Rising Fawn, Georgia Oct. 22-23, 2011

[DrJohn]

The students who attended the Rising Fawn Appleseed event the weekend of Oct. 22-23 were treated to almost perfect weather, and a venue in the north Georgia mountains that could not have been more beautiful. The fall colors on the surrounding hillsides were unforgettable.

We began by hearing the First Strike, and then went on to shoot our first Hits Count! target. After that we proceeded to give the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship at one time, Sling Use and Steady Hold Factors in prone, Natural Point of Aim, and the Six Steps. After that we shot a number of squares targets as our instructors went from student to student, carding sights, checking for proper sling use, encouraging and admonishing. Although our students were especially critical of themselves, their targets were much less so. Groups began to shrink almost from the very first teaching module, and by the time we had done the Second Strike at lunch and the Third Strike during the afternoon break, almost all the students were shooting very respectable 6 to 8 MOA groups. More importantly, the persistence and willingness to learn new techniques and adapt was most commendable. Karen and Norman brought their children Sarah, Micah, and John. Karen persisted in spite of a rifle not particularly fitted to her so that she had to pay particular attention to cheek weld. Norman adapted a loaner sling to his .22 AR platform and showed great improvement. Sarah and Michael shot single-shot .22s and did so with almost the same speed and precision as those shooting semi-autos. John came on Sunday and learned so quickly that he was almost caught up with his sister and brother by day's end.

Laura had to overcome a dominant eye problem and lack of proper comb height. She did so with great perseverance and dedication. William ("BMW") showed that his father, "Tellico", can coach his children almost as well as he can teach others. Jill was able to overcome a difficulty with sling use, and proper sitting and standing positions. Nevertheless, her consistent ability to get her first, well-aimed shot off within seven seconds, was a wonderment. Donald shot well from the very first, cleaning his first Redcoat. Nevertheless, equipment problems allowed him to score heart-breakingly close scores of 197 and 206. The most admirable thing about this was his cheerful attitude and refusal to be deterred in his pursuit of the coveted Rifleman patch.

It was a joy to work with such a stalwart group of American patriots. My congratulations and commendations to you all, and my heartfelt wish to see you all on the Appleseed trail again soon.

DrJohn

[Tellico]

To all Appleseed Instructors:

Why do we do this?  Why do we sacrifice a much-needed weekend, and work harder in those two days on a physical, intellectual, and emotional level than we do during the workweek? I have discovered the answer to this question.

It all started several weeks prior to a Rising Fawn, GA Appleseed event.  I was at the gun counter in the Chattanooga, TN, Sportsman's Warehouse.  That evening I happened to be wearing the standard Appleseed T-shirt, which I do quite often, but this was the first time that a person actually engaged me in conversation about it.  His name was Norman, a mid-forties gentleman like me with the grey hair invading his appearance.  He had heard of Appleseed and was quite interested, and had even gone to the effort to check out the website.

I was quite impressed with Norman.  Was this true interest?  I spoke about what an event was like.  I guaranteed him that he would be exhausted, sore, and frustrated.  I also guaranteed him he would learn a lot about riflemanship and history.  We concluded our conversation with the customary 'see you later'.

I have so much disgust with that phrase.  How often do you actually 'later see' a total stranger that you have spoken with for 10 minutes?  Yet, that is how it is in 'Rome'.  When in Rome...

I thought it was neat that someone actually noticed my Appleseed shirt.  I got some 'warm fuzzies' for a few minutes, and then it faded away.  That encounter made it to my long-term memory but I failed get a confirmation of that.

I arrived at Rising Fawn a few minutes late. This is always frustrating, but it is harder to get out of bed on a weekend at the same time you get out of bed on a workday.  There were five of us working this event.  We were waiting for the customers to show up.  It's never easy to cope with the possibility that you got up and drove an hour for nothing...or was it for nothing.

Finally, an unfamiliar van pulled up.  A family hopped out; a dad, mom, a teenage boy, and a teenage girl.  Yea!  A paying customer has arrived!  As they were filling out the paperwork, I thought the dad looked familiar, but I didn't give it much thought.  I was busy helping get things started.  I noticed one more gentleman show up.  Good, I thought, the odds of someone showing up on the second day just went up.

Finally, all the shooters were set up and ready to bring in the rifles.  It was time for the first meeting.  The shoot boss started the introduction/safety briefing.  I don't even remember the exact words that were spoken, but I do remember clearly that moment when the dad spoke the words 'Sportsman's Warehouse'.  Before he said the next word, I knew.  The memory of Norman came back. "That was me!" I exclaimed.  He looked at me, and a big smile came to his face. The morning just got better.  A conversation with a total stranger produced results!

The safety briefing evolved into the introduction of the first strike.  I occasionally look around to see the faces of the paying customers during the history stories.  Since I will be doing this soon, I must get to 'know my audience'.  What do engaged listeners look like?  I noticed Norman's wife, Karen, taking notes.  It took me a moment to process this.  Was she really taking notes, at an Appleseed event?  This was the first hint that these folks were special.

As the shooters were getting into position for the first Redcoat Course of Fire, it became quite apparent that Karen had no experience with a rifle.  I loved that because it was like working with fresh clay, ready for me to shape.  I sat down next to her and helped her thru the process of getting ready to fire.  I stayed there as she fired off the 13 rounds then helped her make the rifle safe. I stayed with Karen through the entire morning working on all those things we teach a shooter.  By the afternoon she was doing quite well for a novice.  I backed off a bit so she could see results solely from her efforts.  Her confidence grew.

Saturday ended on a good note.  We got through the fundamentals well, and managed to introduce the AQT.  Everyone was tired, but ready to come back the second day.  This always makes me happy that I came.

Sunday came too quickly.  In spite of that, I was the first vehicle at the range.  As Norman and Karen came in, I noticed something was different.  There was an additional teenager in the group.  It was John, their middle son.  He wanted to shoot also.  After learning that he had never shot a rifle, I quickly volunteered to get him up to speed one on one.  It was going to be a great Sunday.

Like Karen, John was very teachable.  He responded positively to instruction; he listened, and tried to remember all that he was told to do. For a new shooter, it's typical to struggle with one thing every time.  For John it was the trigger hand position and/or trigger finger.  But for all the times I touched his finger to remind him, he never hit me with a bad attitude. As lunch came around I took control of calling the line.  I stretched my vocal cords for a few hours until the shooters were dragging themselves to the line.  Everyone was tired.  The AQT had won - barely.  It was a bit disappointing to have a shooter top out with a 206 score.  However, on the positive side - they will come back!

Everyone got their rifles off the line and collected their stuff in slow motion.  It's truly the hardest point of the weekend.  I am worn out and exhausted, and I know I must get up in the morning to go earn my paycheck.  It is hard to be focused.

I'm in a daze, standing close to where the shooting line was when Karen came over to me.  She extended her hand to shake mine.  As she did, she started to thank me for all I had done for her and John.  As she was speaking, her voice sounded like she was on a cell phone on the edge of service.  But she was not on a cell phone.  Her voice was cracking up because she was thanking me with emotion beyond words. It was difficult to recognize faltering words, tears, and a big smile as an emotional 'Thank You', because it just doesn't happen very often in one's life.

I will be 46 years old in November.  Appleseed is the only venue that I have experienced where total strangers come together, and in two days become emotionally bonded together.
Why do I come to Appleseed? I come to be around quality people of like values that I will be connected to for a lifetime. I don't think this was the original intent of The Appleseed Project, but it certainly works for me!