AAR: Charlotte, NC 30-31 October 2010

[Stimey]

All I can say is.....WE DID IT!!

This was the first event at Charlotte Rifle and Pistol Club, a club that has a reputation as being very difficult to get a new event into given their vast demand from the local shooting public.  However, after nearly nine months of effort (and a free demo in July), we finally got a regularly scheduled event that was open to the public.  This event has been a dream location and a goal of mine since I first took over the State Coordinator job about a year ago.  Let me first say that this event would not have occured but for the tireless efforts of neilr (our CRPC member sponsor and Appleseed IIT) and SinObyte, which is the club's Member-at-Large, who has been immensely supportive of Appleseed and skillfully presented our program of instruction before the club's Board of Directors.

First, I'd like to call your attention to a couple of pic links:

http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=18182.0
Taken by Dice

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii107/SinObyte/Appleseed%20Project/
Taken by SinObyte, CRPC Member-at-Large

Our host range was very accomodating in every respect.  We were treated very well.  About a dozen or so people, many of them Range Officers for the club, came down to hear the history and to watch the event.  They could not get over the fact that we actually clear the lines after every COF!  Our safety procedures actually impressed them, and that is something I did not expect.  Many asked when we would be back, and we said that we were negotiating for more dates.  I overheard one of the RO's say that we should come back at least quarterly, which was met with broad approval by the other club members with whom he was speaking.

The crowd was a very broad mix of 11 shooters, both male and female, several kids, and about half were repeat Appleseeders who had been to Ramseur before.  It was interesting to hear about the comparisons between locations and instructor teaching styles, and the range in experience of the shooters gave me some very good opportunities to demonstrate the finer points of being an Appleseed instructor to some of our less-experienced IIT's.  Speaking of which, I'd like to welcome back Bonden to the active instructor ranks, whose job took him out to the Left Coast for awhile, and formally welcome wrench to the North Carolina Instructor Corps, as this was his first event as an IIT.

Another nice change from the ordinary was a surplus of instructors!  Saturday I called lines with Heavy-Cav and Karl2500 acting as Line Coaches and neilr and wrench acting as RSO's.  On Sunday, I observed the IIT's interacting with the shooters and experimenting with their developing instructional styles.  Neilr took over Line Boss duties while Bonden and wrench practiced Line Coaching for the returning four shooters (wish there would have been more, but those that stayed were the best of them).  Sunday afternoon, wrench took a turn at calling lines, while I graded AQT after AQT.  At the conclusion of the day, three of the four were awarded the status of Rifleman!  Congratulations to Tim (Dice), Kevin, and Keith!  Afterward, we instructors got together and went through some PC's.  I am happy to announce the completion of PC2 for both neilr and Bonden and the completion of PC1 for wrench.

Wow.  Big weekend.  It's still a thrill to look through those pics.  This is one I'll remember fondly for a good long while.

Stimey

[Dice]

Thanks for all the great instruction.

Can't wait to go shoot on the 300 yd range if they let us.

[KMulwee]

I really had a great time. I got to meet alot of new people and learn alot. Plus the facility was top notch. Really enjoyed getting the Rifleman patch at my first AS event. Thanks to all for the help and guidance.

[Karl2500]

Great shoot! I can't wait to be back at CR&PC.