AAR Sparta MI 25 M Rifle Event Event - March 23-24, 2024

[Rangerat67]

The event started with the pledge, introductions, and the presentation of the "First Strike". This was followed by the safety rules, and steps to making a safe rifle. The students demonstrated throughout the weekend that they understood and respected the safety standards of Appleseed. Our goal is that these safety standards become lifelong habits to be shared with the shooting community.

Five first time Appleseeders and five repeaters then made their way through ~5" of snow to the 25-meter range and the storm of marksmanship knowledge was opened. I can honestly say this group of ten had the best target groups of I have ever witnessed at an event.  On the opening redcoat, five joined the ranks of Morgan's men!

We were able to post one AQT on Saturday.  Four students scored Rifleman!

Dave K., shooting a Ruger 10/22 Takedown, was high scorer for the weekend with a 238!

Chad S. scored a 228!  Chad brought his son Colten to his first event and the competition was on!  Chad also won the "Know Your Limits" shoot with a perfect score proving he has no limits!

First time Appleseeder Kris B. sored a 225!  Kris even shot Stage 2 in the standing position!

First time Appleseeder Rob W. scored a 213!  (On Sunday, Mr. Consistent scored a 219, 220, 221, and a 222.)

Yes, you are reading this correctly, four shooters out of ten received a Rifleman Patch on the first AQT!

In addition to the marksmanship instruction, the rest of the story of April 19, 1775 was presented. Who can forget the sacrifices of so many to preserve our freedom?

"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.

Day two began in the clubhouse with laser rifles.  We than made the trek to the range for an accelerated version of Saturday with a few bonus drills incorporated into the schedule.  We quickly moved to AQT's.

On the first Sunday AQT, first time Appleseeder Alexandra K. earned her Rifleman Patch with a 214!  Alexandra was focused on improvement throughout the day and will surely catch up with Dave K. in the near future.

We often say Rifleman persist!  I was very happy to award Kris H. a Rifleman Patch with a 211!  This was Kris' 4th event, and he has been so close, so many times.  Kris showed he is a true Rifleman by persisting and he "Got'er Done!". 

The last Rifleman of the weekend was first time Appleseeder Colten S. who was not about to let his father, Chad S., be the only Rifleman of the household.  Congratulations on shooting a 220 and earning your Rifleman Patch!

All the shooters showed a high skill level throughout the weekend.  First time Appleseeder Dirk B, fought through the transitions and body aches and gradually improved from the 160's, to the 170's, to the 180's.  This is great shooting and I expect you to receive a Rifleman Patch at your next event. 

Chris W., the club contact that made this event possible, (thanks Chris!), scored several AQT's in the 190's.  I should note that Chris has more than one Rifleman Patch at home already and although all four stages did not line up for him this weekend, Chris is a Rifleman.   

The last shooter to discuss is Thomas N.  Thomas had a tough 2023 as he lost feeling in his legs.  In September, he had surgery and then had to relearn to walk.  During this event, on Sunday, he turned 18 and to celebrate, scored a 198!  2023 may have been tough but 2024 is starting out strong! An special thank you to his mother Crystal, for bringing chili for lunch on Saturday and a birthday cake for all of us to enjoy on Sunday.  Happy Birthday Thomas!  (By the way, the winners of the birthday cake candle challenge was the "spray and pray" blue team comprised of Chad, Colten, Chris W., Dave, and Alex who squeaked out a victory scoring 73 versus 69 for the green team.)

Thank you to all the students as your desire to learn, attentiveness, and persistence made this an enjoyable event for all the instructors. I look forward to seeing you at a future Appleseed event.

Thank you to the Sparta Hunting and Fishing Club for hosting this Appleseed event. This is a great venue, and we look forward to returning next year.

Three Huzzahs to the instructor team, Pocketwatch, Geek, Jayshoneybunny, MI-Copperhead, and Fidget for donating your time and talents to this event. The Appleseed instructor cadre are some of the best people you can ever meet, and it is a pleasure to know and work with all of you.  Your dedication to the program is clearly evident by you willingness to travel many hours to share your wisdom.  Thank you!

A link with a few photos is copied below.  I will email a second link with additional photos to each of the students. Just a couple are included in this AAR. Feel free to post your own pictures and share any comments you have about this weekend's Appleseed event. Tell your friends or better yet, bring them to a future event!

Best regards,

Rangerat67


https://imgur.com/a/PU1JmWn

[Geek]

It was an honor and privilege to help at this event.  The teachable attitude coupled with skill prevailed at this 25M event.  Watching a shooting line with a shed at one side and a berm on the other made quite a sight.  On an interesting weather note, despite starting Saturday with snow, this was not declared a winterseed.  You Michigan folks are hardy stock.  Congratulations to those that attained their goals over the weekend.  I look forward to seeing some of you on the line in the future.

[Triggermeister]

Rangerat67, Pocketwatch, Geek, Jayshoneybunny, MI-Copperhead, and Fidget thank you so much for sharing your time with us, sharing the stikes, and your knowledge in rifle use!  As a first time Appleseeder, I learned a lot, got some great trigger time in, and built some great friendships.  It was a well paced class, and I can't wait to apply the techniques on my next prairie dog hunt. 
@pocketwatch thanks for your help in correcting my standing sling use, it honestly makes the platform much more stable. @rangerat67 thanks for your help with improving my seated shooting position, locking in your elbows with the knees and stretched out back works wonders.  @geek thanks for the prone demos, and reinforcing the Npoi, I think that was a great lesson for me vs muscle-ing it, especially when prone.  I think these were the most significant influences from a shooting standpoint. 

The most exciting moment for me was Kris H. getting his patch. Go Kris!

Thanks again,

Triggermeister

[MI-copperhead]

It was a great time with great Project Appleseed people (participants and instructors). It was my first time at Sparta and it's a nice little range with a well set up club house and facilities. The shooters definitely came with their "A" game as after 6 steps/npoa were covered most were at or close to the coveted 4 MOA group size. I was sorry that I had to go after the first day as I could see there were going to be Riflemen and women minted that weekend. Great job by all who attended and by the Cadre of instructors assembled by RangeRat67. Geek, Jay's hunybunny, Pocket Watch, and Fidget

[JustKim]