Pepper spray sucks, but it's not the end all be all. If you've had it done once to you, you know what to expect and the next time it's not as bad.

My entire class was sprayed (as is every academy at my location) and last week we went and sprayed ourselves again to raise money for the Espinosa Foundation (an officer who got shot, his family created a foundation to donate money for his children's education), and it was not nearly as bad the second time around for those who took the spray.