There are a lot of lessons in life which are tough…

There are a lot of lessons in life which are tough; winter was one of them.  While growing up in upstate New York the temperature was well into the 30s or below starting in November and ‘shorts’ weather would start in April when it was a balmy 45 degrees!  Needless to say, for a few months it was a winter wonderland.  The small ponds would freeze over and it was always fascinating seeing small woodland creatures inch out on the freshly made ice to make sure they would not fall in by taking the newly formed express path from one side of the pond to the other.

I remember back to 1983 with the November release of what has been a must watch movie during the holiday season, A Christmas Story.  During the movie there was a key scene where the main character ‘Flick’ was egg’d on by his so called friends to lick the flagpole.   Afterall, it is in the “How to be a Guy Handbook” you could never turn down a triple dog dare.  So, what did Flick do, anything we would have all done, he licked the flagpole.  You guessed it, his tongue became “thtuck” or commonly referred to as stuck to the flagpole.

Being six years old and my older brother was 7 turning 8 at the time, I had a great idea.  I was curious but not sure if what we had seen in the movie was in fact true.  In true ‘growing up’ fashion I issued the infamous triple dog dare challenge to my admirable older brother.  We did not have a flagpole around, but we did have a front porch with a suitable metal door.  I was not a savage so I went in and got some water to clean off a suitable spot on the door because safety was paramount, even before the likes of the coronavirus.  After a lot of hesitation and coaxing, my brother actually licked the door with the tip of his tongue.  I was in complete amazement, his tongue seemed to be in fact stuck to the door.  I of course was inside, because it was cold outside.  I asked my brother if he was okay and all I could hear was “itttssss thtuck’.  I asked again what he said and he said “IITTTTSSSS THTUCKKK”.  I was determined to hear what he said so I decided to open the door, mind you the door opened outside.  I heard a bump and as I opened the door I saw my brother fall into a snow pile by the sidewalk leading to the front door.  He started screaming.. I asked what was wrong and he said look at the door.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  My brother left a small piece of his tongue on the front door and I thought it was so cool.  I had to take out my pocket knife and scrape some off the door to take it inside to look at it under my new microscope I just received for Christmas.

As with this experience, there are a lot of experiences which are tough to learn.  Four years ago I approached ELEY to partner as a Rimfire sponsor and they took a wait and see approach.  As the team captain of the Steel Target Paint Shooting Team I completely understand why.  There are a lot of people who get into the sport for a year or two and they are gone. I took me over a year and a half to land my first contract with the world’s best Rimfire Ammunition manufacturer.  It was tough, but well worth the time and effort I put in.  They have mold Olympic gold medals than all of the Rimfire ammunition manufacturers combined.  Their famous for their accuracy, reliability, and overall performance.  I know when I am competing I don’t have to worry if my guns will cycle, I don’t have to worry about if they will go bang when I pull the trigger, nor do I have to worry about the accuracy.

With such a great lineage and documented performance, the ammunition does come at a premium until now.  Through the partnership with ELEY I am able to offer ELEY Force (high velocity) and ELEY Contact (standard velocity) for an amazing value at SteveFosterShootingSports.com.  The mission of this website is to bring a value to the shooting community where all competitors can shoot the Rimfire ammunition the best in the world use.  Let’s face it, while some manufactures are ramping up throughput they are sacrificing quality.  You spend a lot of time, money, and effort to be the best competitor you can be.

Don’t be like Flick or like my brother, don’t learn a tough lesson at the range, head to SteveFosterShootingSports.com to get your Rimfire Ammunition!

See you out on the range soon!

Steve