Promotion of MO Shoots

[cmidkiff]

I got several calls last week asking about AS shoots in MO... seems they heard something about our shoots on the radio...  That would be Paulette, getting the word out for the Humansville location.  Yesterday, I get an email forwarded to me containing an article that will be appearing in the Boliver newspaper.  Guess who... yup, Paulette again 

Anyone know how we can clone us a few hundred more like her?

Article (in pre-edit condition) follows:

Learn marksmanship and American Heritage at Appleseed Shoot July 31
By Sarah West
sarahw@bolivarmonews.com

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association will host an Appleseed Shoot starting at 8:30 a.m. July 31 and Aug. 1 at a private rifle range , where particpants will not only refine their rifle technique, but will also learn about their heritage as Americans, range owner Paulette Wohnoutka said.

At an Appleseed Shoot, new shooters can learn the fundamentals of shooting a rifle. Experienced and expert shooters can polish their skills. Everyone learns about the start of the Revolutionary War, Wohnoutka said.

"I don't know what they taught me in school about the Revolutionary War," she said. "I doubt they gave me the depth of information that Appleseed provides at one of its weekend shoots. Instead of just the broad story, they talk about individual men and women and the part that they played. Paul Revere rode for 48 hours non-stop, changing horses from town to town. There were two other men that rode too. (GB Hmmmm...)

"There were parts that women played in the Revolutionary War," Wohnoutka said. "Soldiers' wives brought food to the battlefield. Nobody supplied the soldiers with anything. They had their own rifles."

The shoot offers the opportunity to learn the "six steps to firing the shot." The safety-conscious instructors walk the line, Wohnoutka said, teaching firing positions and proper sling use.

"It's a very orchestrated type of shoot," she said. "You learn marksmanship proficiency. Someone can come at any level of shooting ability or no ability."

Children will need adult supervision, but are encouraged to attend and learn a new sport, Wohnoutka said.

"I've seen kids on the line and they handle their equipment the way adults do," she said. "It's a wonderful discipline. Anybody can learn to shoot, if they just follow instructions, and anybody can become a decent shot."

Wohnoutka said she first heard about an Appleseed Shoot while searching the Internet.

"I had an old .22 rifle and never could shoot anything with it. Someone mentioned Appleseed. I said, 'I could do that.'"

She drove to Osage Beach in April 2009 for her first Appleseed Shoot, Wohnoutka said. She had no experience, but instructors told her that was great - it meant she had no bad habits.

"I attended four more shoots that year, then decided that it was such a worthwhile program that we decided to open up an Appleseed range on our farm," she said. "I'm getting to be a pretty good shot. A lot of the people who keep coming back - fine-tuning - become instructors themselves."

The instructors are volunteers who go through a year of rigorous training, Wohnoutka said. In February, Appleseed instructors trained 50 troops preparing to deploy for active duty.

"I think that says a whole lot," she said.

Hunters and former military have commented that they learned more in one weekend at an Appleseed Shoot than they learned previously, Wohnoutka said.

The cost to pre-register is $45 a day or $70 for two days. Walk-on fees are $50 a day or $80 for two days. Shooters should bring a centerfire or .22 rimfire rifle, 250 rounds of ammunition per day per rifle, eye and ear protection, mat or ground cloth, hat, sunscreen, rain gear, water, lunch, snacks and a desire to learn and improve. A sling is strongly recommended.

Anybody is welcome to attend the shoot, Wohnoutka said, and women, participants under 21, active military and Revolutionary War reenactors in uniform only pay the $5 a day range fee.

A special Ladyseed Shoot Sept. 4-5 will be for women only. Watch the BH-FP for more information.

To register, call Chris at (816) 468-1134 or e-mail MO@appleseedinfo.org.

"Come with a teachable attitude and you will not go away disappointed," Wohnoutka said.

[Fred]

   I agree. Let's clone her.