Weekly summer horseshoe league winds down

A group of area men are getting ready to close down another year of their horseshoe league as summer draws to an end. The league, led by Carl Grandstrand, will have one more week of competition before it ends for the season.

Every Tuesday for the past few months, around 10-14 men gather in Frank Hall Park to partake in a few friendly games of horseshoes. Grandstrand has been organizing the league since 2004. Although there have been guys who have come and gone over the years, there has always been enough to keep the league together.

He talked about what it is about the game that keeps people coming back.

“It’s a way for us guys to get out and compete,” Grandstrand said. “There’s a bit of a challenge to the game. It’s always fun when it comes down to the wire and the last throw wins it for you; that makes a guy feel good. Of course, there’s also camaraderie — that’s a big part of it.”

Every week the teams are left to the luck of the draw. Each player picks a card and are randomly paired with a partner for the day. Every team usually plays about five games over the course of the morning, so that everyone plays each other at least once.

Grandstrand keeps track of stats throughout the year and compiles them to give out what they call a “six-pack trophy.” The trophy is handed out to the person who throws the most double ringers by the end of the year.

Constantly heckling and throwing playful jabs at one another, the guys can get pretty competitive. But, at the end of the day, they are all there to have a little fun playing a game they love.