Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Already one of the largest horseshoe tournaments in Wisconsin, the Stevens Point Open was hosted at Mead Park by the Stevens Point Horseshoe Club Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22.

A total of 10 winners claimed Tournament Titles at the second-year event, which drew participants from throughout the state.

“The tournament’s gone really well,” said Stevens Point Horseshoe Club president Fred Lane. “We’ve had one of the biggest turnouts in the whole state, as far as sanctioned tournaments, and the only other bigger sanctioned tournament that you’ll find is our State Tournament.

“They usually get about 150 competitors for a State Tournament, and we’ve got 72 people that came and pitched through the weekend here,” he said.

Dean Chaffee of Chippewa Falls releases a horseshoe during the Class A competition at the Stevens Point Open at Mead Park Sunday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

A sanctioned qualifying tournament for the State Tournament, the Stevens Point Open was held at the Mead Park horseshoe courts, with an additional four portable courts brought in to use for the event.

“People came from all over the state just to pitch here, as far north as Eagle River, Cumberland and Mountain, all the way down to Beloit, and then on the other side of the state, Prairie du Chien,” said Lane. “We’ve really got a nice setup here in town, and the city’s been working with us really well.”

One of the winners was Jim Menzel, 72, of Stevens Point, who decided to try the sport when he joined the Stevens Point Horseshoes Club last October.

Menzel won the Class J Title after he went 4-1 and had a 7.5 ringer percentage.

“When he first started showing up, he had trouble getting the horseshoe to the pit, like many people do,” said Lane. “But as he stuck with it, I gave him a couple of pointers and he spent a lot of time practicing, and he ended up winning his first class today.”

“This is a lot of fun,” said Menzel. “There are many levels, and at least at the lower levels, we’re just out here to have a good time. Yeah, we like to win, but it’s fun winning and losing.

“I had the lowest overall average of all of the guys to finish today, and because I had the most-close pitches without getting a ringer, I still was able to win four of my five games, which is rather unusual that you still win,” he said. “But I’ll take victories no matter how I get them, even when I’m 72.”

Other winners included Brandon Benzing of Eagle River in the Class I Youth Class (4.5-0.5, 18 percent ringers), Steven Grob of Black River Falls in Class H (4-1, 29.5 percent), Jerry Schroeder of Port Edwards in Class G (6-1, 37.14 percent), Kari David of Marshfield in Class F (5-0, 35 percent), Russ Brockway of Seneca in Class E (6-1, 36.07 percent), Gunnar David of Marshfield in Class D (6-1, 41.43 percent), and Donna Berquam of Cumberland in Class C (5.5-1.5, 53.57 percent).

In Class B, 11-year old Sarah Chaffee of Chippewa Falls, who is allowed to pitch from 20-feet since she is under 13 years old, instead pitched from the 30-foot line and went 7-0 with a 57.5 ringer percentage to win the Class B Title.

“She moved back a year before she actually needed to, and she won Class B outright and never got beat,” said Lane. “She won Class A last year, but she was pitching as a Cadet from the 20-foot line, and she threw close to 60-percent then.

“And then she pretty much matched her performance this time at Class B, and pitching back farther than where most kids her age would pitch,” he said. “She’s done exceptionally well.”

In Class A, Leo Richter of Stoughton went 6-1 with a 60.36 ringer percentage to win the Title over Cliff Erickson of Eagle River (5-2, 53.21 percentage), Glenn Bogenschneider of Slinger (4.5-2.5, 57.86 percentage) and Randy Rien of Mosinee (4.5-2.5, 55.36 percentage).

Leo Richter of Stoughton won the Class A Title at the Stevens Point Open at Mead Park Sunday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

“In Class A, they’ll have guys that will throw 60-, 65-percent games,” said Lane. “A typical game is 40 shoes, but some of those guys will throw 30 ringers out of 40 shoes in one game. That’s just unbelievable.

“And these guys competing at that level, it’s just fun to watch,” he said. “Ringer after ringer, they just keep stacking them up on the pole.”

Lane and other local pitchers first hosted a horseshoe tournament at Mead Park in 2016 as part of Riverfront Rendezvous, before they officially formed the Stevens Point Horseshoe Club last year and became a sanctioned member of the National Horseshoe Pitching Association and the Wisconsin Horseshoe Pitchers Association.

“We were a bunch of friends that got together,” said Lane. “We started out in the bar leagues pitching, and we just wanted to try to grow the sport in the area.

“Then we got involved with sanctioned horseshoe pitching, it allows you to pitch at the State Tournament and then you can go on to the World Tournament and things like that, so it makes it really fun,” he said.

Cliff Erickson of Eagle River placed second in Class A at the 2018 Stevens Point Open at Mead Park Sunday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

They hosted the first Stevens Point Open last summer, and every Tuesday night during the season hold league play at Mead Park at 6:30 p.m.

First-year members are free to join the Stevens Point Horseshoe Club, and Lane said anyone interested is welcome to show up to a league night, or contact him by email at [email protected]

“We have a variety of people, of various talents, and where they come from,” said Menzel. “So we’re all different, and there’s no set kind.

“And the club is very convenient, with an excellent clay court here at Mead,” he said.

“We want to keep it in the family, so kids are welcome to come pitch out here, and anyone can play,” said Lane. “We love pitching horseshoes, we love the community, and it seems like everyone that you run into that’s a horseshoe pitcher is your friend,

“It’s kind of like a family,” he said. “It’s a nice, tight-knit group, and we’re always looking for new horseshoe pitchers.”