Horseshoe pitching hall of fame unveiled at tournament By Linda Christopherson
Earl Paulson took time out from a busy weekend organizing the Beloit Horseshoe Club's Valentine's Day Tournament to show off the group's new clubhouse and the newly installed Wisconsin Horseshoe Pitchers' Hall of Fame.
Located at 640 Ravine St,just west of Newark Road Bridge on Beloit's north side, the new building has been dubbed "Red's Pitching Palace" in honor of club charter member Red Ferguson, whose substantial contribution made the clubhouse possible. "Our pitching facility is the only one in the state that is member-owned," said Paulson, noting that most horseshoe pits are municipal venues.
The club's site includes 13 outdoor courts and six sets of indoor pitching pits. Club members purchased the land at the corner of Ravine and Newark in 1986. The new indoor clubhouse was completed in 2003, and includes spacious pitching courts, a comfortable snack bar and viewing area, and computer equipped office where scores are entered and tallied minutes after the end of a match. All of the club's functions are run by members who volunteer their time.
Paulson is especially proud of the new Wisconsin Horseshoe Pitchers' Hall of Fame, which was dedicated Feb. 14. The hall includes memorabilia, photos, plaques and articles gathered since the early days of organized horseshoe pitching in Wisconsin.
Paulson pointed out a black and white photo of the 1955 State Champ Earl Ramquist, who was also a bowling great. Another member of the Hall of Fame is Ralph Maylahn, local member and former state champion who is. in charge of the Beloit club's Monday morning old-timers league.
Other notables include Sid Anderson of Janesville, who was a world titleholder in the senior class. The Hall of Fame collection also features local members Paulson and Ferguson, who were each inducted in 2001.
Memorabilia housed in the collection includes old horseshoes— the kind that were actually used on horses. Nowadays, pitching shoes are specially designed for the sport, and have a pair of hooks near the shoe's opening to improve the chance that the shoe will ring the post.Shoes must weigh less than two pounds,ten ounces,with an opening measuring 3-1/2 inches.Shoes cost about $50 per pair.
"Most of the people who design and sell pitching shoes are involved in the sport themselves."Paulson noted. "The owner of Deadeye shoes is a ten-time world champ, and has competed here."
The sport of horseshoe pitching originated during the Roman Empire, according to Paulson. Mounted Roman soldiers passed the time throwing shoes in much the same way the sport is carried out today. Horseshoe pitching spread around the world wherever horses were shod with iron shoes and put to work for man.
"Today most large horseshoe clubs are located in large cities rather than rural areas," Paulson pointed out.
Men, women, juniors and seniors all participate, and magazines, newsletters, hats and license plates all proclaim the popularity of horseshoe pitching. The local club has 60 members, and Paulson estimates there are close to 600 in Wisconsin and upward of 1,600 pitchers nationally sanctioned by the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association (NHPA).
"Those numbers include only about 10 percent of the total number of pitchers, though," noted Paulson. "Most horseshoe pitchers throw in unsanctioned church and service organization leagues." Matches are head-to-head contests between two people, and scores are tallied according to ringers and shoes closest to the post. The Beloit club's pits contain a dense, finely ground, clay-like shale substance that absorbs the shock of the heavy shoes and keeps them where they land.
Tournaments like the Feb. 14 event are seeded according to percentages recorded for previous sanctioned contests. The Valentine's Day contest attracted the Illinois and Wisconsin state champions, but results are never assured. This year, wheelchair pitcher Dennis Reid of Lemont, Illinois beat Wisconsin State Champ Randy Rein in Class A competition.
The Beloit club will host the Team World Championships May 14-16 at Telfer Park—the 15th s straight year the event will be held here. Paulson received a prestigious NHPA Achievement Award for hosting the Team World event in 1997.
The Beloit Horseshoe Club is a busy place. Climate controlled Red's Pitching Palace hosts a number of events throughout the week for members,local organizations and nonaffilated pitchers.Open sessions are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights,and on Saturday mornings.Cost is $3 per pitcher.For information about horseshoe pitching,upcoming events or the Hall of Fame,call 608-365-9901.