This was my first appleseed and I was thrilled beyond belief.
I'm one of the people who had never shot a rifle and to boot, I'd never so much as touched one before other than to dust it or move it from one spot to another. I actually registered to be in a position to humanely destroy European starlings and English House sparrows as well as any chickens we have that aren't long for this world due to injuries sustained by hawks.
I am legally deaf. The handouts were BEYOND helpful to me. As were the live demos in "circle". I did have some issues "hearing" when the history of the shot heard 'round the world was told however here it is readily accessible online,
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=1.
There is something I'd like to try addressing if possible before I go to the next appleseed. I would like help "hearing" the command to cease fire. I'm afraid the "assistant" I brought with enjoyed himself so much last weekend that he wants to be relieved of assistant duty. Our son intends to register again for himself not to "assist" me. In retrospect, I feel he repeatedly told me my lips were blue and to go to the car to warm up so he could have more fun. And to think this was the very same teenager who originally balked at attending. Reality is I protect what little hearing I have left by using plugs and muffs which renders me devoid of virtually all hearing. This is not a problem in FTF where if I can "see" someone, I can "hear" them however instructors calling out cease fire are behind the line for obvious reasons. My mat was in a great location where I could get a visual path to the instructor's face behind me with shooters to the right of me providing additional cues for load and fire. Because of this, there were no issues other than a delay between when I loaded and when other shooters loaded as well as a delay between when I started shooting and when they started shooting. Cease fire was somewhat trickier as once I began shooting, I was faced toward the targets. There was no longer a line of vision to the person calling out commands behind me. I watched out of the corner of my right eye to see when other shooters began putting down their rifles and... never missed a beat putting mine down in a timely fashion. I didn't mind lagging behind the others when loading or shooting. It did not detract from my experience although once I started getting the hang of what I was doing, I will admit that I was selfishly "itching" to focus more on sighting and breathing when shooting than cues from others relating to cease fire. Several times I put down my rifle only to learn that the cease fire command had not been called and that another shooter had put down their rifle only because they had finished shooting. Now that I realize I can be taught to use a firearm, it would be absolutely wonderful (albeit not something that would stop me from registering for another appleseed) if I could shoot right up until the cease fire command is called. Perhaps a tap on my head denoting cease fire from someone behind me would enable me to shoot right up until cease fire is called?
A sweetie pie instructor with a bushy beard and mustache helped me figure out part of the reason why I was shooting high and to the right and another sweetie pie instructor loaned me his 22 and helped me piece in more of my problems based on a ball and dummy exercise. Others also freely shared helpful suggestions based on their knowledge and expertise. All said and done, I would rate this event an A+ because of the caliber of every instructor. I may never make rifleman but... who cares... I can hit the paper at 25 yards so I'm pleased as all get out!
A big heartfelt thanks to EACH and EVERY instructor who gave up an entire weekend away from their families to be with us. Additional thanks to the instructor who spent his own money on gas driving down from 3 hours up north and to triggernick whose wife spent her own money buying gallons of hot coffee. Everyone's generosity with their time and talent was very much appreciated. My husband is also most appreciative. He is beyond impressed with the targets I brought home and feels relatively confident I would easily be able to humanely destroy a chicken. Next time I have a chicken that needs to be put out of its misery; it will not have to suffer until he comes home! Each one of you should take a bow for providing me with a very much needed practical skill.
