Throop NY May 28 & 29 2011

[Another D.O.M.]

I guess I'll get this started now that I've caught up (almost) on other things.

This was a fantastic weekend for Appleseeding at Throop!  It would have been even better if it were in August, as the temps and humidity were closer to those of August than to those of late May.

The forecast was for hot and rainy.  Even though we got the hot, we did NOT get the rainy, and I'm sure our shooters and instructors alike are thankful for that.

We were four instructors, with our Shoot Boss (Brickhouse) traveling all the way from West Virginia to ramrod this event.  I thank you, Bets, for helping NY to provide the Appleseed message to another fine group of Americans!  Thanks also go to vibbit and K-Wolf for their contributions to the success of the weekend.  It would have been very difficult indeed to have provided the level of instruction that we did without all of your combined skills!

There were five shooters on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, a very nice group for this range.  Experience ranged from "I've never touched a rifle in my life." to "I've spent some time in the military and know my way around firearms."  To my knowledge, all but two of 10 were new to Appleseed.

There was marked improvement throughout the weekend as attendees applied the fundamentals and improved their skills.  There were no Rifleman scores achieved this weekend, but our newbie shooter, Francis, was shooting 170s by Sunday afternoon, a testament to both our instruction methods and her hard work and dedication.  I was told that her nine-month-old had dad and herself up through all hours of the night both Friday & Saturday nights - and yet both were back early Sunday morning to face the challenges of the day.  This is what America is made up of.  And it's a very good recipe, IMO.

Pictures will be forthcoming - I saw both Brickhouse and Krisker snapping away with cameras during the weekend.

Thanks to all, instructors and shooters alike, for your dedication and support of Project Appleseed.  And thanks as well for helping us in our continued efforts to get our great country back on the track its Founders intended for it to travel!

OK, I'm done talking now.  Questions?  Comments?

[brickhouse]

ADOM, thanks for getting the ball rolling. I was a bit travel lagged upon my return last night. Thanks also to K-Wolf and Vibbit for the fine instruction provided all week-end long.

It was indeed an abrupt shift from late-winter to mid-summer weather. Shooters and instructors persevered through the conditions to show impressive improvement throughout the weekend. The morning Redcoat resulted in one lonely 100 yard shooter (tho' Ed's target had some decent groupings out of the red). The teachable attitudes and hard work on the part these five shooters resulted in one 300 yard shooter, one 200 yard shooter, two 100 yard shooters and two making the head shot Saturday afternoon! Just Damn!   

On Sunday, all five shooters from Saturday returned and five new shooters were added to the line. Nature's heat lamp cranked up another notch or two and baked all participants to a nice crisp.  All instructors cooperated to force fluids all day. K-Wolf provided a very much appreciated bale of drinking water for general consumption. Shooters and instructors all finished the day hot and tired, but adequately hydrated. Sunday morning four of the ten shooters qualified at 100 yards. The afternoon redcoat produced six 100-yard and three 200-yard shooters. One shooter also hit Morgan's square. It is amazing the level of improvement achieved by simply by heeding the fundamentals.  Awesome job all!

The hot weather and frequent water breaks both days provided many opportunities for all to learn a bit about our shared heritage. On Sunday, ADOM gave an entertaining and heartfelt presentation on the third strike and on (some other) Dangerous Old Men. Lively discussion was a hallmark of all the history presentations all weekend, which energized us all for further learning and application of marksmanship skills. A great group all round.

A special thanks to all instructors and shooters, many of whom traveled considerable distances to attend. All attendees had to demonstrate, shall we say, flexibility in sleeping arrangements Saturday night.  Two of the youngsters slept under cover at the range, another in her car, and others drove several hours to get home and attend to children left in the care of family. Yet, everyone made it back Sunday and persevered through unexpectedly HOT temperatures. It is gratifying to spend time amongst such those exhibiting such dedication and willingness to learn.

More to come. Pics shall arrive soon, but it may be a few days due to tech deficiencies on my part.