AAR: Colebrook CT 2010-12-04

[The Log]

It's 10 PM on Sunday. I've finally unpacked the truck, cleaned the snow-melt off the rifles, had dinner and a shower, and I'm now fully prepared to enjoy the best post-Appleseed afterglow I've ever had. Better even than one year ago this month, when I shot rifleman at this same range. This is even better because my Appleseed trail has come full circle, as both my older kids shot Rifleman scores today while I SBIT'd!!       And from the same spot on the line that I did it last year! And my daughter took the Orange Hat! The best Appleseed ever, hands down.

I've got details a-plenty, and pictures, all of which I will post soon. But for now, I intend to savor this afterglow. Suffice it to say that the more you put into Appleseed, the more you'll get out of it.

[vernic82]

Winterseed in Colebrook?  

Not this year - too warm at 25 for highs and balmy conditions with wind all day Saturday and wind/flurries all day Sunday - this is a typical New England weekend in December for us to Appleseed in!

17 shooters over the weekend produced 3 New Riflemen. 1 of them, Lizzy M. also donned an Orange Hat    Lizzy will be a joining her dad The Log on the CT Instructor Crew and she will be the first Junior and 2nd lady to join the CT Instructor ranks!  

How the days played out:

Day 1 began with the Safety Briefing then a red coat.  We jumped right into teaching how to build a solid prone position and sling usage. We continued with the 6 Steps, Steady Hold Factors, NPOA, Ball and Dummy and IMC, with each spaced in between sighter groups. During lunch The Log gave us the First Strike and then we started the afternoon with talking targets and a few more sighter groups.   Then went into standing and sitting positions and safe transitions after we posted our 1st AQTs in the late afternoon.  The day ended with us getting out of the cold wind into the clubhouse to hear Cortjestir & The Log deliver the Second & Third Strikes followed with a reminder to all to stretch, take a hot bath and some Ibuprofen when they get home.  

Day 2 - The better part of the morning was spent recapping Safety and the fundamentals taught on Day 1.  We then worked on honing skills in the lessons learned on Day 1, with exercises which reinforced NPOA and discouraging the fingers that love to jump off that trigger! During lunch, The Log gave us the stories of DOM in the warm clubhouse to escape the wind and snow flurries.  The rest of the afternoon, we got into the AQT "buffet", broken up with a teaching of the fundamentals of KD by The Log in the unheated but wind proof 'range hut'.  The AQT buffet continued and as the constant cold took it's toll, we wrapped up with the benediction.  

Some highlights:

Sister & brother team of Lizzy M. (228) & Tom M.(219) - The Log's children (twigs?) - BOTH score rifleman on Sunday - they made one proud Dad today!

One Day shooter Bill H. returning to his second Appleseed and earning his patch with a 224 and not satisfied with that, he followed it up with a blistering 239!

Pete D, Charles C - a rifleman persists - if we had another hour of daylight.....  Looking forward to seeing you both on the line again

Please post your pictures and comments!

Yours in Liberty,

vernic82

[Faith452]

Lizzy M. and Tom M. shooting riffleman was definetly the highlight of this weekend for me!    I am so proud of you two!(And well done Log! You have a couple of great kids!) It was cold and blustery and the two of you showed no signs of backing away. You persisted like true rifflemen. Thanks for stepping up and taking an orange hat Miss Lizzy!

One other person that really impressed me was Angie. She was there on Saturday only. Angie walked in rusty and not too sure of the riffle she was using, but I saw her improve by leaps and bounds. As the day wore on her groups when from shotgun sprays to one inch squares very quickly. I'm certain if she was able to come back on Sunday she would have been in the high 190's if not riffleman. She had passion and couldn't wait to come back to another shoot. Angie also expressed an interest in becoming an orange hat!

This was certainly and educational experience for me and I look forward to learning more and helping others in future shoots 

Thanks for everyone's help and participation!

[CortJestir]

It's 10 PM on Sunday...

Do you know where your children are?

The Log does. They're basking in the glow of getting patched! 

Well done, everyone! What a great shoot.

Someone post pics or it didn't happen.   

[Who_Me?]

Woohoo! another awesome Appleseed in the bag  I have to say that this was the best yet, not only because I got Rifleman and am now the newest IIT, but because my cousins were on the line, and where shooting an average in the 190's. I'm really proud of you guys!

Personal highlights
1) Scoring Rifleman with a 218 on the same spot that my dad(The Log) shot his rifleman with a 218 (Vernic miss-scored my AQT with a 228 at first though)
2) My brother shooting his rifleman with a 219 (I still got mine first )
3) Dad presenting me with my orange hat
4) My little cousin pointing to an AQT and saying: "score this one, I think you got it"
5) Parking lot duty with Lydia and Phil (We talked about the weirdest things... )
6) Moose kielbasa (so good! the rest of the country wished they ate this well at Appleseeds)

Now that I am an IIT, I suppose I should mention the excellent safety and the fact that everyone showed up on the first day plus three walk-ons with only two people peeling off on the second day.

In short, great job everyone!
Lizzy

[TOMINCT]

 Congratulations on the fine job this weekend at NWCSA and congratulations to our newest IIT's! A full line plus made this another great one in NW Ct.

[The Log]

Now that I've caught up on my long-neglected chores, and put in a day of work at whatever-it-is-that-I-do to offset my AS expenses, I can finally jot (peck?) down a few notes on The Best Appleseed Ever...

The high points for me are pretty obvious: both kids earning Rifleman patches; my nephew coming ever so close; my daughter inheriting my recently retired Orange Hat. Not so obvious, but very nice too: seeing a line of 17 shooters and realizing that I had Seventh Stepped nine of them; watching Angie practically glow with pride at watching her groups shrink to 4 MOA or better; watching Sue improve and hearing her gracious and enthusiastic feedback; seeing Bill finish what he came close to achieving at Blue Trail Range back in October and promising to return with his son; and last, but definitely not least, adding to the number of animals that I've eaten with Chuckwagon's wonderful moose kielbasa and sauerkraut sitting next to that toasty soapstone woodstove in the clubhouse listening to CortJestir's First Strike.

A tip of the hat to the CT instructor corps, who showed up in platoon strength for this one. With so many shooters and so many instructors, things were really tight on the line Saturday, but things ran remarkably smoothly. I was really impressed by the newer members of the crew and their obvious enthusiasm and desire to get down there in the snowflakes with the shooters. Glock23's instruction points on Saturday were top-notch, too - every IIT there has the potential to be outstanding Instructors soon.

And now for a few snapshots - I really need to see the shots from the other cameras, especially me given my daughter her patch. PM me if you need help getting them posted:

Glock23 rocking around the clock on Faith452's insanely flexible prone position


A long, cold line gets ready to send lead downrange on Saturday


Vernic82, First Duke of Cheez Whiz, scores AQTs on Sunday in his throne of cotton candy:


"His tall gaunt form, his grey locks floating in the breeze, and the color of his steed distinguishing him from the other Americans, and the British gave him the name of  "Death on the Pale Horse"... wait a second - those are MY grey locks!!!


Rifleman Tom gets the patch - hey, is that a GI sling I see dangling from his left arm?


Rifleman Liz learns that Dad's AR has a little more recoil than her 795

[Glock23]

Good times! Good times!

It starts out nice and sunny. Cold, but sunny...




Some instruction from The Log next to the Great Firestone Wall.


CortJestir's First Strike of the Match.


vernic82...the look of perplexity...he must be reading my PC...


Shooter's listening intently to the first strike...in awesome headgear.


And so Sunday begins...with some cartoonishly surreal snowflakes. In all my years in New England I've never seen such perfect flakes, and my camera did them no justice! The one time I didn't bring the good camera with the macro lens!!! Gaaah!!


Let the shivering begin.














A proud family moment for The Log


Who_Me? YES YOU, finally gets a purple patch!


Two in one day? A second Twig gets his Rifleman! The Log's twigs are growing into some fine hardwood trees in their own right...


Who_Me? decides to become our first female youth Instructor In Training, wearing her Dad's lucky Orange hat. She better hurry and earn a Red Hat because her brother is eying that Orange one...


FFLs have all the cool toys...


Our Lady IITs!


A family of Riflemen. Woe to the Redcoat who mistakenly demands to be quartered in THAT home....

[Jay Haich]

Congratulations to our new riflemen.

I am especially proud of Liz and Tom. I met them at my first Seed in Oct this year. They were at it again in Nov when I joined them for a day of AQT's on the Sunday. Persistence paid off for both of them and the only downside is that I did not see them earn their Patches!

I look forward to working alongside Liz as a fellow IIT.

Way to go.

JH

P.S. That is a mighty fine PURPLE(?) mag holder that Liz had. I wonder where she got that idea..........?

[TruTenacity]

Excellent AAR!

Great pictures!

Lady Instructors are an asset.  Youth Instructors are an asset.  Combine the two on a line with the gentlemen Instructors and all students that attend AS are understood and helped in such unique and amazing ways.

Congratulations from Reformed Redneck's family of Riflemen to The Log's family of Riflemen.

TruT
 

[The Log]

Congratulations from Reformed Redneck's family of Riflemen to The Log's family of Riflemen.

Thanks, TruT - that means a lot coming from a crew with as many hats as yours. We're working on Mrs. Log - we thought she was there until a math error knocked her back to 203. We'll drag her over the line when it warms up and she thaws out. Then there's our youngest - she's almost five, so we have a few years to wait. Although she insists that her sixth birthday present will be a pink Crickett 

[Glock23]

OOOPS! I just realized I missed the picture of Rifleman Bill! Sorry Bill!!!!!

[AmericaStandsStrong]

Congratulations to all the new Riflemen!

I hope to see you guys later on down the trail.

-Blake

[The Log]

Two in one day? A second Twig gets his Rifleman! The Log's twigs are growing into some fine hardwood trees in their own right...

Twigs? I think not. The geek in me prefers to think of them as "Semi-Logs".