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Pocatello pitchers hurl their horseshoes with humor By Dianna Troyer With the accuracy of a programmed drone missile, Art Ross (left in above photo) tosses his 2.5-pound horseshoe toward a vertical iron peg 30 feet away. On target, he is rewarded with a satisfying clink, the sound of a perfect ringer, during a June tournament in Pocatello. When
settled snugly around the peg, the shoe is his Lady Luck, but when she slips off target, Art nicknames her a fickle and betraying Jezebel. Art’s two lucky shoes, painted shiny gold, have clinked thousands of times during the past several years, often enough for him to win titles locally, statewide, and beyond. In 2007, he won the Elders “C” class at the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships in Ardmore, Okla. He concedes his wins and ringers - he tosses with 57 percent accuracy, the highest percentage of pitchers in southeastern Idaho - are due more to daily practice than luck. Percentages are based on how many ringers out of 100 shoes a competitor throws. “I’ll throw 150 to 300 shoes a day in my backyard,” says Art, who joined the Gate City Horseshoe Pitch-
ing Association after retiring in 2004. “It takes me about two to three hours. I don’t do it all at once. I’ll toss a few then take a break.” His friend Bob Zausch (right in above photo) who tosses with 47 percent accuracy suggests a way to toss ringers consistently without luck or daily practice. “I just need a pair of magnetized shoes. I should throw more often at home, but I can’t seem to find the time lately,” he says with a chuckle. Bob’s accuracy rate was high enough in June to win contests in Pocatello. “I won yesterday, and I’ve won worlds when they were held here in Pocatello in 2004,” he says, pointing to his cap embroidered with Senior “M” Division World Champion 2004. Art and Bob are among 15 million pitchers nationwide who enjoy hurling horseshoes, according to the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association (NHPA). It is a sport that appeals to families because participants range in age from children to seniors. From May to October, regardless of whether their horseshoes clink for a ringer or clunk out of contention, Art and Bob enjoy competing in leagues sanctioned by the Gate City Horseshoe Pitching Association every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (Continued on page 48)