Myrna Kissick has been to the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships a dozen times and has always been a top 10 pitcher.
And the 76-year-old horseshoe legend clearly thought this year's tournament in St. George, Utah from July 22 to Aug. 3 would be no different, except for maybe a chance to finally claim the title.
However, stifling hot weather and less than ideal playing conditions quickly snuffed out her goal of climbing the ladder towards a world title.
“My body was there but my mind wasn't,” said the feisty Kissick, a member of the Horseshoe Canada Hall of Fame and five-time Canadian women's single champion. “It was 120 degrees down there most of the time. Heat doesn't bother me too much but it was humid.
“The playing conditions were not good,” she added. “They play in clay. It is a special clay which you pitch into. I have played in a lot of different pitching clay and this was the worst that I ever played in.”
While Kissick encountered misfortune in Utah, not so for 80-year-old Charlie Whatley, who took up competitive horseshoeing just four years ago.
Whatley did not go to the Worlds but he had an outstanding year nevertheless. He won the Alberta Open, Western Canadian Classic, as well as the national championship last month in Belleville, Ont.
“I'm very happy. I have improved from last year. I improved from 39 to 45.7 ringer percentage,” said Whatley, who is considering a future opportunity to go to the Worlds. “I used to just play at picnics and stuff. I have only been playing competitively for a few years. I only have so much time but I might want to go.”
As for Kissick, who has been playing high-calibre horseshoes since earning a bronze medal at the Alberta Summer Games in Innisfail in 1972, it is time to group with regional and local tournaments, including the upcoming Innisfail Open on Aug. 24 and 25 at the Innisfail Horseshoe Courts.
“It was my overall performance. It was not good. I have pitched better. I was just not there mentally. It is a mental game, just like any other sport,” said Kissick of her performance in Utah.
She has not yet decided whether she will seek redemption at next year's world championship in Buffalo, N Y.
“I don't know if I am going,” said Kissick. “It doesn't matter too much. I have been at it since 1972.”
