You have to admit, Saturday was not a nice day. It was cold and it was wet. It was the kind of day to curl up with a good book and Grandma’s quilt. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards for me. My husband and I spent the day at the Gopher Rifle & Revolver gun range in Harris scoring targets for 600 yard bench rest matches. We were lucky to be able to work inside where it was relatively warm and dry.

For the 30+ shooters it was a different story. They were outside, shooting off concrete benches with no covering. Between targets they would huddle under portable canopies (open on four sides) wipe the rain off their faces, dry their equipment and commiserate with each other about the weather. Some were so chilled they sat in their vehicles with the engine running and the heater on. It was a miserable day – but memorable too.

What made it memorable was hardly anyone complained or quit. Every one of the participants was there because he/she loved the sport. They put up with the inclement weather and rain running in their eyes and down the back of their necks. They encouraged each other, shared towels, jackets and heaters. When the first day of the two day competition was over, the traditional steak fry went on as planned. People sat around and talked, compared targets and wished each other well for the next day. About 9:30 some moseyed off to their campers, other to their homes and a brave few to the tents they had pitched that morning.

The next day was sunny and crisp and dry – a perfect shooting day. Only one shooter was a no-show/no call.

The point is you never know if life will deal you a series of sunny days or rainy days. You’re only assured of losing if you don’t keep playing. In business if you feel the odds are stacked against you, play harder, play smarter, but play ALL the way. We all lose at times, but the real winners never give up.