AAR Newark, Ohio July 21 & 22, 2018

[Corvette]

Wow, what a great Appleseed. The weather forecast was terrible. Rain and thunderstorms predicted for the entire weekend. But, through both days, the storms went north and south of us and we had a dry weekend.  We had 18 shooters arrive Saturday morning to take on the Appleseed challenge.  It was a mixed group with several father son groups, a father/daughter, a mother/son, several repeat shooters and a group of The Well Armed Women who all were ready to take on the Appleseed challenge.

Saturday morning started with the normal welcome and safety briefing which was followed by the morning Red Coat.  Results indicated that we had some work to do with only 6 of our 18 shooters putting three rounds in the 100 yd target and not much beyond that.   However, we did have one shooter, Sam, who cleared the Red Coat.

Instruction on the steady hold factors, the six steps and IMC followed and the shooters pressed on.  Before we knew it, it was lunch time.  The First Strike was presented at lunch and we were back on the line for NPOA instructions, instructions on steady hold in seated, standing and related drills.
The Second Strike was presented at the afternoon break and it was soon time for the afternoon Red Coat. 

Good progress was evident with 8 of our shooters putting three rounds in the 100 and 200 yard targets.  The day ended with a great Third Strike by Rattlehead and a call to action by Corvette.

After we had broken down the line and moved to the clubhouse I had the pleasure observing a very special moment. One of our father/son combinations on the line joined us in the clubhouse with the purpose of cleaning their rifles from the day's shooting before they went home.  Watching the father coach his son on how to clean his 10/22 was a very special pleasure for me. 

Sunday dawned and all but one of the shooters returned for Sunday's work.  After a safety and POI review, we were back on the line for the morning Red Coat.  The team showed that they had worked hard on Saturday with 9 shooters qualifying at 100, 8 at 200 and 6 at 300.  After some NPOA drills and carding the sights, we moved to a practice AQT.  This was followed by our first AQT of the weekend. We had two shooters show that they were "men that knew what they are about".  Congrats to Jim and Sam who both shot Riflemen scores of 215 and 220 respectively.

The KD lecture was presented at lunch and we continued with more AQT's after lunch.  Jim backed up his 220 with another qualifying score and the other shooters showed improvement. We wrapped up the event with the Sunday Red Coat and brought a successful weekend to a close.

My thanks to Rattlehead, Shep, Haley Beth, Goodoldfriend and Chevyshooter for helping work the line.  And, thanks to Dillon Sportsman Center for hosting another great Appleseed.

Corvette

[Corvette]

 

[goodoldfriend]

I only took one photo...
This happened at lunch. The other bay was very active and this participant wandered onto our berm. Seems like they are totally used to all the noise and activity.

Sorry about the orientation. I could not find a way to delete the post and fix it.

[goodoldfriend]

One more thing I want to add...
I want to thank Corvette for the coaching he gave me when I asked for some help. By following his advice I was able to improve my score on the last AQT I shot.
Also, I was able to get off all my shots on the AQTs I shot, even with a bolt rifle. Appleseed instructors are right, it can be done. I was even done with a few seconds to spare on my 2nd attempt at the 2nd stage.

I also want to thank all the patriots I met at this event. Your perseverance and attitudes are what make me grateful to have an opportunity to participate in Appleseed.

Please remember, a rifleman persists. Keep working on these skills and you will hit the mark.

[Corvette]

Photos from shoot.

Corvette

[Patriot12]

I learned  so much this weekend about history my rifle and our heritage. I want to thank all the instructors for their patience and instruction. I will work hard to get better. It was a pleasure shooting with you all! See you at the range! 

[Corvette]

Patriot12,

Thank you for coming, we look forward to working together again at a future event. See you on the trail soon.

Corvette

[Red79]

Thank you to Corvette, and to the rest of the instructor cadre for a great event.   As this was my second event, my first was 3 years ago, I expected a smoothly ran event and was not disappointed.  Most impressive though was the staffs handling and accommodation of new shooters and shooters young and old.  The shooting sports can be frustrating, particularly in the hot summer months, but it seemed that everyone had a positive experience due to the efforts, planning and guidance of the instructors.  While it probably sounded like I was dying getting into and out of the prone, and I was, I had a great time.  HUZZAH  to the staff for a job well done! 

Looking forward to seeing everyone again in late Sept 

Jim

[Cactus Jack]

I just wanted to thank everybody for the warm welcome and look forward to getting started in an upcoming event.

Thanks again!!!

Cactus Jack