Comments from the Secretary/Treasurer

Great State Tournament! Thanks to everyone who participated!   We had 28 Mixed Doubles teams, 44 Doubles teams and 110 singles pitching in the tournament this year.  Good turn out and everyone had a good time.

The Beverly Hills Club folks did a really great job organizing and preparing, especially when it came to score keeping on the doubles days. Doubles is always tough because none of us really pitch or score keep on doubles regularly during the year and then all of a sudden there we are, facing 2 days of trying to figure out those darn score sheets. And on the handicapped classes when we have to do double alternate pitching? So confusing! But BHC started preparing many weeks ahead of time by reviewing the score sheets, changing the design to make it easier to understand and use, and by training their club members on scoring.  They took time before each doubles pitching session to do a quick review with the score keepers.  Really great job!!

Putting on the state tournament is not an easy job. There is a lot of planning and preparation before the first shoe is pitched and the work that the host club puts into it is discernable. Only a handful of clubs have enough courts to be able to host a state tournament and we sure appreciate them stepping up each year. Next year the Flagler club will host so get ready for coastal breezes and a warm welcome from Tom Martone, the Hawes, the Mehrwerths , the Kaschs and the rest of the Flagler club. If the Florida/Georgia team tournament is any indication of what they can do we are all in for a great tournament.

I didn’t pitch as well as I’d hoped to pitch but I also didn’t practice as I should have so it serves me right! But I did have a great time pitching with everyone in my classes.  It was great to see new faces and correlate them to names and voices I’ve hear on the phone and to catch up with folks I hadn’t seen for several months.

If you love horseshoes I urge you to get involved in the leadership of our sport.  We need folks at the club level and the state level. Think about it over the summer and see if you can donate a few hours of your time each month to recruiting new members, making existing members feel welcomed, setting up tournaments, attending tournaments, reviewing by-law changes, or weighing in on grievances. We need you!!!

It’s a privilege to serve as the Secretary/Treasurer again for the next couple of years. I started off a little rough but I think I’m finally figuring things out and getting better at all the tasks. There’s still a lot of room for improvement so I’ll keep on trying. Thanks to the Executive Council for always being available and supportive.  It’s an honor to know you and work with you. Have a great summer, everybody,  and I’ll see you on the courts!

                                                                                                                        Marcela Santoyo

Florida Junior Horseshoe Pitcher Scholarship Award

Juniors in the state of Florida have a chance to win a $1,000.00 scholarship after learning to play horseshoes. The scholarship is set up with the US Family Foundation, Inc. of Inverness Fl. To be eligible for the award, applicant must be a Florida resident, hold a National Horseshoe Pitchers Association card of junior status, submit variation of passing grades and play in 4 sanctioned tournaments. To be fair to all applicants, as long as they have a passing grade they are eligible to win. The award can be used for any college, technical school, on line courses or any means of furthering education. If anyone knows of any young person who would like to learn to play horseshoes so they can take advantage of this opportunity, please pass this info on to them and their parents. Contact Eileen Fox at eileenffox@gmail.com from the Beverly Hills Horseshoe Club for more info. You also can connect with other clubs in Florida to see if that club can assign someone to teach them the rules and how to play. Other clubs can be contacted by web site http://www.horseshoepitching.com/links/FLinf.html and click on the club nearest you. Good luck to all NHPA players in the state tournament. Throw ringers and have fun!