Beloit Horseshoe Club

Courtesy of wihorseshoes.com

When regular play was all said and done, the Wisconsin #1 team had the most wins, earning the coveted #1 seed in the playoffs, guaranteeing a finish no less than second place. Team Colorado proved to be too much for them, taking three of four games in the final and securing the championship.

 In the first two games of the finals, Colorado beat Wisconsin #2, and Minnesota #1 beat Illinois #1 to advance to the next round.

Wisconsin #2 took 4th place by defeating Illinois #1, finishing 5th. Colorado defeated Minnesota #1 to advance to the finals against Wisconsin #1.

Colorado: Carl Carlton, Sheila Shepard, Paul LaCrosse, Rich Pintor, and Larry Chaney
Wisconsin #1: Randy Rein, Gert Wilcziek, Jim Larson, and Pam Aiken

Minnesota #1: Edi Holland, Gerald Stangland, Bob Knudtson, and Dale Lipovsky

Wisconsin #2: Penny Steinke, John Udelhofen, Ken Heinritz, and Mark Mauthe

Illinois #1: Dennis Reid, Larry Knop, Marvin Kramer, and Ken Schaver

Big thanks to the Beloit Horseshoe Club for hosting this event and all of the spring tournaments. The hard work and dedication of this club is unparalleled. Thanks to Jimmy Paulson, Earl Paulson, John Secord, Jeff Secord, and Dick Hansen for keeping things running smoothly and on time (gasp!). And on a personal note, it was heaven on Earth pitching so many games with scorekeepers! Thanks to Kevin Brekke for coordinating those volunteers.

 From the June-July 2009 print edition of the Wisconsin Horseshoe Newsletter:

Colorado again!

For the sixth time in 10 years, the magic of Colorado comes through. Carl Carlton, Shelia Shepard, the 30-foot pitchers, together with Rich Pintor and Paul LaCrosse took the final match of Team World from the Wisconsin team, 3-1. The ringer totals were close, 100 to 109 with Carlton making 35 (87.5%).

Wisconsin #1, the outright winner of the prelims, waited on top as others played their ladder final matches. Colorado began their campaign defeating the Wisconsin #2 team, who found their place on the ladder by eliminating the defending champion Kentucky team from further competition. On adjacent courts, Minnesota #1 took it to Illinois #1, setting up a MN/CO match. Illinois lost out to the Wisconsin #2 team in the consolation match by five points. Colorado continued its onslaught, roasting Minnesota and then Wisconsin, winning the trophy with all match results 3-1.

This may be the last year for Colorado. Both Pintor and LaCrosse have indicated their preference for the short distance game. Colorado desperately needs some forty foot pitchers or Team World regulations would need to change, as only two 30-foot pitchers are allowed per team. Considering the low entry of 16 teams while 24 is desired, some changes may be in order.

Team World is a mixed tournament. The only divisions not represented this year were Juniors and Cadets. Pitchers of all divisions, 30 foot and 40 foot, have the opportunity to pitch against each other in a unique, once-a-year chance to mix it up with their counterparts of another league. Fifteen pitchers, some run of the mill, got the chance of a lifetime to measure up against the ladies World Champion Sue Snyder. Often the glowing report is how long some scrub pitcher was able to stay in the game with her. She was the only competitor to win all her games, which explains a win total of 14 games by some others.

Wisconsin horseshoes is graced with the benefit of a Chaplain, Ken Heinritz, who conducts a Chapel service when he is faced with  Sunday pitching. An early Sunday pitching time meant an even earlier Chapel service, attended by some of those available.

Heinritz brought along his nephew, Tim Lazaris, who is looking forward to pitching his first World Tournament. Impressed by the presence of the reigning World Champion Sue Snyder, the boy approached her with a few questions regarding the "Snyder" shoe, including, "What do you do to make your shoes so magnetic?" "Oh," she laughed, "They really aren't magnetic but I do practice a lot, sometimes four hours a day. I think of it as, like, my job."

The men of the Beloit club had setup twenty-four platform courts in the Telfer park hockey arena. Sometimes they were all in use, but "sometimes" is not a full house. Like the Marines, Team World is looking for a few good teams to fill the place in coming years. This was the 25th year and the tournament committee is skillfully practiced. Come to Team World for some happy days.

Final Standings

Sanction #: 28-09-011
Date: May 15-17, 2009

1) 66.56    54.5    Colorado
73.19        14        Carl Carlton
72.50        15.5    Sheila Shepard
63.75        12        Paul LaCrosse
60.56        13        Rich Pintor
30.00        0          Larry Chaney

2) 64.96    48        Wisconsin # 1
67.03        14        Randy Rein
65.94        11        Pam Aiken
65.00        12        Gert Wilcziek
61.88        11        Jim Larson

3) 64.26    48        Minnesota # 1
66.18        14        Edi Holland
64.56        11        Gerald Stangland
64.41        11        Bob Knudtson
61.91        12        Dale Lipovsky

4) 56.36    39.5    Wisconsin # 2
61.62        13.5    Penny Steinke
59.41        9          John Udelhofen
57.50        10        Ken Heinritz
46.91        7          Mark Mauthe

5) 60.33    41.5    Illinois # 1
68.09        12.5    Dennis Reid
64.41        12        Larry Knop
63.38        10        Marvin Kramer
45.44        7          Ken Schaver

6) 60.83    34.5    Kentucky
81.33        15        Sue Snyder
56.83        7.5       Walter Mullins
54.33        6          Rick Snyder
50.83        6          Jim Culver

7) 50.08    31        Minnesota # 2
55.00        11        Bert Logsdon
53.17        8          Dale Hustad
50.17        7          Bud Nelson
42.00        5          Dick Dvorak

8) 53.17    29        Iowa
59.17        9          Larry Purcell
53.67        7          Joe Smith
51.33        6          Bob Hardy
48.50        7          Vern Kollasch

9) 52.46    29        Illinois # 2
66.50        13        Bob Vandivier
49.67        6.5       Mike Knop
48.00        6          Ken Tate
45.67        3.5       Austin Bailey

10) 54.56 28.5    Michigan
62.50        9          Terry Beagle
59.00        8          Paul Howard
50.00        5.5       John Koepp
44.79        6          Larry Fettes
18.33        0          Robert Beagle

11) 49.71 28        Minnesota # 3
55.50        10.5    Mark Smith
51.67        4          Marlys Timm
51.00        10.5    Jerry LaBrosse
40.67        3          Lloyd Wolf

12) 48.46 23.5    Illinois # 3
59.67        11        Jesse Garza
46.73        4          Bill Koons
46.15        1.5       Dalton Simmons
43.96        3          George Huntington
39.64        4          Rick Andrysiak

13) 45.63 21        Missouri # 2
54.00        8          Don Claas
50.17        7          Jim Howard
41.50        4          Ron Hassler
36.83        2          John Garvan

14) 45.38 19.5    Wisconsin # 3
52.00        7          Norm Gage
43.33        4.5       Kerry Morris
43.33        4          Ivan Ruzic
42.83        4          John Molling

15) 44.42 17        Missouri # 1
47.17        4          Mel Bruemmer
44.17        4          Audra Craven
43.17        5          Greg Craven
43.17        4          Elizabeth Furner

16) 38.00 7.5       Wisconsin # 4
43.17        3          Joe Ellinger
43.00        2          John Meyer
36.50        2          Ray Groskinsky
29.33        0.5       Rowen Swick