AAR Kaysville UT, Aug 17 and 24

[lbsnake925]

Quality, not quantity at Kaysville Wasatch Shooters Appleseed.

After not shooting at Kaysville for two months it was good to get back to the Wasatch Shooter's range for the August Appleseed.  We anticipated a bigger crowd but decided to press forward with the low pre-registration. The shoot was scheduled as a two Saturday event. 

Saturday 17 August, we had four participants and two Blue Hats on the line shooting. The weather was pleasant for an August in Utah. We expected hotter temps but a cool front was moving in which made the day more bearable. Instructors Rifleman2000, MorrisNK, lbsnake925, and SIMX used a course of fire format more strictly based on the Instructor Manual COF example. This was the second time the Northern UT team tried the Instructor Manual format which included more dry practice, a combined teaching method related to the 3 pillars of marksmanship, and introduction to more advanced rifle skills. Lessons learned from doing this a second time was that the instruction during the first half of the day can seem to drag due to more lecture and less trigger time.  The intent is to give participants an understanding of the basics before trigger time to conserve ammunition and relieve "live fire" stress when the participant is learning to focus on the SHF, 6 steps, and NPOA. The instruction seemed to take affect because the instructors noticed a rapid acquisition of tight grouping by the shooters.  Due to the more intense dry practice sessions and methodical instruction we typically only have time to shoot one AQT on day one.  All the participants did well.  Greg A. was a one day participant and worked hard to incorporate what was learned, his efforts were fruitful and he saw great improvement by day's end. We asked him to return and shoot Rifleman score.  He said he would.  Dave O., Blue Hat, jumped on the line after helping set up the range. He learned valuable lessons from his first Appleseed in Mantua and demonstrated marked improvements. He committed to returning and shooting RM at the September Mantua shoot. Kool Kidd Macade from SLC approached the instruction like an engineer would, cool calculated, it was hard to get an answer regarding IMC from anyone else because his mind is a scientific calculator.  Joe A. and Sarah were father daughter team. Joe was experienced and Sarah persistent. By the end of the day Sarah was outshooting her dad and was demonstrating uncanny natural ability especially on stage 4 of the AQT.  Joe struggled to get his rifle dialed in but vowed to make it right before returning. The day ended with commitments to go home, dry practice, fix the rifles. and be ready to shoot RM the following week.

Day two, Saturday Aug 24.  The weather forecast was predicted to be cooler with high clouds and intermittent showers. The view from the shooting range and high bench overlooking the valley was breathtaking.  At 7 a.m. when the gates opened, heavy rain clouds darkened the landscape accentuating the greens and browns of trees, fields, and cities in the valley between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake.  The air was cool and wind blew slightly.  White steeples from the numerous churches in the valley sprung up from the green carpet of trees causing one's eye to follow upwards towards the heavens and the threatening storm clouds.  Somehow the rising sunlight behind the East mountains was refracted downward through the clouds a great distance out in the valley. Large patches of brightly lit farmland glowed yellow shocking the eye and causing one to reflect on the beauty of the land.  My mind reflected on the men and women who sacrificed everything on April 19, 1775 for a principle as beautiful as the landscape before me.  The moment was fleeting but not forgotten as I quickly moved to set up the range. The participants had a week to recover from day one and they returned refreshed, focused, and ready.  It was rewarding to the instructors to see that all had modified their rifles based on the skills and knowledge gained the previous week.  A review of the basics and advanced concepts were tossed in as the day progressed.   Kool Kidd Macade scored Rifleman first after several AQTs.  He is the second son in the J. clan from Carbon county UT to score RM.  We hope we get more J. clan members RM qualified. What a great family, their family is what america used to be founded on, good good people.  Joe A. continued to battle his scoped rifle and he finally went with iron sights and quickly scored RM.   His daughter Sarah coolly posted AQT scores in the 180 and 190's all day.  She was tough and did not quit, her last score was one bullet shy of RM. If she does it in October she will be Utah's youngest RM. 
The legacy of the founders was shared by the instructors and the hearts of everyone felt the spirit of the American Revolution, the principles of individual liberty, burn brighter. 

We added one two Blue Hats to the team.  Dave O. from Cache County and Kim Reilly, daughter of SIMX, from Davis County.  I'm sure both will make a great contribution to our North Utah efforts.

Attendance was down but american and utah spirit was up. There are 2 more new RM in UT, with a ½ dozen waiting in the wings. We only have 3 more shoots scheduled in UT. Get someone new to the next Appleseed Project event!

Thanks to those participated, thanks to the instructors who sacrifice time they will never get back.

Your humble servant in natural liberty, lbsnake925

Pics at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u4ib8cgzhgad1uj/TuWpZ7_aSi