Teamwork

About 15 years ago Jack and his wife Karen from Marengo, Ohio purchased a run down campground along Interstate 71 thinking they would make it into a family friendly campground. Below Gideon is shooting sporting clays while Colten and his sister Emily watch.

Members of the Ohio Trapshooting Association approached Jack and asked if he would consider turning the 500 acre property and campgrounds into a trap shooting range. Jack said he wasn't interested.

However the OSTA was persistent. Illinois had just defunded a large shooting range in their state that had previously held the National shooting matches. They invited Jack to a state shooting meet. 

As Jack observed the folks and teams at that state event he was impressed with their friendliness. He was surprised how they just left their guns unlocked in racks and keys in their Rangers and golf carts when they went into a store to shop or eat. Many had USA and state flags flying from their vehicles. Jack decided they were the kind of folks he wanted to hang out with.

In 2005 Jack added a shooting facility on the 500 acre active farm along side his campground. Folks were baling wheat straw Monday right next to the skeet shooting range where the Pella Christian Clay Target Team was shooting.

Jan and I felt blessed to be part of the PC shooting team, their coaches, and their families this past week as we took Gideon to the National shooting competition. 3500 participants from 26 states competed this year.

The PC shooting team had a very good week both as a team and individually. Individual honors were Dillon, Emily, Dominick, Maclane, and Colten. Thanks for the picture Patti.

Thursday afternoon after trap shooting Gideon was finished with his part of the team's competition. We loaded up and headed west arriving back home early Friday morning.

Teamwork is a group effort to help each other make things happen and we wouldn't have been able to go with Gideon to Ohio if we had not had a great team back home. Jan has lots of flowers and it has been very hot. Thanks to Mike for keeping things watered and the cabin ready for guests. Thanks for the picture Kurt.

Mark took down a large home in Oskaloosa on Tuesday with his excavator. Thanks for the picture Mark.

It's no fun loading fat hogs in hot weather. Karl has been busy selling and loading out many times during the night. Thanks for teaming up and helping Kasey. Thanks for the picture Karl.

Fortunately Mike has had summer work dozing. After spending a couple of weeks cleaning up a neglected CRP farm he moved to do some yard grading and then moved again to fix a sliding pond dike north of Blakesburg. Thanks for the picture Mike.

It's July and July is straw season. BJ has been busy baling both large round and small square bales. Much of the straw is already sold for bedding or seeding projects. In this picture the baler is hurrying hoping to finish before the looming storm. Thanks for the picture BJ.

Last week was also fair week in the Oskaloosa community. The fair is a team effort between the community, vendors, families, kids, and livestock. Below cousins Rachel and Amelia are working with their goats. Rachel is going to be a 9th grader and Amelia an 8th grader this coming fall. Thanks for the fair pictures Stacy.

Elijah brought his calf to the fair. Her name is Daisy. Daisy and Elijah won the bucket/bottle calf competition. Adi, Michael, Elijah, Allison, and Natalie all have goats at the fair. It was a neat story how all the Mom's went to Kalona together and had their first experience bidding and buying at a livestock auction earlier this spring buying goats. It's also a fun time when siblings, cousins, and friends get to hang out together at the fair. It's part of growing up as I remember it.

Just as fair week is a team effort in choring, showing, competing, and hanging out, the auction is also a community team effort. Yesterday was the 4-H auction when kids get to sell their projects if they choose and community businesses buy the projects paying extra for the benefit of the kids. Below, Doug and Ginger's son Ben is in the ring selling his steer which won rate of gain.

Teamwork is thinking about others for a common good. Without community businesses there would be no buyers. Without volunteer auctioneers there would be no auction. Without parents encouraging and helping their children their would be no projects. Without projects there would be no fair.

Life is about teamwork. There would be no National shooting competition without a place to compete. Without coaches who give their time. Without supporters. Without families. Teamwork is in our leisure activities. Teamwork is also in our jobs, our communities, our churches, and our families. When our life is over here on earth and it will be someday for all of us, we will not be asked how few shots we missed, how many trophies and ribbons we won, how many bushels per acre we were able to grow, or how much bright colorful machinery we have. We will be asked who did we help and Who did we serve. Hopefully the answer is Well Done. Thanks for stopping by the blog and visiting.