June 2010 - Shooting For Nashville Flood Relief

Epic!

That is the only word I can use to describe the recent Nashville and middle Tennessee, South West Kentucky, and Northern Mississippi  flooding. Nearly 20" of rain in 48 hours in the Nashville area. The Cumberland River crested at nearly 52'. Creeks turned into rivers, rivers turned into lakes, and lakes turned into....well you get the idea. Twenty one people lost their lives in Tennessee. Many lost their businesses. Hundreds lost their homes. Everyone lost Opryland Hotel and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. It is estimated that Davidson County alone suffered $1.5 billion in damage and loss.

True to Tennessee, however, was the massive outpouring of assistance for one another. They don't call this the Volunteer State for nothing. Sports stars pitched in demo'ing houses. Country music stars gave of their time and money, even when many lost much or all of their equipment. I think the most interesting observation was the minimal play on the national media this disaster got. Why? In my opinion it's pretty simple. There was little if any turmoil. There were no people begging the powers that be for help. There was no significant "blaming someone else" for their loss. There was little looting and crime (I think only 6 arrests for petty theft). What we did see was neighbor helping neighbor. Strangers helping each other. Everyone working hard to get their lives back on track. It was, and is inspiring.

The Charity

I was particularly struck by the rapid response of the group Hands On Nashville.  Hands On Nashville is a local organization, and was founded in 1991. Their mission is to organize volunteers to help our community. During the floods, Hands On Nashville worked hand in hand with more visible organizations such as the American Red Cross and Second Harvest Food Bank to provide assistance to those affected.

It is in honor of all of those affected by the flooding, and particularly to highlight the works of Hands On Nashville, that this month's match will be a charity fundraiser to support the work of Hands On Nashville.

For every target submitted, I will personally give Hands On Nashville $10 on behalf of the Nashville Online Handgun Postal Match.

It is my hope that all participants can find it in their heart (and bank account) to match or exceed my donation. Please give generously if you can. Of course you can still play along with the postal match without making a donation, but anything you might be able to give is most appreciated to support the efforts of Hands On Nashville to continue to help with flood recovery, and to further their volunteer mission in the future.

Please click the Paypal  or Gunpal donate button and give what you can.

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The Match

 Click Here To Download The Flood Relief Target

Rules:

Distance - 7 yards

Grip - Two Hands, No rest

No maximum number of rounds, but there is a 7 round minimum

The idea is to hit each raindrop (a total of 7) with the least number of shots. If you hit each drop once, your maximum score would be 30. 

 Any miss equals -1

Because the outlines are so wide, you must place your shots so that the majority of the hole (the lead ring is what counts) lies within the drop outline. If you hit two drops with one shot, you must pick only one to count. It's probably best to pick the higher point count. Remeber that greater than 50% of the shot must lie within the black outline. Unless you are shooting .50 caliber, it is unlikely to be an issue. In the event of a tie in score, the shooter with the highest percentage of shots fully in the drop outline will be deemed the winner.

See the scoring example at the right to get an idea. 

Match deadline is midnight on June 30th

Email a photo or scan of your targets to postalmatch@gmail.com.

Remember that this is for charity. I know time and ammunition are expensive, but do what you can to make this fundraiser a success. Please enter as many guns per class, and as many classes as you can. Also, ask your friends to participate. Even better, post the following flyer at your local gun range/store etc. to get people to play along.

 Match Flyer

As an added incentive, if you are the highest scorer (to be determined by me), you will also be given a commemorative Nashville Flood T-Shirt from NashvilleFloodTees.com. Your choice of style, color and size. Make sure you include your mailing address, shirt choice, size and color with your entry. If you would rather, I can apply the cost of the shirt ($20) to your donation to the cause instead.

I hope you enjoy this match. Have fun. Be safe. Introduce someone to shooting.

Gray