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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 17, 2004 Alan Ringo of Medford demonstrates his horseshoe-pitching prowess. Ringo and other local players fared well earlier this month at the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships in Pocatello, Idaho. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Pitching in for titles Rogue Valley players Pickett, Ringo lead the way as local club shines on national stage By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune Evan Pickett and Alan Ringo aren’t newcomers to the world of horseshoes. But Pickett and Ringo are fresh faces on the World Championships scene, and the two made sure to make a good first impression. The two, who compete for the Rogue Valley Pitchers Club, each won their respective division at the 80th annual World Horseshoe Pitching Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, earlier this month. Ringo claimed the men’s P2 Division title, while Pickett was the D2 champion. The different classes are separated by ringer percentages. Advertisement Ringo’s division was in the 14-percent range, and Pickett’s hovered in the mid-40s. "It was a great event," says Ringo. "I’ve been pitching for about six years competitively, but this was the first event like this I’ve gotten a chance to attend." A total of four Oregonians won world titles. "That’s pretty amazing," says Ringo of his club’s success. "That really says something about the quality of our club." Other local competitors who fared well were Cheryl Ricks (Sam’s Valley), runner-up in the Women’s I Division; Ed Fogle (Phoenix), third in Men’s B2 Division; Ernie Gallo (Medford), sixth in Elder Men’s F Division; and Lino Carnesecca (Grants Pass), seventh in Elder Men’s Division L. The World Championships, which haven’t been held this close to the West Coast since 1993 in South Dakota, is for National Horseshoe Pitchers Association members. Besides the United States, Japan, Canada and Norway were also represented. The horseshoe pit measures 40 feet in the open men’s and senior men’s divisions, while women, elder men (age 70-over) and juniors (18-under) all pitch from 30 feet. The pits consist of clay in a four-inch deep box, as opposed to sand, which is used mainly in recreational settings. The 1,201 competitors were separated into men’s, senior men’s, juniors, elders, senior women’s and women’s divisions. Level A is the highest plateau — the A champion, Buddy Dyrda, boasted an 80 in ringer percentage. Ringo, 50, pitched 17 percent and finished with a 13-2 record, while Pickett went 12-3 at 45.8 percent. "All the matches in my division were real tight," says Pickett, the Rogue Valley club president. "There was something like 1.6 percent separating the 16 guys. I only had maybe three matches that I won comfortably." Pickett met his main goal of reaching the 50-percent mark for the year, which qualifies him for the A Division in future events. "Maybe that wasn’t such a good thing," jokes Pickett. The 50-year-old Pickett, who is a field supervisor for Medford Fabrication, just took up horseshoes the past few years after a brief hiatus from the sport. While living in Idaho, he spent time traveling the state to various tournaments before moving to Oregon in 1989. The change in location left Pickett with little time for pitching. Despite his return to the game, Pickett finds himself as one of the younger horseshoers. "I’d say the average age in our club is about 70," he says. "I played a guy two months ago that was 96, and he was still throwing from 40 feet." Ringo, a health teacher at South Medford High, started his playing days at picnics and in noncompetitive settings. About six years ago, he made the jump to tournament play. "I always thought, ‘I’d like to do that,’" he says. "I found a Web site and got ahold of somebody locally that qualified me. "(The club) has been a lot of fun. We’ll have some tournaments or do things like pick partners out of a hat and do a little round robin just for fun." Rogue Valley Pitchers and the Grants Pass Horseshoe clubs are the main clubs in the area. Rogue Valley Pitchers, which has about 10 to 15 members, meet Thursdays at Phoenix Park around 5:30 p.m. "The nice thing about (our club)," says Ringo, "is we’re out here year-round. The people that are retired come out a couple times a week on Tuesday or Thursday morning ... before it gets hot. "Our club varies from somebody that wants to be a picnic-type pitcher to somebody that really wants to do something competitive. Many of us have our own courts." Rogue Valley will host the Oregon State Singles Championships Sept. 4-5 at Phoenix Park. The competition starts at 9 a.m. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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