(Not So) Little Sure Shot
Apr. 25th, 2022 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cjlasky7What a strange weekend.
It's one of those experiences that forces you to re-examine beliefs you've held for decades--not because you were truly passionate about them, but because nothing really challenged those beliefs before.
This was the "Shooting Sports" weekend at the Boy Scouts camp at Crystal Lake (near Monticello, New York). Two days of sharpshooting in a wide variety of categories: archery, tomahawk throw, muzzle loading, BB gun, rifle and shotgun. My son had been looking forward to this for months; he entered the BB gun, archery and rifle competitions.
Now, I can hear some of you out there saying: "Are you SURE this was a good idea? Last time you went camping on the cusp of winter, you nearly froze to death during the night. And a shooting sports weekend? Sounds like it was sponsored by the NRA and run by all kinds of gun nuts."
Well...
Yes. And yes.
I was reluctant to let him participate. I am not a fan of guns (to put it mildly). But safety was emphasized at every meeting leading up to the event, and I eventually thought it was okay to let him try shooting in a rigorously controlled environment. Besides, just because I'd never fired a weapon doesn't mean he shouldn't either. Maybe taking the mystery out of shooting guns, dealing with the process of loading and firing a weapon, would give him a more realistic view of guns than his old man.
So, off to Camp Aquehonga on Crystal Lake. I made it all the way from Brooklyn to the camp site entrance in great time... then spent 45 minutes driving around like a lunatic looking for our Troop. (The dirt roads were BRUTAL on my poor little subcompact.) Once again, I could not keep warm in the tent (and my roomie snored as a bonus). Finally, I said "screw it" and went to sleep in the car. (Sorry...I'm just not a "roughing it" guy at this point in my life.)
But what really threw me was the lack of internet and phone service. Nothing to carry me through the boring patches. No way to contact my wife, who was on her last weekend of medical leave before going back to work. (She was fine. She went to see the new Nic Cage movie.) I admit I was feeling slightly disembodied without my little electronic friend.
But once I saw my son on the shooting ranges, all those petty annoyances disappeared. The safety precautions were just as rigorous as promised, and he was obviously having a FANTASTIC time. Did I feel good about the NRA sponsorship stickers posted everywhere? No. Did I feel queasy when I saw a parody of the "coexist" logo... made out of guns? Definitely. ("Suck it, liberal snowflakes!")
But, again, he had a great time. And you know what?
He was GOOD.
First time EVER shooting a rifle and he won second place in his division. When he walked up to accept his trophy at the awards ceremony, I was proud. (How could I not be proud?) It proved to me once again that if he puts his mind to it, the kid could do just about anything.
I'm at the weekly Boy Scout meeting in my neighborhood as I type this. He's showing off his award to all the kids who didn't make the trip. I'm hoping this victory will give him the confidence to excel at other areas of his life...
And, of course, he's got to go back to defend his title.
Right?
It's one of those experiences that forces you to re-examine beliefs you've held for decades--not because you were truly passionate about them, but because nothing really challenged those beliefs before.
This was the "Shooting Sports" weekend at the Boy Scouts camp at Crystal Lake (near Monticello, New York). Two days of sharpshooting in a wide variety of categories: archery, tomahawk throw, muzzle loading, BB gun, rifle and shotgun. My son had been looking forward to this for months; he entered the BB gun, archery and rifle competitions.
Now, I can hear some of you out there saying: "Are you SURE this was a good idea? Last time you went camping on the cusp of winter, you nearly froze to death during the night. And a shooting sports weekend? Sounds like it was sponsored by the NRA and run by all kinds of gun nuts."
Well...
Yes. And yes.
I was reluctant to let him participate. I am not a fan of guns (to put it mildly). But safety was emphasized at every meeting leading up to the event, and I eventually thought it was okay to let him try shooting in a rigorously controlled environment. Besides, just because I'd never fired a weapon doesn't mean he shouldn't either. Maybe taking the mystery out of shooting guns, dealing with the process of loading and firing a weapon, would give him a more realistic view of guns than his old man.
So, off to Camp Aquehonga on Crystal Lake. I made it all the way from Brooklyn to the camp site entrance in great time... then spent 45 minutes driving around like a lunatic looking for our Troop. (The dirt roads were BRUTAL on my poor little subcompact.) Once again, I could not keep warm in the tent (and my roomie snored as a bonus). Finally, I said "screw it" and went to sleep in the car. (Sorry...I'm just not a "roughing it" guy at this point in my life.)
But what really threw me was the lack of internet and phone service. Nothing to carry me through the boring patches. No way to contact my wife, who was on her last weekend of medical leave before going back to work. (She was fine. She went to see the new Nic Cage movie.) I admit I was feeling slightly disembodied without my little electronic friend.
But once I saw my son on the shooting ranges, all those petty annoyances disappeared. The safety precautions were just as rigorous as promised, and he was obviously having a FANTASTIC time. Did I feel good about the NRA sponsorship stickers posted everywhere? No. Did I feel queasy when I saw a parody of the "coexist" logo... made out of guns? Definitely. ("Suck it, liberal snowflakes!")
But, again, he had a great time. And you know what?
He was GOOD.
First time EVER shooting a rifle and he won second place in his division. When he walked up to accept his trophy at the awards ceremony, I was proud. (How could I not be proud?) It proved to me once again that if he puts his mind to it, the kid could do just about anything.
I'm at the weekly Boy Scout meeting in my neighborhood as I type this. He's showing off his award to all the kids who didn't make the trip. I'm hoping this victory will give him the confidence to excel at other areas of his life...
And, of course, he's got to go back to defend his title.
Right?
