Natalie
Altis of Ballwin began tossing horseshoes with her dad when
she was 5 years old. Now a high school sophomore, she's
improved a lot and also has learned a lot about Missouri's
strong horseshoeing heritage.
Last month, the 16-year-old was at the new national Hall
of Fame and Museum near Wentzville helping with the West
vs. East Horseshoeing tournament.
One of the younger entrants in the meet was 17-year-old
Michael Bowman of Archie, MO., the reigning 2008 World Junior
Horseshoe champion.
Natalie
Altis |
And, the reigning overall world adult champion is Alan
Francis, who won that title for 14th time in 2008. He lives
in Ohio now but most of those titles were won while he was
living in Missouri.
Michael started pitching horseshoes in his backyard with
his dad, Glenn, who had pitched for more than 20 years.
At the 2008 world championships in York, PA, Michael won
the junior championship by pitching ringers on nearly three-fourths
of his throws. But, he said that wasn't his best pitching
effort; he threw nearly 83 per cent ringers at a tournament
in Liberty, MO.
Michael
Bowman |
Throwing a metal horseshoe from a distance of up to 40
feet and have it stay on a metal pole takes some skill.
To make that happen three-fourths of the time takes a lot
of skill.
Natalie Altus's best showing was 45 per cent in an all-woman
junior tournament.
She teams with a friend, Lauren Clifton of O'Fallon, MO,
on a mixed foursome team that competes at the Hall of Fame
on Monday nights. One of the two adult men on the team is
her father, Rich.
Natalie said horseshoe pitching is fun and "a good social
activity."
She said she wants to continue playing "for a real long
time."
She's living in an area where the opportunities for horseshoeing
are plentiful. For instance, in her home town of Ballwin,
the city maintains an outdoor pitching facility in Vlasis
Park.
The Hall of Fame has both outdoor and indoor courts. This
facility was opened in 2007 and is administered by the Quail
Ridge Horseshoe Club.
And there are other facilities in Festus, St.Charles and
Wentzville. Each of these facilities is home to a local
horse shoe pitching club.
(If you'd like to look into horseshoe possibilities,
you can call Jeanette Claas at (636) 449-3039 or
you can visit www.quailridgehorseshoes.com.)
The Quail Ridge club hosts a variety of tournaments during
the year. Through April, there already have been more than
half a dozen.
For the rest of the year, there are more than a dozen
others scheduled. With the indoor courts available, the
tournament schedule can run through the whole year. For
instance, Quail Creek plans a Jingle Bell Rock meet set
for December 4, 2009.
Both Natalie Altis and Michael Bowman said they like the
idea that horseshoeing is an activity they can continue
for many years.
Natalie's team partner, Lauren Clifton, wrote a short article
about the sport. It is being used by the Hall of Fame to
promote the sport to younger kids.
Lauren said she thought the sport was "very competitive,
challenging and a sport that I can play all my life."
She said she also learned about the sport from her dad.
Lauren
said, "When he heard that the National Horseshoe Pitchers
Hall of Fame was being constructed in Wentzville, he told
me that would be good place to pitch shoes. He signed me
up."
She said she's been a member for two years. So far, she
and Natalie are the only juniors in their league.
She noted that horseshoeing isn't easy to master. "But,
the more ringers I throw, the more thrilling it gets. Getting
a six-pac (double ringers) is really exciting," she said.
Natalie said she likes to enter tournaments. "I try to
go pretty regularly," she said.
She said she finished third in the junior girls division
in the state tournament last year.
She said she would like to participate in a world tournament.
She said that might be possible this year because the international
tournament will be held in Springfield, IL.
That's where Michael Bowman will defend his title.
One thing about horseshoe tournaments, throwers with a
wide range of skills all can compete. For instance, at the
Happy Hearts tournament at the Hall of Fame in February,
Natalie was first in the G class (A is best).
If you're looking for something different in sports, why
not check out horseshoeing.
It might be new to you, but you live in an area with a
long tradition in the sport and some top-notch facilities,
both indoors and out.
