MINNESOTA HORSESHOE PITCHERS'

Ringer Digest

November / December 2023

A Charter of the NHPA

Official Publication of the Minnesota Gopher State Horseshoe Pitchers' Association

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FROM THE NHPA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

NHPA Members,                                      

NHPA Standing Rule for Senior Women October 2023 to July 2024

Approved on October 3, 2023 at October Council Meeting

The following Standing rule was approved by the NHPA Council for Charters to use at Local, League and Regional Tournaments. This rule is being adopted so that all charters can use it at their discretion in Local and Regional Tournaments. Charters must identify which tournaments they will allow pitchers to participate using this standing rule and announce to all players at the start that it will be adopted for each tournament.

The NHPA Council is specifying that this rule will not be allowed in the following tournaments:

• Team World
• Sanction League Tournament 
• 2024 World Tournament Warm Up Tournament
• 2024 World Tournament Prelims.

For State Tournaments this rule can be used if there are 4+ pitchers using it and they are put in their own class. They cannot be mixed in any women's class.

This Standing Rule will be presented at the 2024 Delegate meeting for review, modification and vote for approval by the Delegates.

Standing Rule for Senior Women at 65 years old

Senior Women turning sixty-five (65) during the calendar year may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platform and shall observe the Twenty foot (20’) foul line.

These stats will be saved into eShoe to calculate their current average.

Anyone switching that wants to enter the 2024 World Tournament (WT) in the Senior Women category will have to observe the twenty-seven foot (27’) foul line per the current adopted rule. Their average will be whatever is calculated upon entry deadline for the WT.

NHPA Council

MN Pitchers Excel at 2023 World Horseshoe Tournament in Lansing Michigan

 By Janet Larson

Forty seven Minnesota pitchers participated in the 2023 WT in Lansing MI. We were super excited to be included in that number, attending our first WT since 2017. As in the past years, we started following the action electronically. We arrived in Lansing Wednesday afternoon of the first week of competition, it is so much more fun in person! We were excited to see old friends from all over the country and looking forward to making new ones. By the time we got there the first group of Elder’s had already wrapped up. EI1 was loaded with four Minnesota pitchers and they all ganged up on Rick Wright the first day. The first day Rick pitched his average and only won one game while Jeff Lawrence was more than 5% below his average with three wins. Over the next two days Jeff improved his average by nearly 10% to walk away with the third place trophy. Rick only lost one more game to finish 4th. Meanwhile Robin Constance pitched consistently above his average all three days to take 5th. In EI2 Brian Wipper earned a 3rd place trophy. The first Men’s groups wrapped up in the early afternoon with another third place trophy going back to MN in the hands of Ray Pierce Sr. and John Hustings joined him on the podium for a 5th place cash prize. We were getting a chance to orientintate ourselves to the very well laid out Lansing Center venue, greeting fellow Minnesotans everywhere, making it feel like home. The Lansing Center staff, NHPA officers and set-up crew had done a fantastic job. The second group of Elders were just finishing up and we got to attend the award ceremony for them where Jerry LaBrosse happily held up the first Class Champion trophy for Minnesota and Lance Van Wyhe received cash for 6th place. Eight of nineteen MN pitchers had made it to the podium after the first three days. We were off to a very good start, and sixteen more pitchers from MN were ready to take their place on the courts.

Women would be the first up in this second round of competition. Along with a few others, this was Michelle Foard’s first WT and she made her presence known, sitting at or near the top in her class the first two days. She knew what she needed to do, and included a playoff game for excitement to claim the Women's Class D Championship. Donita Kitchens took home a third place trophy. Kelli Pierce brought home 5th place cash, while Robyn Holien and Joy Brabec finished 6th in their classes. Stan Bialek was the only pitcher to represent MN in the Men’s division this round and he improved each day to go home with 5th place cash. Elder’s D2 saw two of MN’s newest Elders, Tim Brigner and Jerry Werk, battling it out at the top. Tim was undefeated on day one and held his lead on day two with just one loss. Both guys were pitching over their entering averages, Jerry slightly higher than Tim, but Jerry had suffered one loss each day. Jerry tipped the leaderboard in his favor on day three winning all of his games, while Tim lost two. In Elder’s D1 Alan Larson was hammering the stakes, pitching almost 14% over his entering average, staying about 5% ahead of Tom Kirk from Ohio. They each suffered one loss on day two. On day three, Tom lost his second game giving him two losses while Al was undefeated until the last game when they had to take on each other.  Al’s shoes went cold resulting in his worst game, while Tom pitched his second best game for the win to force a playoff game. Al turned the heat back up, pitching a 75% game, to claim MN’s fourth Class Champion trophy. Each day ended with the Cadet and Junior divisions. Lucas Rasmussen won the Cadet B class, pitching almost 9% over his entering average, and a nearly perfect record of 7 wins and 1 tie. Meanwhile, in Junior C, Isaac Rasmussen pitched 12% over his entering average to claim third place and Marshal Swenson finished in 4th place. MacKensie Rasmussen had the honor of qualifying for the Junior Girls Championship, finishing 8th. 

The annual NHPA convention was held on Sunday morning, as well as a Ringers only, Pro Tour style, warm-up tournament.  That afternoon Al and I attended the Chapel Service. The day closed with the NHPA Hall of Fame Banquet where our very own Michelle Foard was honored with an Achievement Award for her amazing work in media promotion of our sport. 

I feel it is an honor when you can say “I don’t pitch until the second week of World’s”, the preliminary rounds that include the top pitchers in each of the five adult divisions. MN still had twelve more pitchers waiting to take their turn against the best pitchers in the NHPA. Tom Prokop was our sole pitcher representing the Elders division at this level and he made his way to the podium in EC1 with a 4th place finish. Josh Olson, who puts so much work into this tournament, finished 6th in Men’s A2. Joe Mueller and Helen Hawkinson were each on a quest to be class champions. Joe pitched more than 8% over his average in MC1 and was sitting in 1st place after day two, but had to settle for the 2nd place trophy. Helen Hawkinson improved each day in her efforts, pitching 7% over her average, working her way to a playoff game where she too landed in 2nd place, averaging 59.5%, in Women's B. Cathy Ziemann also pitched 7% over her average to claim a 3rd place trophy in Senior Women’s B. Cathy’s average earned her an offer to move onto the Senior Women’s Championship, which she respectfully declined. Janet Larson had a little luck in Senior Women’s A class where she finished half a win ahead of Pat Stumpf, in fourth place. While Pat had the higher average, 64%, finished fifth. Gary Boots would wind up the preliminary rounds representing MN in the Senior Men’s division, Class C earning 5th place on the podium. That would make eight MN pitchers making it to the podium at this amazing level!

Both Pat and Janet moved on to the Senior Women’s Championship for two more days of pitching 40 point games against twelve of the best Senior Women in the NHPA. Pat maintained nearly 63%, winning eight games to claim 4th place. Janet managed a 7th place finish, which wasn’t too shabby. In total, Minnesotans brought home five Class Champion trophies, three 2nd place trophies and six third place trophies for a total of fourteen trophies! In addition, fifteen more pitchers finished in the top six of their classes. More than half of our pitchers made it to the podium! Minnesota was very well represented! Congrats to all!  

Photo Gallery from the Lansing World Tournament

Jerry Werk

Champion

Elder's D-2

Michelle Foard

Champion

Women's D

Jerry LaBrosse

Champion

Elder's G-2

Al Larson

Champion

Elder's D-1

Minnesota Women Pitchers

Patti Oakes, Robyn Holien, Colleen Szabo, Helen Hawkinson, Cathy Ziemann, Pat Stumpf, Janet Larson, Michelle Foard

Lucas Rasmussen

Champion

Cadet B

NHPA Hall Of Fame BanquetPhoto

Front: Kurt Whaley, Maxine Griffith, Jerry Smith

Middle: Debby Michaud, Amy Francis, Joan Elmore, Debbie Brown, Shiela Shepard

Back: Walter Ray Williams Jr, Jerry LaBrosse, Gary Roberts, Alan Francis

Enjoying the banquet:

Josh, Jerry Helen, and Michelle

Michelle Foard was presented an NHPA Achievement Award by 5th Vice President Josh Olson

Tom, Jerry, and Michelle enjoying some gelato

Helen Hawkinson and Cindy Clausen celebrating their victories

Tom Prokop displaying his intense concentration

Rob Ciaciura posing with Alan Francis

Rob Ciaciura posing with Mar and Max

Rob Ciaciura posing with Brian Simmons

Player Profile

Meet Matt Henning

By Janet Larson

We were setting up camp in Genola Friday afternoon, before the State Tournament, next to a couple that I didn’t recognize. Introducing myself, I found out that Matt Henning, and his wife Justine, had traveled from Mazeppa MN. Matt was pretty excited to be pitching in his first State tournament. I happened to keep score for Men’s C, Saturday afternoon, which was the class he was pitching in. He entered at 29.33 and ended up winning 5 games, finishing in 3rd place, with an overall average of 34.29%. Matt was very happy with that and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  

Sunday morning, as I was looking at the Class B entrants, I noted that many of them were entering at a lower average than what Matt had pitched the day before. I knew Matt and Justine were planning to leave on Sunday, so I decided to let them know that they might want to stick around until Class B was done.  I said that Matt had a chance of qualifying for the Men’s Championship and explained how the move-up positions were filled. They stayed, and Matt did qualify for the fourth move-up spot. I think he was a little surprised and very excited.  

Monday morning I informed Matt that the format would be a little different, being 40 point games rather than 40 shoes. In his first game he ended up going 78 shoes with Josh Olson, ultimately losing 35/42. He went on to win three games, staying with his opponents in two other close games. He had a high game of 44.23% and finished in sixth place in the Men’s Championship. Not too shabby for his first State Tournament experience. He was all smiles and loved the experience.  

Matt has pitched horseshoes since 1989, but this was only his second year as an NHPA member. He pitches in the Dan Patch league. When Matt first started pitching, he built courts in Zumbrota to play with coworkers. As their group grew, they added more courts. It is now an inclusive, non-sanctioned league that has grown to 60 members. He also pitches in a strictly 40’ non-sanctioned league, Hay Creek, near Red Wing which has 90 members. Watching Matt toss a very smooth single flip, I was not surprised to learn that he had also been a softball pitcher. Pitching in clay is relatively new for Matt, but he felt the transition has not been an issue. Matt mentioned that Andy Olson has been very helpful in helping him get acquainted with sanctioned tournament pitching.  

Personally, I truly enjoyed sharing Matt’s excitement of his first State tournament experience. He definitely plans to return next year and they thought it would be nice to attend the banquet as well. Matt and Justine are even considering next year’s World Tournament in Washington. Welcome Matt, I am glad you came! 

2023 Alexandria League Season Summary

By Janet Larson

Due to farming and weather we started May 10th, with whoever was available, playing singles and pitching 30 shoe games. We were able to get in five games each of the first two weeks and by the third week we had enough pitchers to divide into two classes. Patches were earned by Janet Larson for a High Average of 56 points, Jerry Werk had a High Game of 67 points, Chuck Betterman earned High Game Over Average for a game of 16 points over his average of 32 points. Our rookie pitcher, Gene Ward, got a patch for pitching 23.33% his very first game of the season.

Our regular walking doubles season started May 31st, with 7 teams, plus one sub. We do a high/low pairing for partners using a combination of last year’s handicaps, current Natstats or an estimate of a new pitcher's ability. Regular season ended July 12th in a tie between Al Nicholson, who partnered with subs all season, and the team of Janet Larson and Gene Ward on the top. Each team earned 42 points out of a possible 56 points.  

We had a two week break in our scheduled league events to allow for eight of our area pitchers to attend the WT in Lansing MI. Five of those found their way to the podium: Marshal Swenson 4th in Junior C, Alan Larson 1st in Elder D1, Jerry Werk 1st in Elder D2, Gary Boots 5th in Senior Men C and Janet Larson 4th in Senior Women A and advancing to the Senior Women’s Championship where she finished 7th place.  

Back home, we did our Club Only Singles tournament, divided into two classes.  The winner of Class A was Jerry Werk and Alan Larson took 2nd. Class B was won by Al Nicholson with Mike Wegener taking 2nd. Going back to our earlier teams, we finished the season with a double elimination tournament. Chuck Betterman and Mike Wegener worked their way through the consolation bracket, taking out Al Larson and Tina Matter the third week and then Jerry and Randy Werk the fourth week, before losing to Janet Larson and Gene Ward in week five. Janet and Gene W. were the last team to be sent down there by Gene Eitreim and Bruce Swenson, who were the solo undefeated team. In a rematch, Gene E. and Bruce remained undefeated to claim the title and get their names on the coveted traveling trophy. Gene E. has gotten his name on there a number of times over the years with various partners, but this was a first for Bruce who has been pitching in our league since 2008. Bruce, who always cheers on everyone, was also the recipient of our Sportsmanship Patch this year. Though there were multiple pitchers with multiple games over 100 points, ultimately Jerry Werk received the High Game patch for getting 111 points. Tina Matter received the High Game over Average patch and Gene Ward was our Rookie of the Year.  

We have a very active league! We hosted the Alex Open May 27th and most of our members pitched in a variety of tournaments. Ten of our 14 league members, plus two juniors from our area participated in the MN State Tournament in Genola this year.  Congratulations to Jerry Werk, who was honored at the state banquet receiving both the Tournament Attendance award and the Frank Stinson award.  

Al and Janet Larson, Gary Boots, Jerry Werk

Tina, Jerry, Randy, Barry, Bruce, Gene E., Al N., Gene W., Janet, Chuck

Playoff winners: Bruce Swenson and Gene Eitreim

Jerry Werk with his Attendance and Frank Stinson Awards, along with his 1st place WT Trophy. 

Ringers of Rice 2023 Season

By Kathy Stueve

Members of the Ringers of Rice Horseshoe Club met each Monday evening from May 15th through August 7th at the club courts located at O’Brien’s Pub in Rice, Minnesota. Twenty-one pitchers took part in two shifts this 2023 season.

First shift teams included Auto Body 2000, Morningstar Grooming, Rudolph Redneck Roost, and Rice Hardware Hank. Second shift teams were Santiago Boys, K/S Construction, Bialka’s, and Cave Dwellers. The 5:30 shift was won by Rudolph Redneck Roost with 51.5 wins and 29.5 losses. Members of that team were Tom Lashinski, Kathy Welle, and Billy Lashinski. The top team on the 7:00 shift was Bialka’s. They finished the season with 51 wins and 30 losses. Members of the Bialka’s team were Mike Holz, Rich Hansen, and Pat Stumpf. A playoff game was held to determine the overall league championship and Bialka’s came out on top. Congratulations to them!

2023 Ringers of Rice League Champions 

Pat Stumpf, Mike Holz, Rich Hansen

Leprechaun Open Tournament 2023

By Kathy Stueve

The Ringers of Rice Horseshoe Club hosted its annual Leprechaun Open Tournament on Saturday, August 12th. The tournament took place at O’Brien’s Pub in Rice, MN. Twenty-five pitchers took part in the one- day event. The states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Texas were represented. Classes B-D pitched forty shoes per game. Class A pitched to forty points. Classes B and D were handicapped. Cash awards were earned by the first three places in each class.

In Class A, Josh Olson and Alan Larson tied for wins and losses. A playoff game was held to break the tie. They had a very competitive game with Josh earning the win for first place. Josh’s ending ringer percent was 59.21% and Alan’s was 56.99%. Jerry Werk, Janet Larson, and Jeff Washburn all had two wins and three losses to tie for third place. Jerry took that place with an overall ringer average of 55.12%.

Bill Danielson had a very strong showing in Class B to take first place. He won all five of his games and pitched 5.34% over his entry average. Brad Heth had four wins and only one loss to secure second place. Third place went to Stanley Barney with three wins and two losses. Stan also pitched over his entry average.

Class C had four pitchers end with three wins and two losses. Annette Grebinoski took first place honors with an ending ringer percent of 38%. She pitched 4.39% over her entry ringer percent. Jerry Rajkowski was second with 36%, 2.25% over his entry percent, and Rich Hanson was third with 32.50%.

Class D was won by Brian Wipper. He had 4.5 wins and 1.5 losses. Deborah Thomsen ended just a half game behind Brian to earn second place. She pitched 3.39% over her entry average. Eugene Kiefat was the third-place winner with 3.5 wins and 1.5 losses.

Ringers of Rice Horseshoe Club members want to thank all who participated in our tournament. Thanks also to the staff of O’Brien’s Pub. Special thanks to Josh Olson for recording and reporting stats!  

Class A  Jeff Washburn, Myron Vanderweyst, Josh Olson (1st), Jerry Werk (3rd), Alan Larson (2nd), Janet Larson

Class B  Don Claseman, Paul Anderson, Bill Danielson (1st), Stan Barney (3rd), Brad Heth (2nd), Jackson Johnson

Class C  Tom Lashinski, Jerry Rajkowski (2nd), Rich Hansen (3rd), Annette Grebinoski (1st), Roger Lodermeier, Gary Boots (not pictured)

 Class D  Kathy Welle, Robert Ciaciura, Brian Wipper (1st), Eugene Kiefat (3rd), Deborah Thomsen (2nd), Ginger O'Brien, 

Another Successful Season In North Mankato

By Brian and Linda Deunow

The North Mankato Horseshoe Club wrapped up a fantastic year with 66 pitchers. We started the year with a Manager’s meeting on March 13 at the North Mankato Legion. Our membership meeting was held on April 12 at the Mankato Eagles with 41 pitchers in attendance. We had clean-up night on May 9 with24 members present to help. 

This year we had 2 divisions and 10 teams. We played on Wednesday and Thursday nights. We held the 32nd annual Celebrity Tournament on July 7th. North Mankato defeated the Mankato team with a 12 – 4 record. We had a beautiful day for the Fun Days Tournament with 40 pitchers. Jeff Washburn won 1st place in Class A after defeating Jim Bilderback in a play-off. 3rd place went to our own member Bob Klein. As we headed into August, we ran 2 more tournaments. The Club singles tournament was held on August 12 with 32 pitchers. The Class A champion was Dan Seys with a 42.2% average. Cecilia Elmore won 2nd place and Steve Miller took 3rd. Our last tournament was the Club Doubles Tournament held on August 9 and 16 with 17 teams (34) pitchers). The team of Bob Klein & Steve Miller won the Class A championship. Followed by 2nd place awarded to Dan Seys & Mike Creech and 3rd place went to Joshua Lane & Nick Lane. 

The season wrapped up with a close race in Division 1 for the first 3 places. Wayne’s World took 1st place with 93 wins & 51 losses, 2nd place went to Janesville Bowl (91 wins & 53 losses) and 3rd place went to North Mankato Legion (90 wins & 54 losses). Division 2 champions are Northwest Gas, 2nd place – Hromadko Construction and 3rd to R Henry Construction.

We concluded the year with the annual banquet and awards on September 25 at the Mankato Eagles with 83 people in attendance. Sponsors were acknowledged and thanked for their support. National awards were given to the following: Division 1 High Game – Dan Seys with 37 ringers and Division 2 – Nick Lane with 20 ringers. Division 1 High Average – Dan Seys with 46.18% and Division 2 – Cecilia Elmore with 21.81%. High Game Over Average – Division 1 - Dan Seys with 27.82% and Division 2 – Nick Lane with 20.28%. Most Improved – Division 1 – Zen Albrecht with +5.01% increase and division 2 – Ronald Lane with +5.27% increase. 

Medallions were given to the top 3 teams in each division (as listed above). Player of the Year awards were given to 1 person of each team (see picture below). From these winners, an Overall Player of the year was awarded for each division (see picture below). Rookie of the Year for each division was also awarded: Division 1 Brady Ekstrom, Division 2 Dan Christensen. The Achievement awards were given to Dan Seys in Division 1 with a record of 29 wins and 4 losses. Division 2 award went to Ron Swift with a record of 23 wins and 7 losses. 

Recognition awards for 25 years with the North Mankato Club were awarded to Randy Albrecht and Clem Gilbertson. 40 year awards were given to charter members Erwin Tischer and Linda Duenow.

The Presidential Award was given to Richard Hunstad & Clem Gilbertson for their outstanding service & dedication to the North Mankato Horseshoe Club.

Now that the season has come to a close, we would like to thank everyone that participated in the club, whether you were a pitcher, scorekeeper, sponsor, manager, officer or spectator. Without you the club would not be a success. Have a great winter and we are looking forward to next season!

North Mankato Celebrity Tournament

1st North Mankato, 2nd Mankato 

North Mankato Fun Days Tournament Class A

2nd place Jim Bilderback, 1st Jeff Washburn, 3rd Bob Klein

North Mankato Singles Tournament Class A

1st Dan Seys

North Mankato Doubles Tournament Class A

1st Bob Klein & Steve Miller

Division 1: 1st Place Wayne’s World

3rd from left Bob Klein. Michael Klein, Jameson Klein, Dave Klein, Steve Miller, not pictured Wyman Forbrook

Division 1: 2nd Place Janesville Bowl

Dan Seys, Jim Klein, Clem Gilbertson, Andy Haala, Lyndee Huper, not pictured Mike Creech

Division 1: 3rd Place North Mankato Legion

Erwin Tischer, Gary Graff, Linda Duenow, Kevin Plath, Ken Neidecker, not pictured Tom Maus, Mike Forlti, Mason Graff & Matt Paap

Division 2: 1st Place Northwest Gas

Ron Swift, Duane Anderson, Marvin Akkerman, Carl Bloedel, Don Landsteiner , not pictured Dan Christensen, Mike Lawrence & Brad Nawrocki

Division 2: 2nd Place Hromadko Construction

Doug Nielsen, Nick Lane, not pictured Ronald Lane, Mike Hromadko & Randy Albrecht

remaining"!

Division 2: 3rd Place R Henry Construction

Jeff Flowers, Trenton Flowers, Rob Paulsen, Ray Flowers, Brad Stinocher

Division 2 Player of the year

Adam Blume, Carl Bloedel, Ray Flowers, Cecilia, not pictured Ronald Lane

Division 1 Player of the year

Richard Hunstad, Clem Gilbertson, Zen Albrecht, Jameson Klein, not pictured Matt Paap

Overall Player of the Year 

Division 1 Zen Albrecht 

Division 2 Cecilia Elmore

Achievement Award

Division 2 Ron Swift

Division 1 Dan Seys

25 Year Recognition Award

Clem Gilbertson, not pictured Randy Albrecht

40 Year Recognition Award, Charter Members

Erwin Tischer, Linda Duenow

Presidential Award

Richard Hunstad & Clem Gilbertson

Banquet Cake

From the Editor

By Jerry LaBrosse

I first want to congratulate all of our Minnesota World Tournament pitchers !!! We had an amazing number of winners and the venue was fantastic. Janet Larson wrote a fantastic recap of the tournament session by session and you MUST read it. Thank you Janet, you are a very talented writer.

Many thanks and compliments to the tournament setup crew lead by Jim Kinney and Josh Olson, you guys did a great job. Thanks also to the Lansing staff for their hard work and support.

I also wish to congratulate our state champions and to thank the MGSHPA officers and directors who assisted in preparing and conducting the tournament and banquet. It was a hottie but a goodie.

The next issue of the Ringer Digest will be going out January 1st. Please submit all your materials to me by December 15th. It's ok to send early too.

I hope all of you have a healthy and happy holiday season !

Regional Director / Stats Guy

By Josh Olson

2023 Season, THAT’S A WRAP

The 2023 season has officially just about concluded for us here in Minnesota. What a year we had. It was very gratifying to have access to a winter facility right in my backyard in Bertha for a few months. We held a Tournament every month, looking back at the weather we had to deal with I want to say Thank you again to Everyone who made the trip to bertha each and every Tournament, without you, we wouldn’t have been able to do it. It is sad to say that the building we had access to is no longer available due to circumstances out of our control. It was a great run; we gained a few new members playing league each week and like I mentioned we ran a few tournaments. So, THANK YOU again to everyone with that.

With the 2023 season just about over, I would like to take this time to reach out to ALL Tournament Directors. Please send me your Tournament Dates and all tournament information so we can get the 2024 Season schedule up and online via eShoe.

State Tournament Recap from Tournament Director

HOT, that pretty much sums up the State Tournament weekend if I had to give you one word to describe the weekend. We had a low turnout of 110 pitchers this year, it seems we are losing more and more for attendance each and every year. How do we change that? We are looking into a 3-day State Tournament starting next year, this year we did have a bunch of downtime throughout the weekend so the MGSHPA Council/Board is hoping to eliminate that going forward by condensing the Tournament from 4 days down to 3. Please keep an eye on the Digest’s leading up to the State Tournament next year for details and confirmation on that. I want to thank the Ringer’s of rice league for running the concessions each day, and the Hibbing Horseshoe Club for taking care of the courts each night. Thank you to everyone who participated and thank you for those who helped keep score as well.

Changes in the NHPA

Jim Kinney Jr our current Sec/Treas as you are reading this has stepped down from his position due to personal reason, the NHPA Council wishes Jim the best and also thanked him for his time and years serving on the NHPA Council. Brian Poole current NHPA 1^st VP has stepped up to take over as Sec/Treas. The 1^st VP spot become vacant Oct 1^st and Gary Roberts NHPA President will be in the process of looking for Brian’s replacement as NHPA 1^st VP.

World 2024 and 2027 has been decided

Kennewick Washington (Tri-Cities) will be the host for the 2024 and 2027 World Tournaments up in Washington. Please keep an eye on the NHPA website for all details regarding the World Tournament, also please make sure you have your 4 events for qualifying. With a limited number of places to pitch in the winter time here in Minnesota it is import to get your events in so keep an eye on the schedule. Don’t forget that Wisconsin and Iowa do also have winter facilities when it comes to tournaments, just visit their charter websites for dates and locations.

Josh Olson Classic Tournament Recap

Thank you to everyone who helped make this Tournament possible this year. I want to make a special shout out to everyone who helped before the Tournament even happened, Carolyn and Tim Brigner, Al and Janet Larson, Rick and Lisa Wright, Jeff Washburn, Jerry Werk, Lance Van Wyhe. Everyone took time out of there day(s) to help get the courts in tip top shape for the Josh Olson Classic. What a tournament it was! We had over 40 entries from a few different States. The Morning started off with a full slate of pitching, we had 15 of the 16 courts used during the morning shift which was great to see, it led to many refreshments sold in the concessions and a bunch of burgers grilled up for the day! I want to thank my mom and dad (Sharyl and Paul) they are always on board for helping with tournaments and they ran the concessions which made a very busy weekend for them. Congrats to all of the winners! Thank you again to everyone who participated. A note for next year, due to how late the World Tournament will be I have decided to not hold the Josh Olson Classic in 2024 at the Genola Courts in August. I have not made a decision yet, but I might hold 2 Tournaments in a 3-day weekend in the middle of June, Friday-Saturday will be Josh Olson Classic, and the Bertha Open will be on the Sunday in Bertha. Stay tuned on that final decision early spring.

South Vice President

by Jeff Washburn

Hello to all our horseshoe friends and their families. Where has the summer gone? Our 2023 State Championship along with all our statewide leagues and tournaments have now been completed for the 2023 season.  For all the club events over the summer pitching season, congratulations to the Class Champions, Tournament Champions, and our State Champions and thank you to the Tournament Directors. Thanks again to Carolyn and Tim Brigner for their efforts the entire weekend to help make the state tournament a big success. The Ringers of Rice, led by Lu Cave and her helpers, again graciously stepped up to take care of the food and beverage service for the state tournament weekend.  Another special thanks to Josh Olson for his efforts with the computers, and all those volunteers who helped with the scorekeeping and the many other duties that go into making the 4-day event a success. Josh has pointed out that we will likely be needing new computers very soon for our state tournament, so let’s keep that in mind.  The venue, ballroom, food, and entertainment were very well done and enjoyed by all in attendance. Finally, a special thank you goes out to all the pitchers who competed in this year’s state tournament. The participation of our pitchers is what really makes the tournament a success. Let’s all keep our interests high in our State Tournament and encourage others to join in this fun weekend. There continues to be talk of a potential 3-day State Tournament, so let’s be aware of that possibility. The Genola Arena has 16 courts and can accommodate 32 pitchers per session and there was quite a bit of open time over the 4-day event. The general feeling of most pitchers at our state membership meeting liked the idea of having a 3-day event which would be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  If anyone has a comment or suggestion on how we can make the State Tournament a better event, then please pass it along to any of the Officers or Directors. All comments are welcome!

As we move into fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all right around the corner. Brenda and I will be heading to Florida in late October so I would like to wish each of you and your families a happy Holiday Season!   Stay safe and enjoy what is important in your lives: friends, family, and hopefully good health.  Don’t forget to renew your 2024 MGSHPA dues which will start on October 1st and remember to look at potential upcoming winter tournaments, most likely to be held in Becker. I look forward to seeing many of you on the courts again next spring!    All the best, Jeff

North Vice President

By Rory Pierce

Hello All A Quick word from your North-Vice President

With the Horseshoe season coming to a close for the Hibbing area I want to say it was an excellent season. I also want to say that the State Tournament was a blast this year as always. It was however extremely HOT! I did not pitch my best this year and maybe the Leaner Lounge had something to do with that HAHAHA. But I made some new friends and got to have a great weekend with old ones. I am looking forward to 2024 and hopefully some great forward progress with the MGSHPA! This is a great group of officers and a great horseshoe family. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns that you or your club has and I will do my best to try and remedy any issues. Just a quick plug/reminder June 29^th will be the Toby open in Hibbing so mark your calenders 2024 I believe will be a great turnout. Also as I stated at the meeting in Genola we need Clubs to step-up and help with the State courts, with the State concessions and also with the Minnesota Doubles tournament. This organization cannot thrive on the backs of a few it will take all of us. So please consider throwing your hat into the ring and helping out for the 2024 season and moving forward. Also as always there is a continued effort amongst all pitchers out there to try and recruit more pitchers. So keep your eyes and ears open to potential new members. Thank you and I wish you all a safe and Happy winter. I will be looking forward to the spring to get back on the courts. Until then good Luck Ice Fisherman and women and Good luck Darkhouse Spearers.

Sincerely Rory L. Pierce Sr

North Vice-President

Promotion and News Media

By Michelle Foard

Happy Fall Everyone,

 I know it’s been awhile, but a quick recap of the World Tournament. I got in Wed night of the 1^st week and played Thurs, Fri and Sat. I was tied for 1^st and had a play off and won. It was my first trip to World. I also was nominated for an achievement award by Josh Olson for all my horseshoe videos. It was such an honor. I stayed the following week and watched the championship rounds. The best part was meeting all my Facebook friends I had never met. I met the Tennessee Twins and they gave me a wood carving of Bigfoot pitching horseshoes. It was perfect! If you have never gone to the World Tournament it is something you gotta experience. Next year is Kennewick, Wa. Delta has direct flights from MSP to Kennewick. Never too early to start planning.

  This fall and winter Russ Girtz and I are doing tournaments up in Becker, Mn. Our October Tournament filled up fast. November 18^th is the Turkey Toss and Dec 9^th is the Reindeer Ringer Tournament. We are limited to the first 24 and will have a few on reserve if someone drops out. We plan on some after the New Year. Russ hasn’t gotten dates on those just yet.

  I know many of our members are snowbirds. I love seeing your pictures of tournaments and leagues from down south. Please feel free to send me any pictures so I can share on social media. Robert Ciaciura, Marlys Timm and Bruce Henderson are just a few who have shared with me in the past. Safe travels to those who will be heading south.

 The Holidays are fast approaching. I want to wish my horseshoe family a wonderful Holiday Season. May you all stay healthy and happy.

Maxine Griffin, Michelle, Marlene Ray

Constitution & Bylaws Director

By Sue Pierce

Hello Horseshoe Family

2023 season is winding down and winter is just around the corner. My horseshoes have been idle for last few weeks but they have some awesome stories to tell. Our Hibbing League was very active with 19 members and the Toby Tournament a success. I had an awesome time at the World Tournament in Lansing (pitched ok, but no hardware, maybe next year) and our State Tournament was also a fun time (definitely a “family” sport for the Pierces).

Especially happy to have my Great Grandaughter Kylianna joining the club❤️.

 With the help of my Bylaws Committee we made a few changes at the annual meeting. Most significant change was to the Hall of Fame language in the Guidelines. A change to the number of members of the Hall of Fame Committee and the voting process. These changes can be seen on pages 35 & 36, Item #7 Hall of Fame. Encourage all Horseshoe pitchers to visit the CBL website & become familiar with the rules & guidelines of this association. 

Hope everyone has an enjoyable winter (Ray & I will be heading to Arizona in January & hope to warm up our horseshoes in a couple tournaments out there) and let’s all do our part to keep the sport of horseshoes alive and growing! 

From the MGSHPA Secretary

By Janet Roubinek

I am happy to announce that I have made a mistake with the MGSHPA financial report. At the state meeting, I said that there was only going to be about $1000 in our coffers after all bills have been paid for the year.  My mistake was the starting balance. It should have been about $7000, not the $3000 amount that transferred over when the document was opened.

Since the error has been corrected, I was able to pay the officers and executive board, and after bills associated with the state tournament are paid, we will have an ending balance closer to $5000.

Membership for 2023 was at 390; fifteen pitchers are in the cadet/ junior divisions.

At the state tournament 111 entries were received, included in this number were seven cadets/juniors. Two entries needed to drop out and one person did not show. Half of the entries were paid for online, and the other half sent through the mail.

Seventeen different people kept score throughout the tournament, with several people covering more than one shift. Thank you for all that did the scorekeeping and keeping the tournament moving.

There were fourteen groups of people who took advantage of the camping sites over the weekend. Thank you for the great cleanup at each site. The monies collected were paid to the City of Genola.

86 banquet tickets were purchased for the buffet and entertainment. The total bill paid to the Pierz Ballroom was $2303.90. With new owners of the ballroom, this was the first time that a $500 rental fee needed to be paid; 100 meals were also ordered at $16.80 per person; and tax of $123.90.

There were meat raffle tickets sold over the weekend, bringing in $446. This money was put into the general fund. 

A horseshoe hook was left behind after the state tournament. I have it at my house. Let me know if you are missing yours.

Minutes of MGSHPA Spring Meeting

Saturday, June 10

Brooklyn Park

Ray Pierce Jr at 12:28 PM.

There were 45 members present.

Treasurer’s report: Janet Roubinek stated that there was about $7000 in checking and about $450 in savings. MGSHPA paid $400 for two teams to represent MN at Team World. MGSHPA still needs to pay NHPA from the members that pay their annual dues through the charter.

There was a motion to approve the report by Rick Wright and seconded by Michelle Foard: all members present voted and it was approved.

Membership report: Janet Roubinek reported that as of June 8, 2023, there are 313 members: 68 women, 138 Men, 95 Elders, 1 Girl, 8 Boys, and 3 Cadets.

Minutes from the September 2022 meeting were read, A motion was made from Ray Pierce Sr and seconded by Rick Wright to approve the minutes. A vote was held and all members approved the minutes.

President’s Report: Ray Pierce welcomed all of the members to the Brooklyn Park Tournament. He said that he hoped to have future spring meetings at different sites during their tournament. 

North Vice-President’s Report: Rocky Pierce reported about the sanctioned leagues in the northern region. Numbers have remained constant; however, there were three leagues that did not reply.

South Vice-President’s Report: Jeff Washburn reported about the southern region. Numbers have remained constant. Denny Keogh spoke about the Montgomery league and the Kolacky tournament on July 29. Keogh also stated that the pits in Kilkenny were removed when the water tower was worked on and didn’t think they would be replaced.

Junior Program Director: April Lynch acknowledged the three junior/cadet pitchers that pitched in the Brooklyn Park tournament. She stated that at this time, there are nine junior and three cadet pitchers. April announced that she is stepping down from the Junior Program Director. MGSHPA is now actively looking to replace her, and she said she is willing to help with the transition to a new director.

President Pierce stated that Kellie Pierce was willing to step- in and organize the junior pitchers at the 2023 State Tournament.

Statistician’s Report: Josh Olson stated that tournament entries in e-shoes are going well. If anyone needed help, contact him. He said that there are 44 members sign-up to pitch at the 2023 World Tournament in Lansing, Michigan.

Communication Report: The next issue of the Ringer Digest is scheduled to go out on July 1. Please have any articles submitted to him before the end of June.

+

Webmaster’s Report: Lori York stated that she is getting the forms/applications ready for the 2023 State Tournament. 

Nomination’s Report: Joe Mueller stated that he is accepting nominations for MGSHPA Hall of Fame: Pitcher, Promoter, Rookie Pitcher, and the Edi Holland Award. The winners of these awards will be recognized at the State Tournament. The nomination form is in the MGSPHA guidelines.

News Media & Promotions Report: Michelle Foard reported that she has been posting pictures of tournament class winners. If you have any pictures send them to her and she will get them posted. She attended the 2023 Team World and posted videos and pictures. She will be attending 2023 World and plans to keep us posted on how the MN pitchers are doing.

Constitution and By-Laws: Sue Pierce read the current MGSHPA Constitution Article VII (Election of Officers), and then the proposed change. This was posted in the Ringers Digest-April/June issue. A motion to accept the proposed change was made by Ray Pierce Sr and seconded by John Hustings. The members voted and it was accepted.

There were two proposals made for the MGSHPA By Laws. 

·      Change the language in Bylaw, Sec. 1 Dues, from “Head of Household $13.00 (thirteen dollars” to “Members over 18 (eighteen) $13.00 (thirteen dollars).

Motion was made by Ray Pierce Sr and seconded by John Hustings to approve the proposal. Members voted and it was approved.

    Change within the Bylaws the word “Ladies” to “Women” in reference to the division at the State Tournament. Motion was made by Ray Pierce Sr and seconded by John Hustings to approve the proposal. Members voted and it was approved.

Old Business: Elder Women Update, Ray Pierce, president, stated that there will be discussion at the 2023 World Tournament about creating a new Elder Women’s division. In MN, each league and tournament director can decide if anyone can stand closer, but since there is no current elder women division, it would not count as a personal qualifying event for the State Tournament.

New Business

Non profit- all sanctioned leagues/tournaments are under the umbrella of the MGSHPA non profit. If your league/tournament wants to hold a raffle or other fundraiser, the total value of all of the prizes need to be kept at $1500 or less. Let the MGSHPA Sec/Treas of the amount used, as a nonprofit, it must all be under $50,000.00 for the year.

Sponsors/promotions- President Pierce had an idea to sell advertisements for the State Tournament and have a t-shirt /short made. If you have any ideas or businesses interested, let him know.

State Tournament- it will be held in Genola. The application for the State Tournament is being made. Qualifying events need to be completed by August 1st.

League dues-  each sanctioned league is required to contribute $1/member to the Junior Program.

Faithfully submitted by Janet Roubinek

Minutes of MGSHPA Fall Meeting

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Genola

Call to Order…Ray

1. 40 members present

2. 1:22 pm called to order

Treasurer’s Report…Janet

1.Kellie Pierce motion to accept, Cheryl Beck second, approved

Membership…Janet

1. Changing divisions, renewal available in October, will need 100 shoes to establish an average

2. 390 members, 15 are cadets/juniors

Approval of Minutes from September 2022

President’s Report…Ray

1. Membership is down, give ideas for increasing numbers

2. Ringers of Rice thank for the concession stand

3. Carolyn and Tim Brigner, thank you for getting bldg ready

4. Hibbing hosting this year

5. Thank you April for serving as Jr director

6. We will need clubs to step up for State concessions 2024

7. Tickets still available for banquet 

8. Lip synch

North Vice-President’s Report…Rocky

1. Numbers for members

South Vice-President’s Report…Jeff

1. Rockford may be coming to an end, pickleball courts

2. Zumbrota non-sanctioned has about 140 pitchers

Junior Programs Report…April/Kellie

1. 15 juniors/cadets 2023; 7 pitched in the state tournament

2. April stepping down, Kelli Pierce taking over

3. Four jr/cadets pitched in world tournament 2023

Statistician’s Report…Josh

1. Pitcher of the year at banquet

2. World 2023 Lansing, MI

3. World 2024 may be changing format, July 29- August 10

4. Josh Classic may happen in June 2024, instead of August

5. Move ups listed for the championship class on Monday, start time at 800 AM, changed due to weather

Communications Report…Jerry

NHPA Rule Changes

1. Ringer Digest, State Tournament, and Oct, Nov, Dec

2. NHPA

a. 5 delegates from MN

b. Allowing charters to determin elegibility for state

c. 100 shoes for qualiying, one sanctioned person needed for verification

d. NHPA coucil may grant waiver for residency

e. Elder women's division did not pass

ii. Four submissions, amendments, 65 years, at 20 feet

 Webmaster’s Report…Lori

1. Constitution/BL has been updated on the Minnesota Horseshoes website

Nomination’s Report…Joe

1. Nominations need to be submitted early

2. May 31 deadline for apllications for Hall of Fame

3. Working with board to create application with deadlines

4. Guidelines? By-laws? Constitution?

News Media & Promotions Report…Michelle

1. Ham Lake Tournament Sat/Singles, Sun/HiLow doubles, Sept 23 and 24, register at 10AM play at 11AM

2. NHPA has been hacked

3. NHPA question page has not been hacked

4. Use city facebook page to let your community know about spring meetings, tournaments, World

5. World: Delta has a direct flight to Kennewick, WA; free parking

6. Michelle was acknowledged at World for social media

Constitution and By-Laws…Sue

1. One change, pg 9, sect 3, change age from 70 years to 65 years

Cherly Beck 1st, Janet Larson 2nd, approved

2. Guidlelines, page 6: candidates Hall of Fame, staying the same

3. Director, VPs, 2 current at large Hall of Fame Members, selected by president...page 36, number 4 balloting good for 2 years; add deadline date to June 30... published in October Ringer Digest, following guidelines

Old Business: 

New Business

a. Hall of Fame/Nominations Committee

b. State Tournament Courts

c. Friday night State Doubles Tournament

d. 2023 VP

1. Elections Rory Pierce North VP, 1st VP, and Jeff Washburn South VP, 2nd VP, wrote letters to run again, both will stay in the same positions for another term

e. Raise MN membership fee from $13 to $25, total of $50, last raised 2002 for state dues, goes into effect right away, if NHPA raises dues, then our overall membership fees will have to go up...

Rocky makes a motion to raise to $25, Rick Wright seconded, approved

f. Change State tournament class pitching times so Jr director, pitches on diffent day then jrs/cadets

g. Run the state tournament over three days and not four? on a different weekend discussed

Adjournment

Josh Olson 1st, Myron Vander Wyst 2nd, approved, 245PM

Faithfully submitted by Janet Roubinek

Publishing Schedule for the MGSHPA Ringer Digest

January-February-March

April-May-June

July-August-September-October

State Tournament Issue

November-December

Send all digest materials to the Jerry LaBrosse Jlabro6186@aol.com

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