Every Project Appleseed event is different. Over a weekend the participants and volunteers create a little world of community, setting, events, and effort. True to form, this past weekend's rifle clinic at the Virtue of Defense Range in Old Fort, NC, was unlike any other I've ever experienced.
The shooters were all local to the area, an even mix of new Appleseeders and some returning after a break from the program. They brought great teachable attitudes to learn and improve. They actively participated in all the instruction with great questions. Rodney even jumped in to model a few positions for us on Sunday!
And they soaked up the marksmanship lessons! Many shot groups on Saturday started wide (or off the paper), but by the end of the weekend shooters were achieving admirably tight groups and solid shooting positions.
In North Carolina, Appleseed volunteering tends to be a family affair. With the Bulldog14 & Itech partnership and Cowtipper's enthusiastic vanful, we were well-supplied with no less than 10 patriots sporting Appleseed hats of orange, red, green, and blue!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the first day of this event was held entirely in an absolute deluge of rain. It could not have rained harder from the beginning straight through to the end of Saturday. Sunday's forecast called for a full relief from the rain, but that was fool's gold. It rained again Sunday, and we all stayed pretty damp. Despite the soaking paper targets, muddy shooting mats, and the cold drips down our backs, everyone's spirits stayed high. Hearing stories of the sacrifices of the founding generation of Americans helped keep our minor inconveniences in perspective.
Event highlights:
-Outstanding tellings of the Third Strike of the Match and Samuel Whittemore's story by Cowtipper. His delivery and wealth of details made us feel like we were all there in person to witness the events. I've never seen anyone connect an audience personally to the stories of Battle Road better than Cowtipper did. Huzzah!
-Samuel shot an AQT score of 242 to earn his Distinguished Shooter patch (after clearing his first hits count target).
-Tingaboo brought Sybil Ludington to life by telling her story in the first person by heart. She nailed it with the audience on the edge of their seats!
Let's do it again in Old Fort this fall, but maybe with a few inches less rain.
(https://i.imgur.com/eQ5h5tY.jpeg)
One stage, four different positions!
(https://i.imgur.com/Xbnjn4b.jpeg)
Rodney jumps in
(https://i.imgur.com/jIX44w4.jpeg)
The moving circle of fire closes in on the redcoats!
What a great shoot! I cannot wait to do it again!
Thank you to everyone for making it a very memorable weekend ^:)^