Every professional shooter knows what I mean by the statement above. It’s not as if you passed a football to a teammate, and they tripped before catching the ball. If someone gets the better of you, it’s because they made fewer mistakes than you did.

Yes, there are times when external factors steal a victory away from you, like a thief in the night. Although it is infrequent, I would lie if I pretended it never occurred.

I don’t want people to get the wrong impression. Most involved in shooting sports are some of the most dignified people you could ever meet. I will give an example later on in this article of good sportsmanship in competition shooting.

There is so much chivalry; if, at some point, I am not able to participate anymore physically, I will still attend events, hang out, and generally stink the place up.

I think it’s important to understand the more notoriety competition shooting sports receive. The larger the magnifying glass will become on all of us. There are those out there who would like nothing more than to burn us like an ant on a hot summer day. Let’s not give them an excuse.

True, they will make stuff up if they don’t find anything. That’s okay because we know they got nothing when we observe that. Every one of us is an ambassador of the shooting community as a whole.

Then there is “that guy.” Everyone avoids them like the plague. They go around spewing verbal ebola because they can’t win every single time. In my experience, in any sport, emotions tend to run high. Most times, people calm down and go back to normal.

It’s tough to blame them, especially after spending time in their shoes. Look at it this way; A single major event like SWN can cost upwards of 3K to participate in. Then in as little as two shots on the first day, It could be all over, and you may as well pack up and go home. How would you feel? Welcome to our world.

Whether you win or lose, be humble, have fun, and people will respect you.

People not familiar with this type of sport don’t understand the high mark we place on good sportsmanship in competition shooting. When I tell people about things I have personally witnessed, I can tell by the blank look on their faces that they don’t believe me. I certainly can’t fault them.

I could write a book on the shady things I saw in high school sports before I was even 18. yeah, that probably just made some people cringe, but it is what it is.

An example of good sportsmanship in competition shooting. I have seen during events:

I observed competitors having equipment issues during a string of fire. Before I knew it, several other participants helped them get back into the game. (Seriously, it even happened to me.) I have even seen competitors have a mechanical issue with their rifle, and another shooter hands them their personal gun to use.

So what do you do when you run across “that guy?” Simple — ignore them. They don’t tend to be around long before they quit altogether. A lot of times, if you give them some space, they will return to being human.

There is one thing I want you to understand. I have competed with probably over a thousand people, and I’ve run into less than a handful of poor ambassadors.

“The best revenge you can get is to better yourself.”—Mac R

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