Sacramento CA 2010 June 19-20 AAR

[BaldDragn]

This weekend was a big learning experience for everybody! With a lot of help from Eaglescouter we decided we would take full advantage of the 100 yard range we were on, more about that in a bit.

WE had our newest and youngest IITs on the line Tank and Dani-O for the whole day Saturday. We also had new IITs PinBreaker, Hat Trick 123, and Draggin Wood. Eaglescouter, Jules, NorCal22Gal and I rounded out the rest of the staff.

We had 18 shooters on the line on Saturday and 13 shooters on Sunday. A couple of our shooters had never shot a rifle before and we were happy that half of the line on both days were ladies and younger shooters.

After the redcoats and one set of squares we broke for lunch, NorCal22Gal and I had the honor of sharing the First and Second Strikes of the Match.

After lunch we used a couple RFAQT targets worked from the bottom up to teach NPOA shifts, mag changes, transitions and seated and standing postions and the turned the shooter loose on the AQTs. The first run on the AQTs looked very good, we already had about 1/2 the line in the 170s. On the second AQT Adam added over 50 points to his first score to post a Rifleman score of 228! This was Adam's first time at an Appleseed and his second AQT ever. I heard a rumor that he was highly motivated to get the Rifleman score quick just to get Eaglescouter to quit bugging him.

17:00 and quiet hours were closing in on us so we had to move on to the Red Coats. Wow, this was the most improvement I've ever seen from a group of Appleseeders. On Saturday morning only 4 people out of the 18 qualified at any distance, 2 at 200 and 2 at 100, with one head shot. On Saturday evening we had 1 at 400, 2 at 300, 2 at 200, and 3 at 100, 5 headshots, and our 400 yard shooter (the new rifleman Adam) cleared the Red Coat, making every shot count!!! We ended Saturday in the shade, presenting Adam with his Rifleman badge, then the Third Strike and Benediction.

On Sunday we got in some Known Distance out to 100 yards. This was our first time doing any known distance at Sacramento and it showed. I have to give the shooters a big hand for their undying patients with us as we tried to work out the bugs in out plan. After one round of KD we returned to the 25 meter line to continue work on AQTS. We had several shooters knocking on the door. Rachel topped the 190s and Missy topped the 200s but shortly after that the heat started taking its toll and the scores leveled off. We took a break to run a cadence drill and returned to AQTs but no Rifleman score was to be had Sunday.

The Sunday morning recoats had showed even more improvement than Saturday afternoons with 13 shooters turning in 4 at 400 yards, 4 at 300 yards, 2 at 200 yards, and 2 at 100 yards and a cleared Redcoat by Kirk. Nearly everybody qualified at some distance! But even the Redcoats showed the signs of heat of the day as 10 of the 13 shooters qualified, but Rachel hung in there and clear the redcoat for us.

We followed up with the Sunday Benediction and started cleaning up. Then Phill (a 2nd time Appleseeder and Rifleman) asked me "What does it take to become an IIT?? ". I had completely forgoten to address the issue, not even heat is a good excuse for that. So I quickly ran over and grabbed an orange hat and presented it to him. We are looking forward to him signing onto the forum as "24volts".

We were all students this weekend and there is always so much more to learn, one of the great things about Appleseed.

Thanks so much to the students for being so kind as we go through our growing pains here in Sacramento.

[Jules]

This weekend was a big learning experience for everybody!

WE had our newest and youngest IITs on the line Tank and Dani-O for the whole day Saturday. We also had new IITs PinBreaker, Hat Trick 123, and Draggin Wood. Eaglescouter, Jules, NorCal22Gal and I rounded out the rest of the staff.

We had 18 shooters on the line on Saturday and 13 shooters on Sunday. A couple of our shooters had never shot a rifle before and we were happy that half of the line on both days were ladies and younger shooters.

After the redcoats and one set of squares we broke for lunch, NorCal22Gal and I had the honor of sharing the First and Second Strikes of the Match.

After lunch we used a couple RFAQT targets worked from the bottom up to teach NPOA shifts, mag changes, transitions and seated and standing postions and the turned the shooter loose on the AQTs. The first run on the AQTs looked very good, we already had about 1/2 the line in the 170s. On the second AQT Adam added over 50 points to his first score to post a Rifleman score of 228! This was Adam's first time at an Appleseed and his second AQT ever. I heard a rumor that he was highly motivated to get the Rifleman score quick just to get Eaglescouter to quit bugging him.

17:00 and quiet hours were closing in on us so we had to move on to the Red Coats. Wow, this was the most improvement I've ever seen from a group of Appleseeders. On Saturday morning only 4 people out of the 18 qualified at any distance, 2 at 200 and 2 at 100, with one head shot. On Saturday evening we had 1 at 400, 2 at 300, 2 at 200, and 3 at 100, 5 headshots, and our 400 yard shooter (the new rifleman Adam) cleared the Red Coat, making every shot count!!! We ended Saturday in the shade, presenting Adam with his Rifleman badge, then the Third Strike and Benediction.

On Sunday we got in some Known Distance out to 100 yards. This was our first time doing any known distance at Sacramento and it showed. I have to give the shooters a big hand for their undying patients with us as we tried to work out the bugs in out plan. After one round of KD we returned to the 25 meter line to continue work on AQTS. We had several shooters knocking on the door. Rachel topped the 190s and Missy topped the 200s but shortly after that the heat started taking its toll and the scores leveled off. We took a break to run a cadence drill and returned to AQTs but no Rifleman score was to be had Sunday.

We followed up with the Sunday Benediction and started cleaning up. Then Phill (a 2nd time Appleseeder and Rifleman) asked me "What does it take to become an IIT?? ". I had completely forgoten to address the issue, not even heat is a good excuse for that. So I quickly ran over and grabbed an orange hat and presented it to him. We are looking forward to him signing onto the forum as "24volts".

We were all students this weekend and there is always so much more to learn, one of the great things about Appleseed.

Thanks so much to the students for being so kind as we go through our growing pains here in Sacramento.

Ah, the Central Valley begins to swelter here at Sac Valley. Great news if you are a Sun Worshipper, or a reptile. Sadly, I am neither. Not a complaint, heavy sigh of exhaustion, or a crabby word was utterred by our shooters this weekend. We are blessed by stellar students here at Sac Valley, as well as our growing "Sac Valley Crew Intructor Corps".

I was humbled over a year ago when from S Cal came a van of Instructors to hold our first ever Appleseed. They gave us their all, encouraged us, taught us well, and........honestly, endured me. SS understood my physical limitations. Camljr understood a woman willingly relinquishing her kitchen to his talents, and V kindly helped me understand the meaning of patience, and a wretched scope of mine. The scope was a 'sacred mystery'; all thinking it had a 1/4 MOA adjustment. The rifle would fall apart monthly, I would fall apart monthly. V would calmly take me to another range to sight in the demon scope; and remind me that a 'Rifleman persists, perseveres,adapts, and  overcomes.' He also told me I "was a deadly shot with my words".  When the Rifleman score was finally mine nearly a year later, it was discovered the evil scope had a 1/3 MOA adjustment. Pfffft. I earned a new Bushnell Banner, and do not know where the original scope went, nor do I care.

I learned a lot about instruction from their example. How to engage a new shooter, how to encourage the woman who, at the end of Saturday is sitting in her chair with tears of frustration and pain streaming down her face. I learned how to impart patience, and infuse humor into the day, and how to cheer lead those shooters knocking on that Rifleman door.

Many of us today are sitting in a soggy heap, suffering the blow back of an Appleseed weekend. For those of you in our Sac Valley Corps, I genuinely want to thank you for your service. For those of you in the Southern Cal region, your example of selflessness and dedication to this program humbles me. You give and give and give, expecting nothing in return. I want you all to know, whether you are in CA or not, I thank you all. What we are doing is so very important, and we also know that many of the students we have do not completely "get it" yet. Most of us are not youngsters, and the sometimes "back to back" Seeds take its toll on us. I think the only one who whines is me. You, my friends, my family, are MY heros.

We had the opportunity to add KD to our event this weekend. With all it's "whoops, and acckkkks" it went smoothly, effectively, and not one person asked 'what the heck are you doing ?' It was able to come off, due to two men, staying up to the wee hours of the morning, brainstorming. They rock.

I met a woman who recently lost her husband on his 4th deployment. I shared with her the work that Appleseed freely gives to  our troops, and would she please write and share her story with her Representative and Senator? How many lives can be saved? Perhaps her husband did not have to give the Ultimate sacrifice, and she would have had him there on Fathers Day, had he WHILE AT WHITE SANDS gotten Appleseed Instructors.

Yes, this AAR post is not my usual "cheery rah rah". I know I am not the only one out there that feels totally drained, or like a truck has run over them. I am one of the fortunate that got to not only sleep in today, but has not left the house, nor intends to.

Thank you all for your service, thank you all for your time, and most importantly, thank you for your selfless example.

For love of Liberty,

Jules

[Johnnyappleseed]

Very well said Jules
Nice shoot !
JA

[NorCal22Gal]

What a weekend!  What a great group of shooters.  What a great group of instructors.

Toasty temps were cooled a tad by a wind that came through occasionally. Sometimes in the form of a dust devil which threatened to make off with targets, ezups, mats and sometimes it seemed the rifles.

Saturday saw the return of a few familiar faces and some new faces, all determined to learn what we were there to teach. So the firehose was turned on and away we went.  Having 5 brand new IIT's on the line was exciting.  Two were our new Jr. IIT's D'Annie O and Tank.  Watching these two gave us all hope for our future.  Hat Trick, Draggin Wood & Pinbreaker....off to a great start.  Hat Trick and Draggin Wood worked with two shooters who had never shot a rifle before...one of those never shot anything before.  Nice work gentlemen. 

Sunday's known distance was interesting.  Watching shooters have the light bulb of "oh this works here too!!!" go on was awesome!  Still some bugs to work out of the system but overall was a success. 

Seeing the determination on the faces of shooters as they began to put the pieces together and see their scores improve, groups improve.  There may not have been any rifleman scores sunday but many a rifleman in spirit came about....next time I bet Rachel and Missy and the others knocking on the door will kick it down.

It was truely a great weekend. Glad I was there.

[PinBreaker]

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