Winterseed weather
We always schedule an event in January so that everyone has an opportunity to get a Winterseed patch. Well this weekend for the bill. Saturday was tough as it was just above freezing and rained all day. Woke up Sunday to snow and cold. Arkansans are tough and no one left due to the weather. There was no "give up" in these folks. With a large group of instructors and just 4 of the registered shooters on Saturday, we were able to move through the instruction at a good pace. By afternoon, they were able to get a few AQTs in before we all headed off in our different direction for the night to warm up. I thought because of the overnight snow and iffy roads, that we would lose a few shooters to poor roads. Surprisingly all showed back up plus one that was only expected for Sunday. We moved through the recap of the instruction pretty quick and got into AQTs while the temps were still Winterseed friendly. It wasn't long before I was handing out some patches with icicles. What a great group of folks. Three drove down from Jonesboro to join in the fun and were a great group to hang out with. One shot Rifleman and the others improved steadily throughout the weekend. While they were not able to get a 210 or better, they persisted and improved all weekend. Quinncannon set they bar high by shooting multiple rifleman scores and earned a distinguished. Wrong Target Ken shot his best score yet with a strong 201. All instructors had opportunities to shoot if they cared to. The icing on the cake was offering one of the Jonesboro gentlemen an orange hat and him accepting it. This is great news as we are just staring to bring Appleseed to a new range in Jonesboro soon. Thank you Sophisticated Redneck for accepting the orange hat and I think you'll be an awesome addition to our cadre.
I can't say enough about our instructor corp. you guys rock. We were also grace with the presence of a blue hat from Texas. Tried to put an Orange Hat on him but he wanted to wait til he could take one from his home team.
You all made it very worthwhile to stand outside for two days in the rain, snow and cold. Huzzah
2022 is going to be Arkansas's year. Huzzah
Pics
I failed to mention that 3 of our cadre shot distinguished. Y'all rock
I enjoyed the weekend spending time with some of my favorite people! The instructors performed their tasks very well and the students absorbed the instruction diligently, in spite of the poor weather! Congratulations to the new Riflemen, to those who reaffirmed their Rifleman skill and to those who earned their Distinguished patch, Huzzah!
What a fantastic event at the VETS Shooting Center. Normally, we could be critical of the cold, rainy, icy and generally miserable weather, but as this was a planned Winterseed, it was perfect! It was very rewarding to see all the shooters make massive improvement and so many shooting expert and distinguished. In addition, two more shooters made the decision to become Appleseed volunteers and took an Orange Hat - welcome! SB Sticks asked me to take some pictures and post them here, so here ‘tix.
There was an hour or two Sunday when the sun came out and before the wind kicked up. Those two hours were a nice break from the rest of the weekend.
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More pictures coming . . .
Shooters and volunteers alike earned their Winterseed and/or Rifleman patches
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Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. - Benjamin Franklin
Another big surprise came when SB Sticks told us that two of our shooters wanted to take an orange hat and join in the effort to pass on American marksmanship and, more importantly, help to spread the message of Liberty. I was very proud to be there and look forward to seeing both of these shooters on the line soon! They were also presented with the coveted Arkansas Cadre patch as both were helping as doing line duties on Sunday! One of our new volunteers is a visitor from El Paso, TX and will "officially" take his hat with the local cadre in Texas.
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In addition to several instructors requalifying Distinguished, Papasi shot his first Distinguished score.
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These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. - Thomas Paine
Dang right he's getting that hat from me :P
Great job, Arkansas! But ya'll can keep that "cold" stuff :bow: this desert rat doesn't DO cold
Seriously, though, Riflemen persist, in all conditions.
Huzzah!
Believe me, we did everything we could to explain the obvious superiority of getting that hat from the "Arkansas Cadre . . . Most Awesome" but you must have put some spell or something on him. He wasn't having it. :)
Once again, I would like to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome. For me Arkansas is home, and Appleseed if a passion... it's good when I can combine the two. While I didn't make my best score, I was fortunate enough to requalify, and during a Winterseed conditions; very thankful for that. Another first for me was Rapid Fire AQT. We wont discuss the score, but it was definitely an adventure...
I was also happy to pick up a few more pointers on my Line Boss duties - thank you for that.
I seem to recall someone saying they were coming out to El Paso. I say come on out and join us for some good Mexican food. The scenery isnt bad either; you can see further than around the next tree.
Well done Shue and welcome to the mission. Huzzah!
Corvette
Well done Shue and thanks for supporting the mission. Huzzah!
Corvette
Wow!
Looks like an amazing shoot. Congrats to everyone especially those who shot Rifleman scores. Great job AR cadre
Quote from: Captain on January 17, 2022, 09:11:43 PM
Believe me, we did everything we could to explain the obvious superiority of getting that hat from the "Arkansas Cadre . . . Most Awesome" but you must have put some spell or something on him. He wasn't having it. :)
What can I say? The man knows quality. :cool2:
I had a blast (including a cold blast), as usual. Great crew though I didn't get to visit much with our new Orange hat. Time will take care of that. I love the Arkansas cadre and it's a joy hanging with you guys
Proud of our shooters that braved the elements and embraced the concept of "A Rifleman persists." Shout out to V.E.T.S. Shooting Center for be great hosts and our newest IIT! Honored to be a part of the Arkansas cadre.
Hello all, it was my first appleseed I attended, what a great learn experience.
Everyone was helpful and friendly, I'm already practicing and getting ready for next event in Jonesboro. Signed up already :D
Thanks to sticks for letting me borrow a rifle for second day and shooting mat. Thanks!
-Jaime