of five PQT's. I will let these two argue about who was the better shooter this weekend. Having a father and son on the line is always a treat and has special meaning as you hear about the sacrifices five fathers and sons made in Lexington on April 19th 1775.
Rob earned a Pistoleer™™ Patch with a 231. Rob, be sure to thank Kim for the cookies! Rob was also the photographer so thank him for the pictures. The Shoot Boss should have taken more pictures as Rob and his flight were underrepresented in the picture : (
Otto was a first time Appleseeder and he scored a 217 on his first PQT! This is not an easy task. To score above 210 on your first ever qualification test is an accomplishment. Great job Otto!
Dennis, attending his first Pistol Event had back-to-back 192's Sunday afternoon. Dennis made steady progress as his scores gradually increased by 70 points. Although he fell just short of a Pistoleer™™ patch, Dennis won the "Know Your Limits Fun Shoot" Dennis was the only one that knew his limits and had all shots on target. Nice job making steady progress throughout the weekend.
Ben would have loved to have a chance at one more PQT. He peaked at 197 with a hiccup on stage 2. It is not easy to have everything go well on all the stages. Ben was also kind enough (brave enough?) to stand up in front of everyone and talk about how to get involved in your local government. Thank you Ben for encouraging and inspiring civic involvement!
John D. shot centerfire all weekend and had an impressive average of 180. John shot very well on the fast stages. With just a few more points on the slow fire stage, John will have his Pistoleer™™ Patch.
Dan worked through numerous equipment issues but persisted through the weekend. If you add up the best stages over the weekend, Dan achieved a 186! I look forward to seeing you at a future event with your pistol dialed in and ready to run!
Husband and wife Tammy and Jason battled for household bragging rights. Tammy was the victor. Tammy earned a Pistoleer™™ patch at last years Kingston event but with a new pistol this year, fell short of a second patch. Household bragging rights are more important than another patch! Jason, well he looked good all weekend.
A highlight of the weekend was John V. accepting a blue hat. John reached out to me before the event and offered to help out. He, along with Otto and John D., Pookie, and Homerange, helped set up Friday evening. John V. continued to help throughout the weekend. He also shot a PQT and scored a 233 earning a Pistoleer™™ Patch! John has attending multiple rifle events and has a Rifleman Patch as well. John needs a forum name. My suggestion is "Centerfire" for qualifying on his first attempt with a centerfire pistol. If you have any suggestions, please share them below!
Three Huzzahs to Pookie, Superheat, Homerange, and John V. for helping to make this a safe, fun, and enjoyable event that included great story telling of the events of April 19th, 1775. Without great volunteers, these events do not happen.
Three Huzzahs to the Marlette Sportsman Association for allowing this event to be held in Kingston MI. Appleseed is a great program but cannot exist without supportive ranges.
Finally, three huzzahs for the students. The attitudes and active participation of this group was outstanding. Hopefully, the shooters enjoyed the weekend as much as the instructors did, and we will see you again at a future event. Please share your experiences with your friends and family and help get the word out regarding the quality of the Appleseed program!
Huzzah!
Rangerat67
A link to pictures!
https://imgur.com/a/xnynnTE