By any standard, this was one of the most successful shoots I have attended. We had 24 shooters turn out: Their average scores were the highest I've seen. We minted six new riflemen; promoted one very deserving orange hat to red hat (yeah for SmoakingGun); promoted another instructor to IIT1; and had two new orange hats join the ranks in South Florida, a place where we really need BOTG.
We also had one new shooter -- and let me stress this, she never handled a gun before -- whose scores climbed all weekend, until she finally shot a 195 -- with a 47 on standing. Way to go Bella!
And all of this in a weekend marked by temps in the mid-90s, humidity thick enough to cut with a knife, and a monsoon that partially flooded the range. IAO!
OUTSTANDING! ^:)^
What's the deal with the goat anyway?
Well, some folks have lapdogs, and some folks have lapgoats<g>
We had several members of one family there and the family pet stopped by for a visit.
I only wish I had an extra small shirt...
tk
The goat belongs to Donna (Chuck's girlfriend) and her girls.
What a great shoot. Hollywood is bar-none, the best venue weekend. While the scores were great, the effort put out by the students was even better. Despite being held off the line and kept from shooting for an extra hour at lunch because of the monsoon, instead of dragging their feet when they stepped from the air conditioned classroom and into the 99.99% humidity, they were giddy to be back on the line.
Too bad the temp dropped a few degrees, an infernoseed patch may have been in order.
Did I say I really like this range?
It definitely was a great shoot. Glad I made the long drive down again! Great shooters, great instructors, and great venue -- it really is luxurious being able to tell Strikes in an AC'ed classroom. :)
Congrats to all the new Riflemen, and congrats to Smoak on the purdy new red hat!
Huzzah! Congrats Smoak!
This is truly a premium venue and I am thrilled that yet another successful shoot has taken place here. Who would have imagined that it would rain in Florida in the summertime? How deep did it get? As soon as we can get another event set up, we will open a lottery to see who gets to staff it! A hearty well done to all concerned--and I think a Red Hat becomes you, Smoak. Congratulations!
I would like to thank all the volunteers that made this event possible, especially the instructors: Tom, Gary, Smoak, Chris, Neil (who did I forget?). Thank You and Outstanding Job!
I'd also like to thank HRPC for hosting the event. It is an awesome venue.
HUZZAH to Smoak on attaining the Red Hat!!!
Thanks again,
- Jeff
What a great place to shoot! And always a great group of students and range staff. I'll be happy work every event at this location.
Some more photos from NeilEvan....
Gotta look out for those low girders...
Some more contributions from one of our shooters.....
Linda Dillon, the club secretary down in Hollywood, sent the article below in to the club's newsletter editor. She sent it to me with a note of thanks to all the instructors who gave their time to the shoot.
Just in case you haven't figured it out, the folks down in Hollywood are exceptional patriots who did everything they could to make us feel welcome. They have a great facility and an even better community of shooters.
We appreciate their support.
tk
"PROEJCT APPLESEED" AT THE HRPC
On June 7th and 8th, twenty-four men, women and teens participated in "Project Appleseed" held on our range. In the end, only six earned the coveted "Rifleman" badge, three who are our very own. Congratulations to Duke Marren and Donna Reed for their outstanding achievement, and a "truly amazing" to George Ordenes for posting the highest score of all. I think my rifle shooting experience rivals the average age of our Club members, and I did manage to be one of two (none of the above) who cleaned the "Redcoat" target; but, trust me, I came away quite humbled. We shot somewhere around 300 rounds, even at some targets that simulated shooting at 400 yards. Marksmanship, however, was not the primary goal.
"Project Appleseed" was established to ensure that the next generations will be able to enjoy the same liberties as the previous generations. As you know, today a large percentage of Americans do not bother to vote. Some pay no attention to what our politicians are doing, or not doing, and even more Americans seem to have forgotten that many of the freedoms we now enjoy came from the men and women who gave their lives during the Revolutionary War. "Project Appleseed" is designed to "re-awaken the sleeping American and encourage him or her to be more civic minded."
We extend thanks to Tom Kehoe, who was "Shoot Boss", and to Gary Juhl, "Professor Chris", Neil Evangelista, and "Smoak", the crew who assisted him. We also thank Wendy Wood who lent a hand on Sunday. Speaking about "Smoak", we congratulated him for going from an Instructor in Training, an orange hat, to becoming a Full Instructor, a red hat. A highlight for me was following the "Appleseed" tradition of allowing all participants to shoot at the retired orange hat. Best shots I had in two days!
With registration, every shooter also got a colorful t-shirt. For me it probably will be the most expensive t-shirt I've ever gotten, but the whole experience was worth far more than the $60. The history lessons were like none I've ever heard, and they left a lasting impression of what our forefathers went through to give us the liberties we have today. Also, no matter what type of firearm one uses, the six basic steps for shooting a rifle can be applied. In order, "Appleseed" emphasizes: sight alignment, sight picture, respiratory pause, focus (on the front sight and concentration in general), squeeze the trigger, and follow-through. Apply these principles at all times and improved scores are sure to follow.
Overall, participating in "Project Appleseed" was a fabulous experience. I strongly encourage everyone to participate in one of their events somewhere. Hopefully there will be many more opportunities to do so at the HRPC. Remember, as they told us, "The future is what we make it."