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Gainesville, FL August 4-5, 2012

Started by 9mm4545, August 04, 2012, 09:37:20 PM

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9mm4545

Just to get this started here is the AAR for day one. More to follow.

This has been a fantastic event so far. Steamy, hot, rainy, muddy--and fabulous! From "not on paper" at the beginning of the day to almost clearing the final Redcoat is the description of our Most Improved Shooter, Steven. I believe he would have cleared it but for a miscount on the magazine prep. Oops! This small event made up in quality what it lacks in quantity. With equal numbers of instructors to students, everyone was getting lots of personal attention and the fact that we produced two new Riflemen today proves that something must be working. At the beginning of the day, Rob (Veritas Aequitas) came out to work his first official Appleseed and the brand new Orange Hat looks good on him. The administrative functions were handled masterfully by Dave (Gray Man) and we were started right on time. At lunchtime, Ken (Engineer Shooting) got us started on that little dustup in Lexington and he made it come to life. By the end of the day, we had one literally knocking at the door--you know who you are Micah--and two new Riflemen. Congratulations to Joe and Craig! Great shooting and great fortitude for hanging in there under difficult conditions. Sarah and Lori: you guys are inspiring. You gotta be tough to handle the heat and mud and handle it you did. I do believe you are both going to be scary good with just a little more practice. The steady progress is likely to continue tomorrow; I can hardly wait.
The American Constitution is remarkable for its simplicity; but can only suffice a people habitually correct in their actions, and would be utterly inadequate to the wants of a different nation.  Change the domestic habits of the Americans, their religious devotion, and their high respect for morality, and it will not be necessary to change a single letter in the Constitution in order to vary the whole form of their government. - Francis Grund 1837

mattra

I think we should call events like this Mudseeds :). I think the event went exceptionally well considering the periodic downpour and soggy ground but everyone seemed to persevere.  I was especially impressed with the ladies, I didn't expect that kind of grit and determination - maybe I shouldn't underestimate the fairer sex. Hopefully we can pursue the possibility of an event at Camp Blanding through Kyle - that would be great not just for students but instructors too.

Hope to see some pics of the event posted soon. I'll try to take a few snapshots of the boys tomorrow and post them for you RamboGranny.

-Good Shooting

9mm4545

Day two report: The 60% chance of rain was wildly optimistic. It not only rained but it rained hard and the bare ground turned into a mud pit. We would take occasional history
breaks when the downpour was too intense to see the targets but everyone hung in there and fortunately, lightning was not an issue. Instructor Rob left a bit early on Saturday afternoon due
to the pain of a cracked rib (sporting injury) but he was replaced with new Orange Hat Craig, who shot the score repeatedly on Saturday and stepped up to instruct on Sunday. Huzzah!
Joining us on Sunday were Kyle and Stacie, who brought great attitudes and a fair amount of rifle marksmanship skill. Kyle showed that his previous Rifleman scores were not a fluke and
managed to shoot the score most every time he tried. Stacie was so, so close but the magic 210 was just out of grasp. It will come with more practice--and persistance. After some struggle with a
slightly malfunctioning rifle, Micah showed he had what it takes and turned in qualifying scores. Several of our instructors also proved their marksmanship with re-qualifying on the AQT.

I tried a little different approach on Sunday than my usual program of instruction. After the initial Redcoat and a very brief review, we posted the first AQT of the day. The problems revealed when that target
was shot helped direct the drills that were to follow. AQT, followed by specific drills, followed by another AQT--rinse, lather, repeat. Seemed to work with this group, might not with every group.

The end of the day was solid rain with ever deepening lakes of mud. I truly do appreciated everyone's help in tearing down the whole muddy mess. I expect to be finding mud for weeks to come.
Nobody got stuck in the mud but Tyler came close as he spun tires and slithered his way out of "the pit".

The last bit of excitement was on the way home as one of my travel trailer tires shredded itself only a few miles from home. With the help of a good Samaritan, the tire was changed in the driving rain and we
managed to arrive home, wet and bedraggled but safe. Today, the cleanup begins! 
The American Constitution is remarkable for its simplicity; but can only suffice a people habitually correct in their actions, and would be utterly inadequate to the wants of a different nation.  Change the domestic habits of the Americans, their religious devotion, and their high respect for morality, and it will not be necessary to change a single letter in the Constitution in order to vary the whole form of their government. - Francis Grund 1837

smoakingun

What a great weekend. Sweltering heat, high humidity, and misquitos the size of vultures made for an interesting Saturday, torrential down pour on Saturday. This group of shooters had grit. I thought for sure someone would quit when the shooting mats disapeared into the mud, but these folks flopped right down and rolled in it. Truely a tough bunch. The highlight of my weekend though had to be Tyler (Pikid) getting himself out of the mud sunday evening. Maybe I should have moved my truck before he attempted to get out? As my boy powered his way out of the mud, he covered my truck, all my gear, and to a lesser extent me with the nasty stuff. We all went home crud covered with gear to clean. I can't think of a better way to have spent a weekend O0
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.

Thomas Jefferson