Morehead, KY July 19 & 20, 2008

[Believer]

Had a good start to the weekend!

12 participants on the line.  Dond, Big John, The Guy and Believer instructing.

It has been too long in my opinion since there was an AS in Morehead.  Truth be told, I have no one to blame but myself.  Looking forward to many more shoots in year to come.

Among the participants are Recon-one and Slim.

Special congrats to Slim for making rifleman today.  It was an honor to hand him his patch.  We got him started in the Instructor track today and he furfilled the role of RSO in capable fashion.

[bigjohn]

  I completed one turn of the wheel at Morehead this weekend since that was where I attended my first Appleseed shoot and now I am instructing others there.

We had a good crew of instructors with Dond presenting many fine tales of dangerous old men , Believer and The Guy refining my instructing ways and pushing the students along towards better shooting.

The range was hot as normal in Kentucky summer and humid but the spirits were high. Many students were soaked with sweat ,exhausted by the end of the day but noone quit and everyone was looking forward to Sunday's session- Good attitudes and teachable!

Plenty of room on the range with several easy-ups for shade over most of the line.

Hopefully ,we can crank out a couple more Rifleman today and/or expand the skills of everyone (me included) in marksmanship- besides reminding Americans where we started at as a nation.

[bigjohn]

Second day of the shoot forged 2 more Rifleman !! The day started out warm and grew to hot but the students kept right on working,

We started off the day with the Redcoat target then moved right into NPOA drills to get everyone set up for the QDAQT grind  which started mid morning and lasted till 3:30.

Everyone had plenty of trigger time !

[MIGHTY MOUSE]

Wow, I wish I had been there.   I will not miss next time.  Morehead is usually better when it is either pouring rain or snowing and sleeting! 

[Believer]

MM we sure missed you!  I think this might have been the first Morehead AS without you.

As Big John stated, two new riflemen yesterday.  One, a local guy and friend, shot rifleman two times in a row.  I think he wanted to proved that the first time was not a fluke.   

On Sunday we had six shooters on the line (seven if you count The Guy).  Five returning and one new guy.

With six shooters and four instructors, the shooters got lots of individual attention! 

[newinnewark]

Dustin and I had a great time.   I can't wait until the next shoot!!!   The color handout was impressive with the shadow of the Minuteman.   The reproduction of the newspaper article is very cool.   It is going to be framed and hung in my house.

I have gained so much knowledge by attending two shoots.    I believe that the secret to success with the Appleseed's system is to attend with an open mind.   You must check your "know it all" attitude at the door and listen to what these men have to say!!

Lastly, with multiple chigger bites and one bad casing burn on my forearm I say farewell until we gather together again.

Doug

[slim]

What a great Appleseed!

Beautiful country for an event (Believer, please pass on my thanks to the land owner, I would buy him some .22-250 but.....) and a perfect site for shooting if I've ever seen one. The road in is a pretty fun drive too - up and down, around the bends, through the trees, "watch out for the turkeys!" There was room on the line for several more folks so if another AS in Morehead pops up, make sure you join me there. I'll be going back, that's for sure.

We had a great weekend with much improvement made by all. This Appleseed stuff really works! This was my second AS and although I learned the basics at the first one (went home and practiced) I learned to hone my skills at this one. The instructors did a great job covering the line and I got a lot of individual instruction this time around. They didn't miss a thing! I'm amazed at the very high level of professional instruction by the volunteer instructor corps. Hats off to you guys and I hope to someday emulate your efforts both on the line and around the circle.

Appleseed is important. I knew before my first one it was something I needed to go to, to become a part of, to get involved in. Now, after my second AS, I can truly see it's not something that's to be "completed." You can't just go and hear the history, learn to shoot better, and then you're done. (I'd like to see everyone come out at least once though!) The Seventh Step is the most important of all, and this weekend really drove it home for me. Thanks to all there for helping me with that.



Lessons Learned -

Kentucky is hot and humid in the summer! How ever much water you think you'll need, double it! Bring plenty of fluids and plenty of sunscreen. If you have a portable canopy/gazebo/sunshade, bring it. If you don't have one, think heavily about investing in one or be nice to the Appleseeder who does. I felt like passing out the first day because I was in the sun. The second day I was in a shady spot under the canopy and I was able to actually say the six steps in my head. The first day all I said was, "boy, that sun is hot. BOOM!"

The pace isn't particularly fast at an AS, but being ready beforehand will help out immensely. Practicing at home really does help. So does getting your gear prepared ahead of time. It's harder to shoot Rifleman when you're adjusting your gear or have several live rounds at your feet after time's up. And, there's only one mag change required per string so if you're doing more (because you don't have your gear lined-out or aren't familiar with it) it's going to negatively effect your shooting as well. Practice at home. Practice the positions, mag changes, and the six steps while dry firing. IT WORKS!!!

Go to more Appleseeds! I'm amazed at how much I learned at this one. Different instructors, different shooters, different tips and points of view. All that translates to more knowledge and better shooting. If I would've just said "I learned it all at the other AS I went to" then I wouldn't have learned what I learned over the weekend. There are folks among us in this program that know what they're about and they're willing to share that with the rest of us. Don't hesitate to take them up on that offer!

It's hard to do, but it's necessary; apply all Seven Steps, all the time!


See you guys around the circle and out on the line.

[The Guy]

I learn something at every Appleseed, be it shooting or Instructing.

Every Instructor has a slightly diferent set of skills and ideas, and someone may just hold the key to your problem.  If you can get to their Appleseed that is.  We learn from eachother, by watching eachother work and assist others.  The best teachers are always students first, and if you think you ever know it all, you have failed.

This is what makes Appleseed so great.  The skill, dedication and perseverance of the. Instructor Corps.

The same holds true of the shooters.  An open mind and a willingness to listen will take a shooter a long ways.

This shoot, while hot, was a good time.  Much better than sitting at home in the AC.  Got to meet Slim, and it was good to see Recon One again.  They, combined with the rest, made for a good time.

For all the first timers (and us all!), be sure to take time to get into positions and dry fire practice at nights.

Then come on back, and show us you listened, learned and applied.  We might fill in that last missing blank, and then we will get to succeed together, and more Riflemen will be born.

See you at the next one, may it not be so hot and muggy!

Guy