This was only the second event at this venue, and many from the first event attended this one. The instructors and 19 attendees gathered in the nice air conditioned clubhouse for instructions and history. It was especially gratifying to see a father with four of his children among us. And one of them, Jade, shot a 191. When they all return for the next event, she will earn the Patch, and I expect some of the rest of them will too.
Two fathers brought their young daughters to shoot. Another father brought his young son to shoot. And there was a mother with two of her children; all shooting. Her 13 year old son, Boaz, shot very well from the beginning and earned his Rifleman's Score. O0 This family stayed until the conclusion Sunday and then had to immediately begin driving several hours to Texas. That's dedication.
All the children were good shooters, very well behaved, and very safe. It was a pleasure for all the instructors to work with them.
We didn't get to an AQT Saturday but several were shot Sunday. Josh repeated his earlier Rifleman Scores with two 239s. KD was presented at lunch Sunday and it elicited several questions and comments.
The shooters, adults and children, were very interested and serious about learning and many, perhaps all, will return for future events. They also offered good comments on the history.
And they did all this good work in spite of the blistering Tennessee heat. We are grateful for the air conditioned building. Some had to return to it occasionally for rejuvenation.
Several photographs were taken. I hope they get posted here.
I really enjoyed working with everyone at the shoot. Boaz was a "man on a mission" and I am very impressed with his progress. I think we'll probably see him in an orange hat someday. There were some people that were "knocking on the door" of Rifleman and I am sure that with some practice, they will earn patches. I can speak from experience that once everything comes together, you will have an "aha! moment". I took some pictures from Sunday.
The event was wonderful with amazing teachable students and a cohesive, experienced group of instructors. The venue was wonderful and a great addition to Tennessee Appleseeders.
A really great event! The shooters were motivated and everyone improved. Congrats to Boaz for getting his patch! He said he had been practicing at home and it showed. Several of the other shooters were close. It got a little hot but everyone did fine. I didn't get any pics this time for some reason. A really good group who listened and persisted and really paid attention to the history portion as well. Hope to see many of them return.
Thank you everyone that came out! This was our 2nd Appleseed event at Waverly. It was great to see familiar faces of both students and instructors, and especially exciting to meet new ones! Several adults from the previous shoot brought their kids this time, and no doubt they will be back with more friends the next time!
The air conditioned classroom is certainly the biggest plus for the Range lol! Between instructors and students we had more than enuff canopies to cover not just the gun line but also the Shoot Boss table, parts of the gear line, and resting areas.
The American Legion Hickman-Patterson Post 34 opened its hall's doors for the Instructors, hope y'all enjoyed your stay at the Legion Inn. We ate at one of my favorite places in town, Samuel's on the Square, where we're had a fine meal and enjoyed comradery and fellowship.
Great job Boaz on shooting Rifleman! I believe I saw improvement, in one form or another, across the entire line. I know Jones is knocking on the door of Rifleman, it'll get there Brother! Josh is focused on improving his standing and is all over the 235-239 trying to get his Distinguished patch. Hoozah! It was warm, had a few that needed to drop back and hydrate, and the drills took a toll on some of the more senior students lol, but they stayed attentive and positive, Pat and Mikey way to persist gentlemen! Can't wait til the next one!
Thank you again to all the Cadre! I'll catch y'all out on the Trail!
For the Mission,
S@A
Thank you guys for coming out and running another great weekend. I always feel so incredibly special and blessed to have you guys giving up your weekends to come help us learn a valuable skill. It's very humbling. One day, I hope to do the same.
This was Noelle's first time. Seeing the patience and understanding with which you instructed her was wonderful. She hasn't shot a lot. She was DONE pretty early Sunday with sore elbows and feeling overheated. But we got her cooled down and some better elbow pads and got her back on the line. I think her shooting actually got worse as she tired, but she learned a lot, and surprisingly, is excited about going again. We had to borrow a 10/22 (Thanks, NavyDoc), as what we brought wasn't working. So, she's been helping me build out a 10/22 for her and her younger brothers. Hopefully, we'll be done soon and get it out to a range. And we got some new elbow pads. We're prepping for next time.
I've been talking with Toby, and he and his kids are looking forward to next time as well, strategizing and prepping to overcome or eliminate some of the challenges that they had.
Anyway, we're looking forward to next time. If you host it, we will come!