By Jim Newell
Review Staff Writer
That unmistakable metal ping, followed by cheers from one side and groans from the other, is the sound of another ringer on the horseshoe pits.
Lake Orion hosted a Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association state doubles tournament last Saturday, with nine Orion residents competing among the pitchers.
Twenty-three teams total competed in the state sanctioned tournament, featuring competitors from throughout the state of Michigan.
Larry Hinton and Bob Wells were tournament champions, while Dan Markley and Rick Lyle finished second in Class A.
Orion residents Ron Price and Doug Bailey placed fourth in Class A; George and Dwight Parsons finished second in Class C; and Bob Blum and Ken Kuss finished second in Class D.
Bailey, vice-president of the Lake Orion Horseshoe Club, said the Orion group has 57 members this year.
And while pitchers must be cardholders with the Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association to play in state tournaments, many in the Orion group play for fun.
“They’re more of league players,” he said.
The Orion pitchers league plays on Tuesday nights for the 15-week season, beginning in May.
Paul Bachelor, president of the Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association, said the general atmosphere is “competitive, but very, very friendly.”
“Weekly we have singles tournaments in different cities in the state,” Bachelor said.
The MHPA provided a pig for the pig roast, with the Orion club hosting a potluck lunch and raffle for the event.
“It’s the only game that you shake hands before and after,” Orion club president Ron Price said. “People think of backyard horseshoes, but we’re very organized.”
Pitchers pick partners and then the teams are put into a class based on combined ringer percentage. Groups of six teams compete in a round-robin format. The team with the most points wins that group and gets a plaque.
The team in the highest class – those teams with the highest ringer percentage – that wins their group is declared the tournament champion
Anyone interested in joining the Lake Orion pitchers should visit their website at pitchwithuslakeorion.com.
There is an annual $40 membership fee and a banquet at Oxford Hills Club at the end of the season, Bailey said.
“I think the weather scared off a lot of people,” Price said, adding that the courts flooded the night before. “Usually we have more people. But we always have a good time.”