The Innisfail Horseshoe Club has had its most successful tournament in more than a decade.
With only 20 pitchers expected to make the trek to vie for top spot in each of the tournament divisions, 40 showed up in beautiful weather, which took tournament organizer and champion horseshoer, Myrna Kissick, by surprise.
“We had prepared for around half the number of players, and were ready for that,” said the 77-year-old Kissick. “It took a little longer to set up the draws but we got going pretty quick.”
The Innisfail event was broken up into two days, August 30 and 31, with the first day being the singles matches, and the doubles going on Sunday.
Attendees from around the province, aged 10 to 80, tossed shoes over the course of the weekend, which included an evening meal catered at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall, and a barbecue lunch.
Before pitching began on Saturday, Kissick led the group in a moment of silence for their “angels”, horseshoe pitchers who have passed away.
“With so many players registered for the weekend, we used all 12 pitches,” said Kissick. “It will make the day busy, and we needed more judges and they were there. That was a good problem to have.”
Alberta Horseshoe Pitchers Association president, Mike Holley of Madden, Alta. was one of the players present.
“Innisfail is only one of the clubs to put on a tournament during the season,” said Holley, a player only since 2003. “Nationals were held in Calgary two weeks ago, and Wetaskiwin, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Arbutus, Brooks, Lougheed and Cochrane hold events as well. “
He noted that while membership across the province is good, not every pitcher registered makes it out to every competition.
“Some guys decide not to go over scheduling conflicts, some decide they aren't good enough, and that is frustrating as we do put folks in pools with similar rankings, while some go to every possible event,” said Holley. “I'm a member of two clubs, but try to support every organization that I can.”
The 60-year-old horseshoe player said that he started competing with a five per cent rating, but now hits somewhere north of 30 per cent.
“I didn't take my game seriously until I was ranked higher than I was supposed to be,” added the president. “It forced me to practise.”
Holley spoke of his strategy while pitching.
“Unlike other sports where when you win, the other guy loses, or does not have the ball, every player has the opportunity to make or not make their shot,” said Holley. “I am competing against myself every game that I play. I don't always win, but I always do my best.”
This year's event featured four peewee players from around the province.
“Jace and Kade Nelson are here, and we have Cheyenne Yellowbird and Emily Stevenson as well. Jimi Nelson would be playing but her broken leg and arm are holding her back. Next year she will be raring to go,” said Kissick. “They are the future of our club.”
Another new player, Jean Strocher, has only been playing since May of 2013.
“I'm a novice, and have had nothing but good experiences while competing. This is a very social game that is perfect for those with leisure time on their hands,” said the senior.
The winners of the seven mixed classes were: Alvin Nanninga, Charlie Whatley, Dick Foster, William Stevenson, Con Taks, Stephanie Grutter, and Audrey Taks in the novice/peewee. Top ringer percentage went to Alvin Nanninga with 67.92 per cent hitting the pin.
The weekend tournament went very well according to Kissick, and only one more league night was left in the 2014 season.
“It was a very good year for the Innisfail Horseshoe Club,” said Kissick.
