FL State of the State address

[ItsanSKS]

To all Florida Instructors, Volunteers and our most honored students-

As many of you know, Project Appleseed in Florida has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years, and while I would love to take the credit for this, the accolades belong to the many instructors and volunteers that have given so freely of their time to make this program such a success.

When I first became State Coordinator, we had only a handful of ranges that hosted our events, totaling less than a dozen events a year.  Flash forward to 2012, and we are looking at 40+ events throughout the state, with new venues and dates being added all the time.  Even now, I am preparing to announce another venue near Orlando.  This is fantastic progress, and this growth must be continued if we are to succeed in our mission to save this country - as PHenry says, Appleseed is all about the numbers: more events equals more students, more students on the line equals more Riflemen, and more Riflemen equals a better future. 

On March 3,4, we held our first event in Palm Bay, at the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club.  This was a real coup, as it is a fantastic facility, and it is directly on the I-95 corridor.  Our event there went swimmingly, with 20 students on Saturday, including a former Chief Safety Officer for the range.  We received glowing reviews from the students, and future events at this location are in the works.  Eventually, I'd like to see us utilize their 600yd full distance line, which features slots for dozens of shooters.  All in good time, and something to look forward to.  Better still, in the grand scheme of things, we are making inroads to S. Florida, which has been a real under served area.

The new venue near Orlando is going to open up some other exciting promotions opportunities, and since it is so close to a major population center, it is my hope that any event there will be sold out. 

Over the last few months, we have been inundated with new Instructors.  These fine patriots have 'taken the red pill', and have joined us in the fight to save our country.  I would especially like to recognize Bruce "9mm4545" Smith for his efforts in this regard, as in the last two months alone, he has been responsible for bringing not less than four new IIT's into the fold!  Huzzah!  Huzzah! Huzzah!

With all of these new IIT's comes a great responsibility to the more seasoned instructors on the line- we are going to have to work closely with these fine folks, and ensure that they receive the instruction and mentoring that they need to become the best marksmanship instructors on the planet.   

To this end, PHenry will be holding an Instructor Boot Camp (IBC) at the end of March, in Palatka.  Hosted by our very own "SmoakinGun", and taught by one of the very best Senior Instructors I have had the pleasure of working with, I expect that this IBC is going to be a resounding success.  There is no better way to prepare yourself for instructing at an Appleseed, than to attend an IBC.
If you have not done so already, please sign up for this IBC, here  more information on this event can be found here

There has been a recent push to begin promoting our events on Facebook, and it has already begun to show some results, with an increase in students signed up for our next events.  Some of you may have noticed that our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/FloridaAppleseed) has gotten a face-lift.  This visual change is an attempt to bring all of the various state-level FB pages into some semblance of uniformity of image, if not content.  If you have not done so already, please visit our FB page, and be sure to "Like" us while you're there- the more "Likes" a page has, the greater possibility of someone being directed to it based on their interests. 

These are all great things, new venues, new instructors & more events.  However, we need more.  Now is not the time to sit back on our laurels- we need to push harder- get this cart moving faster. 

The one thing that has been a thorn in my side, ever since I first signed up for my first event, is the lack of promotions. 

We all know how great a program this is. 

We all know that there is no better value than the marksmanship instruction received at an event. 

So why are we ALL failing to promote our events? 

I'm not placing blame on any one person, as promotions is an "all or none" proposition.  If there is one lesson that I have learned in my role as State Coordinator, it is that we cannot expect one or two people to be responsible for promoting Appleseed; every single one of us needs to be out in our own communities passing out fliers, calling up radio stations, and getting events listed on community calendars. 

We instructors seem to think that working the line is more important than promotions, when in reality, this couldn't be further from the truth.  Its a simple, but profound truth: without promoting our events, we reach fewer students, which means that our best efforts on the line are reaching fewer and fewer students with every new event that is scheduled.   

I'd like you to take this very seriously, as it could mean the end of our program.  Take a look at the following graphic:



See that black line, gradually moving downward?  You know what that is?  Well, I'll tell you, but you aren't going to like it.  It is proof that we are failing.  That black line is the trend that spells disaster for Project Appleseed in Florida.  It is the average number of shooters at one of our events.  Even with two events in the last month that were over 20 shooters each, we have a long way to go in reversing this trend. 

I'll take the blame for this trend, as it started it's downward trajectory right as I began working as State Coordinator.  I worked my tail off to expand the program here, adding new venues, and securing more and more dates for our events; we made leaps and bounds towards doubling our number of events each year, but in doing so, I missed one critical component- nobody was promoting these events. 

For too long, we've accepted these low-turnout events as a sign of the times- we said to ourselves "the economy is so poor that no-one can afford to come out and shoot". 

I don't buy it, and neither should you. 

This isn't about 'market saturation'- you talk to 10 customers at your local gun store, and I'll be darned if you can find more than one who has heard about Appleseed.  We've barely begun to pluck the low-hanging fruit!

This problem isn't going away on its own, & I can't fix it by myself - I need your help.  Your country needs your help.  We all know that Project Appleseed is a method of helping our country- likely the best hope we have of saving our country from itself. 

If every one of us, Instructors, Shoot Bosses, volunteers and past students, makes an effort to promote these events, we'll be able to turn this ship around.  It isn't too late. 

For you instructors, who might be saying "if I do all this promotion work, I won't be able to work an event", Spend your time promoting the events, even if it means you can't work as many events this year. 

I would rather have to call in instructors from out of state to work sold out shoots because all of our instructors had burnt up their time promoting them, than to work one more event that had only three students. 

Don't get me wrong- I'm damn proud of the work we've accomplished so far, and I couldn't ask for a better crew of volunteers to work with.  We've taken the state of Florida from being an 'Appleseed Backwoods', to being on the cutting edge- we invented the Known Distance Clinic for instructors; we reinvented the RBC so that it could be run in three days; we've grown at an astonishing rate, surpassing everyone's expectations, including my own.   This lack of promotions is not a Florida problem, its a nationwide problem:


While this problem may be nationwide, the answer to it lies in our own mirrors.  I want Florida to be the first state to buck this trend.  I know we can do it, and I want to send those other 49 states a message, and I want them to hear it loud and clear:  The Florida Cadre of Instructors and Volunteers is the most professional, dedicated group in Appleseed, and our Numbers are going to PROVE IT. 

Talk is cheap, actions speak louder. 

Only hits count.

Through hard work and determination, we'll do it.

So, who's up for saving our state?

[NHale]

Acknowledged.

[Sly223]

Behind you all the way,Sir!
I have been more assertive this year, trying to promote.
My downfall is that I was working the trail and trying to get promoted and focused on self to better help the program.Promotions have always been a thorn in my side,since grade school when we had to do fund raisers,this has never been my forte,I wish I had Edwin,this kid always sold the most or raised the most $,often due to his dad at the dealership,and the constant exposure,and a ton of foot traffic.
We have so many people involved in this State its hard to believe,no one is a promotions specialist of sorts.
If you are this person,Identify yourself,and describe what you need in order to promote us or AS.Or anything that can make us more popular.