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Appleseed IIT on TOP SHOT (History Channel)

Started by SAR_Squid79, January 17, 2011, 02:04:11 AM

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SAR_Squid79

January 17, 2011, 02:04:11 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 02:52:48 AM by SAR_Squid79
Hello Everyone,

I'm Jamie Franks. I'm a Rifleman and IIT out of Southern California (originally from North Carolina). I'm a US Navy Rescue Swimmer stationed in San Diego, currently deployed to Afghanistan.

I will be competing in the second season of the History Channel's hit reality show TOP SHOT.
I've had to keep this a secret for a while, but the History Channel made the official cast announcement tonight. The season begins airing Februart 8th at 10pm EST/PST. While I was there, I proudly wore my Rifleman patch (when we weren't competing), and I mentioned Appleseed a few times in my interviews. Hopefully some of that will make it on TV, and be good publicity for Appleseed.

http://www.history.com/shows/top-shot/bios/jamie-franks

Feel free to "Like" my bio on the History Channel site. You can also log on to FaceBook and go to my fan page "Top Shot Season 2 - Jamie Franks Fan Page" and become a fan.


As soon as I get home from Afghanistan, I'm looking forward to getting back on track, and finishing up my RED HAT qualification.
See you guys on the firing line!

~Jamie
U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer
"So Others May Live"

kDan

#1
January 17, 2011, 02:30:14 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 02:35:15 AM by kDan
Congrats Squid,

Represent!

I have to admit I'm a bit jealous.  Some friends told me about that show when it was in pre-production.  I went on the site and sent in a video.  Never heard from them.  

I don't have a tv (like a good Appleseeder) but I will be sure and keep abreast of your progress.  

You should come to NY sometime.  We'll put you on the line.  

See you on the trail.

-d-

"Hot dogs don't go bad"

       -Scout

oldgrunt

#2
January 17, 2011, 03:26:13 AM
 Outstanding ,seen that tonight......I myself have had the chance to share Appleseed with a former top shot shooter..Mike seeklander came and found me once he learned he wasnt a good rifle shot...I enjoyed sharing the skills with him..He even wrote about the time we shared in his blog..I hope they see Appleseed is worth the time ...I look forward to the 3rd season ....

I cant wait to see how far you make it...Just think that redhat will mean alot more to ya...And wearing that rilfemen patch speaks more than words ..Thank you and godbless this project....
Follow Me..I am the Infantry..
                                         Iron Mike

THE MAN COMES AROUND..Johnny Cash

"If there must be trouble,..Let it be in my day,That my child may have peace".....

THOMAS PAINE

fepowered

#3
January 17, 2011, 10:46:19 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 11:09:13 AM by fepowered
Quote from: oldgrunt on January 17, 2011, 03:26:13 AM
I myself have had the chance to share Appleseed with a former top shot shooter..Mike seeklander came and found me once he learned he wasnt a good rifle shot...I enjoyed sharing the skills with him..He even wrote about the time we shared in his blog..I hope they see Appleseed is worth the time ...

Do you have a link to this blog?  Everything I found by him commenting on the Top Shot experience indicated that he could shoot alright but the rifle sights were loose and way off and his spotter was no help...(he was clear that he was not blaming anything/anyone but himself though as he could have done things differently in retrospect)  
You can't be a terrible shot and earn multiple Expert Rifleman in the US Marine Corps.... They do not allow poor shots to become USMC Marksmanship Instructors...   Luck has little to do with 500M slow fire..... :)    
"Today, we need a nation of Riflemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are
willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

fepowered

#4
January 17, 2011, 10:49:50 AM
Quote from: SAR_Squid79 on January 17, 2011, 02:04:11 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Jamie Franks. I'm a Rifleman and IIT out of Southern California (originally from North Carolina). I'm a US Navy Rescue Swimmer stationed in San Diego, currently deployed to Afghanistan.

I will be competing in the second season of the History Channel's hit reality show TOP SHOT.

Welcome aboard!    I look forward to watching your episodes and hope you did well!! O0
"Today, we need a nation of Riflemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are
willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

Wheeler44

#5
January 17, 2011, 11:06:49 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 11:10:16 AM by Wheeler44
Quote from: fepowered on January 17, 2011, 10:46:19 AM

Do you have a link to this blog?  Everything I found by him commenting on the Top Shot experience indicated that he could shoot alright but the rifle sights were loose and way off and his spotter was no help...  
You can't be a terrible shot and earn multiple Expert Rifleman in the US Marine Corps.... They do not allow poor shots to become USMC Marksmanship Instructors...   Luck has little to do with 500M slow fire..... :)    
Watch the show again...He was on paper with his first shot...Blaming the rifle and the spotter is NOT the way of the Rifleman..

Congratulations Sar_Squid79...My son and I watched most of last season, until the in-fighting got ridiculous. I hope you were able to avoid the pig wrasslin' and let your skillset do your talkin' for ya.

W44
"Appleseed,  putting the second amendment into the hands of American citizens."     -Mrs. Wheeler

"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship instructors on the planet."   -Son of Martha

fepowered

#6
January 17, 2011, 11:24:41 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 11:47:41 AM by fepowered
Quote from: Wheeler44 on January 17, 2011, 11:06:49 AM
Watch the show again...He was on paper with his first shot...Blaming the rifle and the spotter is NOT the way of the Rifleman..
It may be that the spotter missed that first hit.   You are 100% correct.   I don't think that he ever claims to be nor aspires to be a Rifleman.   I watched what I could find on youtube for videos and he never took responsibility for his misses against Kelly either.  "never trained at these distances" can not be a true statement if his resume and experiences are factual as listed on the Shooting-Performance site.   My point was that his shortcomings are not that he is a terrible shooter and never shot a rifle at long distances and the reason that he could not hit a target at 100 yds is not that he can not do so in perfect conditions with a properly zeroed rifle.   If he would have simply said that he made poor decisions and just screwed up,it would have looked better.
I appologize for hijacking this thread.  This thread is intended to celebrate the fact that one of our own made it on the show and not to dwell on the shortcomings of a former Reality TV participant.  
"Today, we need a nation of Riflemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are
willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

SavageShootr

#7
January 17, 2011, 12:25:49 PM
SAR_Squid.

Way to go!! I will have my daughter dvr (?) it again, so I can watch it.   O0

Thanks
SS
"Listen to everyone, read everything, and don't believe anything unless you can prove it."' B.C.
"It isn't like it is life or death...it is more important than that." MrPete

Johnnyappleseed

#8
January 17, 2011, 12:55:50 PM
Whooo Hooo Jaime ^5
Will  this series available on dvd? netficks etc?
JA

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

fepowered

#9
January 17, 2011, 01:00:31 PM
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on January 17, 2011, 12:55:50 PM
Whooo Hooo Jaime ^5
Will  this series available on dvd? netficks etc?
JA
Season 1 is available now on DVD for about $35....  I would expect that season 2 will also be available after it airs..
"Today, we need a nation of Riflemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are
willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

Baminal

#10
January 17, 2011, 01:11:04 PM
Congratulations!

We'll be rooting for you on TV, and best of luck at your 'day job' as well!

Baminal
The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.  It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference and undernourishment.
Robert Maynard Hutchins, Educator (1899-1977)

Love you liberty and fight for it like men who know its value.  Once lost, it will never, never be regained.
Capt. Hugh Ledlie (1720-1798)

slim

#11
January 17, 2011, 02:24:35 PM
Awesome!

I like how you said "competing on" but didn't give us the slightest hint on how well you did. Can you at least say if what you learned at Appleseed helped you out? How about a little bit of an AAR without getting too into the infosec concerns?

I guess I'll just have to watch the show! 

Keep up the good work. Not just about the show, but over there in the 'stan. Get home safely. America needs you here just as much as we need you there!

AuntieBellum

#12
January 17, 2011, 02:27:22 PM
Sweet!!!  Now I really, really can't wait for Season 2!  Woot!  Congrats, and be safe.
"Nothing is as strong as the heart of a volunteer."
-Lt. Colonel James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, US Army Air Corps, 1942

"You smell like Appleseed." - Rimshot

Who_Me?

#13
January 17, 2011, 03:11:45 PM
WOW! Congrats for being on Top Shot! I watched the last season and really like the show.
;D GOOD LUCK! ;D
"Heritage is history you care about" - Fred

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." -Albert Einstein

dart67eb

#14
January 17, 2011, 03:59:30 PM
Are you the only one from Appleseed?  I posted they were looking for people a while back.  http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=15800.0

Ignorance may be bliss, but it's not a virtue.

AFTERMATH

#15
January 17, 2011, 05:53:02 PM
Congratulations!

I watched the fist few episodes on hulu or something like that... When Dart had posted it...
I saw way too much drama to be a part of that.  I hope you do/did well!
Guess I'll be seein' you on the tube!  aka, laptop....

Huzza!
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

spitstickler

#16
January 17, 2011, 06:15:03 PM
Go get 'em Jamie!
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."  -Thomas Edison

Mudcat

#17
January 17, 2011, 06:42:03 PM
That is great I know several people talk about the show. I have never seen it I just get 3 channels and seldom turn the tv on. Be sure to keep those of us that don't watch informed.
Good luck even though it is over I assume.  O0
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
--George Washington

GoldFish

#18
January 18, 2011, 04:32:43 PM Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 04:46:02 PM by GoldFish
First of all Jamie, THANK YOU for serving this great Nation through your service in the USN.  
That's FANTASTIC news that you'll be on Season 2 of TOP SHOT on the History Channel.  I'm SURE Appleseed is being represented well. O0  Keep up the good work.

Oh, and I like your signature, line 3. :)


Stay the Course,
---GF  
"Freedom is preserved by those who die for it, but it will not survive unless people are willing to live for it."
-Boba Fett (The RWVA Instructor, not the Star Wars Bounty Hunter)

'Yes, I am a Rifleman, but I'm also a Ninja....and a Jedi.'

"Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do."

"Remember, my opinion on the totem pole of life is somewhere below whale s***..." -Chris Costa

"The more you care about something, the deeper the fight will come from within."  -Travis Haley

42          ΙΧΘΥΣ           كافر           MOÉ...ΩN É...ABE         αδάμαÏ, 

Merc, Mr. Fishy, Goober, Achmed, Cornflake, FBC, Tabilasco, Mowhawk 1 Alpha

What we do in life echoes in Eternity

oladcock

#19
January 19, 2011, 02:38:17 PM
Go get em Jamie! As as an old squid and seeder myself, we'll be pulling for you!....O.L.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Plato 400BC

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Son of Isaac

#20
January 19, 2011, 03:51:39 PM
Congrats SAR_Squid79! 

Can't wait to watch!  Must say, I wasn't overly impressed with last season's group of competitors.  I'm looking forward to watching you compete.

Thanks to you and your family for the great work that you are doing in Afghanistan.

~TravelPatriot

SamD

#21
January 19, 2011, 04:42:34 PM
 O0

alonso1

#22
January 19, 2011, 06:30:14 PM
Thank you for your service O0

Good luck on the show and be safe over there.

wtxj

#23
January 19, 2011, 11:34:33 PM
APPLY TODAY !
Email TopShotCasting@gmail.com with your name, city/state, phone number, a recent
photo of yourself and a brief explanation of why you are America's next "Top Shot." Visit
www.pilgrimfilms.tv and click on "CASTING" for more details. Call our casting hotline if
you have additional questions: 818-478-4570.
Deadline to apply is February 1, 2011.
* Applicants



This is for number 3 top shot. Feb 1st deadline, so get after it guys/gals

NewMOe

#24
January 19, 2011, 11:45:07 PM
Bet of luck Jamie, The IE team wisshes you well and best of luck.
Also Thank You for Your service.
"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the

Dougum

#25
January 23, 2011, 09:43:38 PM
Too bad you're not a Marine but Congrats on getting into Top Shot anyway. Seriously though, thanks for keeping us safe. Good luck on the show.

Bolt
Love your country, but never trust its government.

-- Robert A. Heinlein

"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good"

-- George Washington

You say drake I say Brantley gilbert

You say T-Pain I say Jason Aldean

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You say Justin Bieber I rip your head off

SAR_Squid79

#26
January 28, 2011, 04:21:08 AM Last Edit: January 28, 2011, 04:22:51 AM by SAR_Squid79
THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT, GUYS & GIRLS!

I hope I make all of you proud! The show starts in 10 days!

http://www.history.com/shows/top-shot/videos/meet-jamie-franks



Quote from: slim on January 17, 2011, 02:24:35 PM
Awesome!

I like how you said "competing on" but didn't give us the slightest hint on how well you did. Can you at least say if what you learned at Appleseed helped you out? How about a little bit of an AAR without getting too into the infosec concerns?


Almost everything we teach at Appleseed helped me out. If you practice these things enough that they become habit - and you don't have to think about them anymore - it just becomes reflex.

Things like:

  • The 6 steps of firing a shot (especially trigger squeeze, follow-through / trigger reset)
  • NPOA
  • Rifleman's Cadence

I would say that those are the things that came into play the most while I was competing on the show. They never would give us a sling - I asked for one a few of times!

Once I had been selected as a semi-finalist, and had to go to Los Angeles and do the final-casting tryout, one of the rifles they had us shoot had a sling on it, and it was up to you whether or not you used it. Of course - as any good Rifleman would - I utilized the sling. We had 1 minute to shoot 10 shots at 150 yards - any position you wanted. So that was straight out of the Appleseed. I shot from a good prone position, using the sling. The guys I was shooting beside did not. I made it on to the show. Neither of those guys did...
~Jamie
U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer
"So Others May Live"

SamD

#27
January 28, 2011, 11:33:27 AM
 O0 O0 O0

Blue Five

#28
January 28, 2011, 11:44:26 AM
That's awesome Squid!  I'll be sure to look that up... ;)

B5
"Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" ~Captain John Parker, April 19, 1775.

Molōn labe! :--- 

Garand69

#29
January 28, 2011, 04:27:26 PM
 O0
Garand69

42

WSMR 03-10 ...SAPPER STEEL!!!!

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

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