It Looks Like I Did Ok

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On Saturday I taught my very first solo firearms course. John was teaching a rifle course out in West Virginia, so when this opportunity came up, he asked me to teach.

This was not a self defense course. This was a group of 9 professional women from Northern Virginia who were looking for a different kind of “Girl’s Weekend.”

TSM came along to help assure safety and give the ladies a special treat…shooting an AR. I have to say, I think that was their favorite part of the day. The combo of a Marine and the thrill of that gun was enough to produce 9 ginormous smiles.

I had a blast. The weather was spectacular, I was able to teach the fundamentals of shooting while laying some groundwork on carrying for self defense. Even though shooting is a blast, my main concern will always be trying to encourage folks to do more for their personal safety. And, of course, the people were phenomenal.

Just in case you are wondering if the women enjoyed themselves as much as I enjoyed teaching, here is the email sent to John and me from the lady who organized the event.

“John, I can’t even begin to describe how fabulous last weekend was, but I’m sure gonna try!

First & foremost, AGirl was AMAZING!! Not only did she demonstrate great passion for her belief in the FPF Training philosophies and practices, but she found the perfect way to blend that spirit and knowledge with her students into the overall goals for the group! She was honest, dynamic, knowledgeable, and completely focused on safety and developing the right habits.

AGirl did not dictate, she simply taught! She left the politcal perspectives up to us, but she never held back in describing what she, herself, believes. Her raw honestly and willingness to share her personal experiences were forces that forged a trusting and close-knit relationship with us, as her students. We learned, we grew, and we revealed things within ourselves that added to our overall characters. We gained confidence; ALL of us!

Every single one of us also appreciated TSM and his contributions to the day! Hey, it takes a REAL man to pose for photos in a pink cowgirl hat, right?! He was the perfect support to AGirl in her instructional role, and to us, as we worked on our skills. He also did a great job of demonstrating the finer points of the AR-15, and helping us to handle and shoot it.

A few of us have already decided to take your two-day course. We want to get our permits, but we don’t want to purchase a gun until we’ve taken the full course to gain more experience. I even have a neighbor who wants to join us. She couldn’t come with us this time, but she likes what she’s hearing.

It’s obvious to us that you have a sound, solid, and very comprehensive program there, John, and you have the right individuals helping you.

Thanks, again, for working with us on this special program. It was worth every penny and more! You’ll see many of us returning, and bringing others along!”

36 thoughts on “It Looks Like I Did Ok”

  4. Nice! Compliments like that are never – NEVER – just handed out. She went from being polite to praise – and that happened because of the job YOU did (well . . . . mmmmm . . . . a hunky Marine probably didn’t hurt! 🙂 ).

    Congrats!!

  8. You rock it!! Really am so proud and impressed. Doing some pretty awesome things girl things I dream of and just don’t think my health will ever allow so I may have to live vicariously through you sometimes, lol.

  9. Great job, AGirl!! The first class is always the hardest. You’ve got to find your rhythm and personal style. Looks like you found yours!

  12. I was out in High View with John, and he was seriously bummed he couldn’t be there in Culpeper, I think he was starting to tear up. It’s very cool to hear that your Girl’s Weekend was a “hit!” I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for it. 🙂

    • Oh man, I didn’t know you were out there too. Bummer, would have loved to see you.

      Yes, John did plenty of whining about missing the course. Can’t blame him. I wanted to be in 2 places at the same time as well.

      Lucky for us our choices were either shooting handguns or rifles…it is a hard life.

      • Well, I’m in the process of setting my 2013 goals and gathering schedules, but I’m sure FPF will be on the list. I’ll be good to see you again!

  14. It sounds like you did much better than “OK”. Which surprises me not at all.

    And I agree with you about the smiles an AR can produce – I got to shoot one for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I’m already negotiating a “you bring the rifle, I’ll buy the ammo” range date with its owner. I think an AR might have to be my 40th birthday present to myself next year…

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