AAR LADYSEED, Alamogordo, NM July 18-19, 2020

[Mrs. Smith]

Hear ye, hear ye!  Early in the morning of July 18, 2020, six intrepid ladies gathered together (socially distanced, of course  ) to learn the finer points of firearm safety, fundamental rifle marksmanship, and Revolutionary War history!  This is their tale of hardship, determination, perseverance, and some inappropriate giggling 

In attendance were Deborah, Mary, Alivya, Sarah, Mandy, and Project Appleseed's own DaughterOLiberty, aka Sheila 

Most of these ladies had little to zero rifle experience, so after the introductions and the Pledge, a "Rifle 101" session was held, where the Shoot Boss, following the Safety Rules, explained and demonstrated (sans ammunition) the various parts of the rifle and how the user interfaces with those parts.  This was immediately followed by the standard Safety Briefing, with Safety Rules, Safe Rifle, and common malfunctions.  Having been shown the "parts of the rifle," it was much easier for the ladies to follow the safety briefing (it doesn't do much good to say "magazine out! Bolt Back!" etc if they have no clue what that means  ).

And in-depth Rifle 101 took place prior to the shooting of the first Redcoat of the weekend, with each lady being instructed on how to insert and remove magazines, lock open and release bolts, and operate the safety individually while under the close supervision of a member of the Cadre.

Then, REDCOAT!  The ladies were off and running!  Bayonets got a workout on that first Redcoat, not surprisingly, but patience and perseverance turned that around in the course of the weekend.  Each lady had at LEAST one Redcoat where they did not get the bayonet, demonstrating significant improvement.

And my Cadre....  Did I mention my Cadre?  Well SHAME on me!  HotairBill, Mr. Smith, RJ.Mouse, Olsalt44, and DaughterOLiberty were absolutely AMAZING, and I wouldn't trade a single one of them for anyone.  With a line full of ladies and children (ages from 10 to 57), they were all on their best behavior, patient, kind, helpful, and boy oh boy did they make me look GOOD!

The pace was easy, the instruction and demonstrations simple, and in the words of HotAirBill, "the slower pace of instruction seemed to work very well with getting the mission accomplished and not overwhelming the participants."  All of this conducted in temperatures in the high 90s, and a fair bit of humidity, given that this is monsoon season in Southern New Mexico.  Every time we finished a course of fire, the mantra was, "Water, ladies! Water!"  Sunday brought storms in the mountains, which gave us some relief from the heat, but was accompanied by some wind, including some not-insignificant gusts.  Challenges!

At lunch and through the course of the weekend, the ladies were regaled with the tales of April 19, 1775, and all were received with the proper reverence.  Even our two youngest students, cousins Alivya and Sarah, were attentive and seemed to well understand the gravity of the events of that day.  However during instruction and when on the line, their lightheartedness, good nature, and determination to learn this difficult skill kept the rest of us "up" and ready for more.

Mandy, determined to improve her skills so that she could put them to use this fall for her elk hunt, added to the challenge by completing the course with an iron-sighted rifle. And improve she did!  In fact, she's already signed up for the Raton UKD course in August, correctly figuring that course would go a long way toward preparing her for her hunt.

Mother and daughter, Deborah and Mary, had their own challenges. Deb has some mobility issues and a knee replacement, and Mary has Cerebral Palsey.  HotairBill stepped up and took incredible care of Mary throughout the weekend. It was really quite something to see as Mary would get herself down into her position, then holler "ok, Bill! I'm ready!" and he'd help her sling up and manage magazines.  They made an amazing team.

The rest of the instructors, Mr. Smith, RJ.Mouse, and Olsalt44, did a commendable job of making sure everyone got the instruction they needed, and those improving scores tell the tale.  Quoting Bill again, "the cadre functioned like a well oiled machine. Even though some of us were under pressure to be on our best behavior and we had to wait until the Shoot Boss said "poop" until we could get some relief from this oppression of free speech."  I know. I'm a tyrant. What can I say? 

Sheila did triple duty, taking care of RSO responsiblities, helping wrangle her nieces, and shooting on the line.  That was one BUSY girl!

Prior to the first official AQT of the weekend, we shot a practice target containing all of the elements of the AQT, with a little additional time on the rapid fire stages.  A HUGE shout out to 308Liberty for creating the Quack and Ducky DQT!  It was a real hit, and a real hoot, with each shooter receiving a commemorative tiny rubber ducky to remember it by 

Three REAL AQTs later, we shot our final Redcoats and got the official scores from Olsalt44, who acted as our scribe and target scorer.  Every shooter showed SIGNIFICANT improvement in their AQT scores, with Mary logging in a whopping 68 point improvement from first AQT to last!  Congrats, Mary!  (I'm hoping she'll share a photo of her purple Appleseed "chalice," because yours truly forgot to take a pic.)

Going through all the courses of instruction, the ladies all asked intelligent questions, and showed the enthusiasm for soldiering on that I've come to expect at an all-ladies event. The energy is really remarkable. If you get a chance to participate in one, you'll not regret it.

Our weekend closed with a few solemn moments as we remembered John Adams' and George Washington's words following the events of April 19, 1775; "Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it." ― John Adams

"Unhappy it is, though, to reflect that a brother's sword has been sheathed in a brother's breast and that the once-happy plains of America are either to be drenched with blood or inhabited by slaves. Sad alternative! But can a virtuous man hesitate in his choice?" ― George Washington

We discussed civic responsibility, and how the Constitution is a contract between the Government and the People, and only functions as intended if ALL parties hold up their parts of the process.  There were promises to come back (Mary and Deb have already registered for the August event,) and promises to share their experience with others.

Ladies and cadre, it was truly my honor to lead you for the weekend. And it will be my honor to be permitted to do so again someday.

See you along the Appleseed Trail!

In Liberty,
Traci

[hotairbill]

What no pictures?  LOL!

[Mrs. Smith]

What no pictures?  LOL!

Smarty pants 

[Mrs. Smith]

*GASP*  How could I forget the Flower challenge?  Stolen SHAMELESSLY from our own National Ladyseed Coordinator, Trisha, the ladies were broken into teams and given 20 shots each with instructions to make the center of the flower disappear.  The winners were...     drumroll please.....   Sheila and Deb!  Way to work together, gals!

[Mrs. Smith]

One of the absolute BEST parts of my job as the Shoot Boss is being a part of the cultivation of young Patriots.  Alivya and Sarah were model students, taking obstacles in stride and keeping the spirits of the other students up and light.  It was a GENUINE pleasure to work with each of them, and I'm looking forward to repeating the experience. Special thanks to their Aunt and Uncle for making their participation possible.

Girls, you're well on your way on the Road to Rifleman, and I have no doubt you'll reach that destination with honor.  Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

[DaughterOLiberty]

Woooo! Thank you Mrs.Smith! It was a pleasure to be in the cadre and on the line for this ladyseed event. The pace was excellent, I think, and really showed by Sunday eve. Our ladies really had a lot to overcome between physical disabilities,  size, and inexperience but they did outstanding!!!

HotairBill, lemme just tip my hat to you sir. Mary really thrived and seemed to genuinely enjoy herself once you stepped in and started assisting.  Truly a sight to see, Bravo!

As always, Mr.Smith was super patient and really helped the girls, especially out littlest atendees. Mandy seemed to really take the challenge head on, while Alivya and Sarah seemed open and willing to learn. Thank you for your patience with our girls! I can't wait to see them as Riflemen soon!

RJ, a personal thank you for your help on the line Sunday. Your feedback and input was invaluable. 

This has been my 4th event with Appleseed, and each one gets better. Mrs.Smith is right, there's something about a Ladyseed that definitely should not be missed! The energy is crackling, high energy...just happy?! Giggles coming from up and down the firing line when a lady hits her mark. Humble, honest, open, and so eager to learn and improve... I can't wait for another!

Thank you for the opportunity 

[Captain]

Looks you had another great event Mrs. Smith! You and your crew show that women are every bit as capable as men in the arts of the "Rifleman", and apparently, with good instruction better! Hope to see all of your shooters back out on the line at an Appleseed soon. A Rifleman Persists!

[sleepy]

Most impressive! Seems like I missed one heck of a shoot.

[Mrs. Smith]

You boys are welcome to join us next time!

[Ghostring]

HUZZAH!!!

Another OUTSTANDING event hosted by our New Mexico cadre, and full of all the verve and talent that makes this Nation so great, our freedom so important and our mission so dear!

Solid work! Great to see the Alamogordo range in action, and the ladies in such fine form!

Kudos to everyone involved, keep up the great work and I'll see y'all on the trail!

[Mrs. Smith]

Thanks, Ghostring!  Always a pleasure to hear from our Regional Coordinator and favorite Master Instructor  (sorry, M.O.  ) 

Your support, encouragement, and advice help make this cadre what we are today 

You'll have to come back and play with us again soon!

[Mrs. Smith]

Special thanks to our hosts,  the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range in La Luz, NM. Not only did they accommodate us on relatively short notice, but hotairbill and the Range Master, Mark, did HOURS and HOURS (that's their story!  ) of intensive scientific research in 100°+ weather to determine that it was safe to conduct our 25m course of fire from the 100yd firing line.  Why does that matter?  SHADE, baby!  SHADE!  It made a huge difference in the students' comfort level, and we're very grateful!  Huzzah!

[T. WOLF]

Looks like a great event!

[JustKim]

WOW - sounds like an awesome shoot!!  I would love to work with you at some point!

[Mrs. Smith]

WOW - sounds like an awesome shoot!!  I would love to work with you at some point!

Ma'am,  you are always welcome on my line 

[NewHunter]

Hi Everyone,
I attended this Ladyseed and had the BEST TIME and learned so much. It's really nice to have the opportunity to learn a new skill in an all lady class - it's much less intimidating. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hotairbill, RJ Mouse, DaughterOLiberty, and Osalt44 - who were all very patient and knowledge and  great teachers. Also thanks to my fellow ladies in the class. A little jealous that Deb and Mary are signed up for another appelseed later this month!

[Mrs. Smith]

Hi Everyone,
I attended this Ladyseed and had the BEST TIME and learned so much. It's really nice to have the opportunity to learn a new skill in an all lady class - it's much less intimidating. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hotairbill, RJ Mouse, DaughterOLiberty, and Osalt44 - who were all very patient and knowledge and  great teachers. Also thanks to my fellow ladies in the class. A little jealous that Deb and Mary are signed up for another appelseed later this month!

Mandy, (this HAS to be Mandy!) thank you for your kind words,  and thank you for giving up your weekend to spend it with us!   I'm very excited for your participation in the advanced Unknown Distance Clinic coming up in Raton! I haven't done one of those yet, myself!  Have an AMAZING time