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Ottawa IL AAR - Sept 25-26, 2010

Started by Boba Fett, September 26, 2010, 11:41:27 PM

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Boba Fett

Another Ottawa shoot and guess what?  It rained. Can you believe it?  :o I know... shocking, isn't it? You can always count on some rain at an Ottawa shoot and you can also always count on meeting some great people and having a great time. This weekend was no different from any other. Great shooters, great Instructor crew, rain, and as usual... a great time had by all. We had 16 shooters on the line Saturday and 15 of those returned to persevere on Sunday. Saturday started out sunny and clear. By noon the clouds set in and by 2pm it was raining. Twelve of our sixteen shooters were brand new and in many ways that makes things easier for the instructors as we have fewer bad habits to try and break. Everyone listened very well to the instruction and EVERYONE improved immensely over the course of the weekend. Instructor staff was small but solid. Many thanks to Skyhawk for coming out Saturday to help out and to Pappy for joining us on Sunday. The Guy, myself and M1D rounded out the crew and all the bases were covered. I believe Skyhawk and MD1 both moved up a level in the IIT department O0 , but that will need to be confirmed by The Guy for it to be official.  :cool2:

Shooters... I truly enjoyed our time together. Reagan, Eleni, Caleb, and Logan... YOU KIDS ROCK!  It was a privilege to award you your youth patches this weekend. Wear them proudly. That's one patch us "old folks" will never be able to earn.

Congratulations to Illinois' two newest Rifleman: Matt Hutchisson and "Red"!  ^:)^ Don't stop now. Seriously... don't stop. Shooting is a perishable skill and we could really use your help on the firing line. Matt... really sorry your wife missed the big event. Please let us know what she said when you got home with the news.

Morgan... great to meet you. I look forward to seeing your ENTIRE family on the firing line next time.  :~
Mark... You have a couple of great girls. I really thought I was throwing out a pretty good "gotcha" question this morning with how many shots do you take if you have 5 rounds in the mag. Eleni (Your daughter) blew me away with being the only one to get it right and Reagan, being the youngest, did an amazing job as well. She was outshooting you wasn't she? ^-^  **) Hope to see your other two girls with you at some point in the future too.

Pete and Cindy, I got the feeling we haven't seen the last of you either. Way to go Cindy on nailing that head shot and the end of the day Sunday!!! Nice way to finish off the weekend.  O0

Everyone else... thank you for coming out and opening your minds to what we had to offer and your hearts to what we had to tell you about our heritage and why it's it's so important to remember those who died and "LIVED" to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. Keep thinking about it. Keep finding ways to live out your freedom. Say hello to your neighbors for me and be sure to invite them to join you at the next Appleseed.

See you all again out on the trail (soon I hope).

Boba Fett

SkyHawk

Yes...Ottawa and rain, two things you can count on.  But we can also count on a great AS experience.  There were so many new to shooting it is always encouraging to see our numbers growing.  All came with a strong desire to learn.  The firehouse of AS training was turned on full force and the shooters all drank.  The young ones and older ones alike.  Unfortunately I didn't have much opportunity to work with the folks on the left side of the firing line but what little I did see showed great progress being made.  As for the right side of the line where the kids were it was fun and inspiring.  To see them having gone from never having handled firearms before to understanding full well the safety procedures, to loading and firing with confidence is truly a sight to behold.  I was proud of all of them as well as for the fathers that brought them. 

Really sorry to have missed Sunday due to a prior engagement but am glad to hear the shooters at the far end of the line, Red and Matt H. both became riflemen.  Seeing their tight sighter groups on Sat. left no doubt that when AQT time came along they would be right there.

Sure hope everyone of those shooters who attended Ottawa will come back again to the AS trail.
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for"  Thomas Jefferson

LoveIs...DodgingHotBrass

This was my third Appleseed and I had a great time as usual.  Thanks to all the instructors for taking the time to come out and teach us.

My wife was very happy to see that I shot a rifleman score and agreed that I need to get a shooting jacket to put the patch on.  What can I say...I'm a lucky man ;D  Hopefully next summer she can come out again and get her patch.

--Matt

Wurstmacher

Why does she need to wait until next summer?  There are Appleseeds in October and November coming up.  Bonfield is coming up the weekend of October 9 and the firing line is covered!  Good shooting rain or shine!

Gumballhead

Quote from: LoveIs...DodgingHotBrass on September 28, 2010, 05:57:28 PM
This was my third Appleseed and I had a great time as usual.  Thanks to all the instructors for taking the time to come out and teach us.

My wife was very happy to see that I shot a rifleman score and agreed that I need to get a shooting jacket to put the patch on.  What can I say...I'm a lucky man ;D  Hopefully next summer she can come out again and get her patch.

--Matt
Congrats Matt!

Sorry I missed it.  Be careful to not upset Amy too much - she's a crack shot with all that brass!

Glad to hear you made it out again, and I hope to see you guys again soon.

tdubs

This was my first Appleseed and I had a great time (except for the cold rain).  I plan on practicing all winter and hopefully be back the first nice weekend of 2011 to try again.  Thanks again to Guy for letting me borrow his sleeping bag since I forgot mine at home.  I don't know I would have gotten any sleep Saturday night without it. 

Tim

LoveIs...DodgingHotBrass

You'll see us again.  The little lady went back to school this fall and that has been consuming most of her time.  When classes are out for the summer she plans to come back.

Spenser

Time very well spent, in so many ways.

The idea of mastering a worthwhile, definitively American skill ( well, starting on the path of mastery, at least ) while hearing again with adult ears the stories told in history classes of my childhood, all in the company of persons of integrity with a sense of mission made for a great weekend. Thanks to all...  I suspect I am not a typical Appleseeder in more than a few ways, but I got a great deal out of my time in the Ottawa rain. Another seed planted, and I plan to return with friends.

And maybe even shoot a little straighter.   ;)
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool..."

-- Richard Feynman

SkyHawk

#8
Thanks for coming out Spenser and glad it was time well spent.  But as thinking your not a typical Appleseeder not sure why not.  Other than a love for country AS'ers come from all walks of life.  Maybe its the part of hearing with adult ears the stories told in history.  Until coming to an AS, most of us never heard those stories.
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for"  Thomas Jefferson

EEL

Quote:  Thanks to all...  I suspect I am not a typical Appleseeder

Hmmmm.  And just what IS a typical Appleseeder?  :cool2:

Well, they are, first and foremost, Americans! 
They are willing to do what needs to be done. 
They will get off the couch and brave that, oh so horrible, rain to be on the firing line.  (never mind freezing cold at Valley Forge) 
They are willing to spread the word and get friends involved. 
They will make good use of the options granted us by many 235 years ago, at a very dire price,  and VOTE!  They will write their congress critters and let 'em know that they are being watched and held accountable.
They have love for Country and countrymen.

Spenser.....I reckon you ARE a typical Appleseeder!!  Welcome aboard!

EEL
Do not fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have war......Let it start here.

The Guy

tdubs.....

Anytime.

Good to have met all of you, and I'm glad we were all there.  See you all in the future.

Guy

Johnnyappleseed

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge