Toccoa, Georgia Nov. 5-6

[DrJohn]

The students and instructors who attended the Appleseed event at Georgia Mountain Shooting Association at Toccoa last weekend were treated to the north Georgia mountains at their most glorious autumn peak. The weather was likewise very beautiful, and conditions could not have been more ideal.

After hearing the First Strike of the April 19, 1775 story, we began by shooting a Hits Count! target, and then we learned the three fundamental pillars of rifle marksmanship in one bloc. That is, we learned Sling Use and the Steady Hold Factors for prone, Natural Point of Aim, and the Six Steps of firing the shot. The we separated into our two respective lines and concentrated on the fundamentals by shooting squares targets. We ate lunch together while we heard the Second Strike, then we learned the Steady Hold Factors for sitting/kneeling. Last, we learned the standing or offhand position. By mid-afternoon, we began to shoot AQT targets, and while we had our afternoon break, heard Strike Three of the April 19 story.

Sunday morning we took advantage of our agreement with the local churches not to begin shooting until noon, by reviewing all the material from the previous day. We also learned the fundamentals of Actual Distance shooting. After hearing Dangerous Old Men at lunch, we began the AQT grind. We were graced with eager and receptive students whose persistence was most admirable. Seven of our 27 total attendees shot Rifleman scores during the event, and two Riflemen re-qualified. One new Rifleman(or woman!) asked for and accepted her Orange Hat, Hannah L., whose family are all proficient Appleseed students. Our Instructors in Training turned in stellar performances, five of whom are expected to be promoted after their PCs are received. The performance of our instructors was awesome, as shown by the quality of the students' AQT scores. We had the expected equipment "glitches", but the students who were most especially plagued, Jade and Sue, steadfastly dealt with the malfunctions as they occurred and were not to be denied. Our students were an inspiration to all.

In addition, a significant number of students decided to become members of the RWVA and participate in the CMP program by getting a Certificate of Participation in a CMP-approved event. Most importantly, however, far above the marksmanship training, our students were exposed to the true mission of Appleseed, as the importance of taking the Seventh Step and spreading the message of Liberty and American heritage was emphasized over and over. It was a successful event by any measure. Huzza!!!

[BigDog]

DrJohn,
Thanks for traveling from Brunswick to Toccoa for the weekend!  You did a great job and I want to thank you for keeping everyone on task and on pace.  Great Job!  Thanks to your help and all the Orange Hats, I shot Rifleman and my son, Connor, requalified Rifleman!  Great weekend!  Now its time to qualify with centerfire. 
Great Job!

[Morpheus]

Just wanted to throw in my two cents on this AS.

Thank you to DrJohn and FranklinFarmer for their great leadership this weekend. Both of them travelled many miles to make this shoot happen. My shiny new Orange Hat is off to you!

There are lots of great shooters who are on track for that rifleman's score. Persist!!  Dry fire! Hopefully DrJohn will hear your clicking way down there in S. Ga. As it was, there were a lot of impressive AQT scores.

Conner, Taylor, Ethan, Leah, Cole, Hannah and Asa are all young shooters that were on my line and it was a great joy to see such fine young people "off the couch" and engaging the Liberty of our Forefathers. All of the shooters were a pleasure to be around and they sure made this IIT's job easier with their great teachable attitudes.

Don't forget the 7th step! Take Appleseed with you! Awaken those around you! Persist!!

Steve