Well, it happened again!
An amazing group of shooters turned out on a perfect weekend for a glorious Appleseed at a spectacular range- none other than the Clinton County Farmer's and Sportsmen's Association in Wilmington, OH. Good Old Bay 7 was the scene once again for eighteen awake and ready Americans to accept the challenge of saving our great country through History, Heritage and Marksmanship!
The firing line was nearly filled to capacity Saturday morning when the first Redcoats fell. The precision instruction administered by the Ohio Appleseed Instructor Corps was intense and breathtaking but the students soaked it all up. Before we knew it lunch time was upon us and Griffin delivered a rousing First Strike of the Match that he would follow up with the History Trifecta before day's end.
It was at this point when the shooters got down to business. Groups were tightening and the enthusiasm was rising like the mid-day heat. We crushed a practice AQT then posted one for real. It only took that one for our returning Riflemen, Forest and Phil, to re-qualify with a 218 and a 220, respectively. The afternoon Redcoats showed marked improvement and we called it a day!
Sunday broke with the threat of rain but the promise of more great shooting. A quick review of the important stuff and it was full on! Those morning Redcoats didn't have a prayer when Benjamin took up the challenge and cleared our first! We drilled on some squares for NPOA practice and Brian and Cathy were figuring it out. The Beckley Boys, Micah and Josiah, were lookin' good along with their dad, Benjamin. Joe, Stephen B., Andrew, and David had the right stuff and enthusiasm to boot while Eric and Stephen K. were making every shot count.
We had high hopes for Sam with some fine shooting Saturday but as the heat started to take its toll it was Will who led the charge and became our newest Rifleman with a 217. But, alas, it was to be short lived. A rousing Team Drill set the stage for a final charge. Leo proved that persistence pays with a 211 on the last AQT of the weekend and we lined up for a decisive battle with a company of Redcoats. When the smoke cleared it was Forest who knocked one down and we declared it a victory!
Thank you to all our shooters for a very productive and enjoyable Appleseed. Your enthusiasm was palpable and that makes instructing fun and rewarding for us all. Special thanks to a fantastic group of instructors. This program and this event could not be a success without you. And our deepest thanks to the people of CCFSA- The Greatest Range in Appleseed!
We'll see you next time- HUZZAH!
It amazes me how quickly these CCFSA weekends zoom by once we get into them. This was a fine group of shooters and patriots. I enjoyed working with each one and was happy to mint some new Riflemen before the weekend was done. Jeff and I each had our favorites as to who would strike first and my money was on Leo and he had Will. He won the "bet" but my horse came in during the final AQT. I was also pleased to see Benjamin perforate a Redcoat in textbook fashion. The weekend was glorious, the history was fresh and very well done by Griffin in his IIT4 work, and all the instructors were great as usual. I have posted a picture of my happy face on Saturday morning as we got started and of Benjamin with his Redcoat. See you at CCFSA in October!!!