Melvin Picou Jr.
October 21, 2015We face real challenges to representative democracy
October 21, 2015Every Southern family can appreciate the simplistic fun that goes into calling friends over, driving a post into the ground and tossing a few horseshoes in the backyard.
But what many don’t know is that horseshoes is a competitive sport and that leagues exist throughout the United States that aim to crown regional, statewide and even national champions.
One of those leagues is coming to St. Mary Parish this month for one of its biggest tournaments of the year.
The Horseshoe Tour will be heading to Kemper-Williams Park in Patterson from Oct. 24-25 for a two-day tournament that will cap its 2015 season.
The prestigious horseshoe tour plays six tournaments in six states throughout the spring, summer and fall. The Patterson event will bring some of the best pitchers in the world to the area, giving locals a chance to see just how good the pros can play the popular backyard game.
“We have some very good players coming in, and it’s going to be a very, very good weekend,” Horseshoe Pitching Tour official Ron Taylor said. “There are going to be players from all over the country competing, and we have a competition that is geared to let locals compete, as well. We want everyone to have a chance to pitch if they want to do so.”
The way the pros play horseshoes is a little different than the way that we do it in the backyard. Most friendly games award points for horseshoes closest to the post, as well as ringers. But in the pros, the competition is different.
At the highest level of competition, points and leaners don’t matter. Competitors throw a certain number of horseshoes and only ringers are tracked throughout the day.
“Every ringer you throw is one point,” Taylor explained. “Nothing else matters or counts for anything.”
Taylor said the event will feature four divisions. The first will be the 40-foot division, which will pit the men’s professional players against one another. Already confirmed to attend are Brian Simmons of Vermont and Allen Withrow of West Virginia – two of the better players in the country.
The event will also feature two, separate 30-foot divisions – one for women and one for seniors.
Taylor said the tournament will also feature an open division, which will take everyone with a ringer percentage of under 40 percent and include them in a winner-take-all competition. That event is open to the public and is the one in which locals will compete.
“We will have a lot of people in the state of Louisiana competing in that one,” Taylor said. “That’s where your local pitchers will be able to come in and feel welcome.”
The event organizer said there is a small fee to get into the park, but that the event itself will be family-friendly and fun for everyone – horseshoe pitchers or even folks who just want fun in the sun during what is forecast to be a beautiful weekend to be outdoors during a Louisiana autumn weekend.
He encourages everyone to attend and to give the sport a chance. Taylor said you’ll never believe how good the pros are until you see it yourself.
“They are so accurate,” he said. “It’s amazing what they do with a horseshoe in their hands. They pitch and put the shoe on the money – every, single time. It’s absolutely amazing.”
A horseshoe pitcher tosses a shoe during a tournament last month. The Horseshoe Tour will be heading to Kemper-Williams Park in Patterson from Oct. 24-25.