Members of the Ringers of Rice Horseshoe Club pose for a photo earlier this summer.
The Ringers of Rice Horseshoe Club held its 2016 league meeting on May 9 to review policies and pay sanction fees and dues. Regular pitching began on May 16 and concluded on Aug. 15. This year, 28 pitchers took part in two shifts each Monday evening at the club courts located at O’Brien’s Pub in Rice. The group had only one stormy night that prevented play.
First-shift teams included the following: Auto Body 2000, Melbanc Cabinets, Morningstar Grooming and Index 53. Second-shift teams included Nathes Insurance, Rudolph’s Redneck Roost, K S Construction and Cornerstone Insurance. Index 53 had the most wins for their shift. Members of their team were Ginger O’Brien, Bonnie Poplinski and Garry Loidolt. KS Construction came out on top for the second shift. Their team members were Bev Grose, Kathy Stueve and Roger Lodermeier. The two teams played off for the overall championship on Aug. 22, and K S Construction earned the traveling trophy by winning just one more game than Index 53.
The KS Construction team was awarded the League Championship Award. Poplinski earned the High Average Award with 55.23 percent. Mel Larson received the High Over Average Award with 23.54 percent. Poplinski and O’Brien both pitched a 70-percent game this year to share the High Ringer Game Award. The Most Improved Award was presented to Imogene Worm. She increased her average by 12.9 percent. Annette and Ben Grebinoski were both awarded Rookie-of-the-Year awards. In addition to pitching, Annette worked on keeping the league records and stats. The Sportsmanship Award went to LeRoy Henkemeyer. He is a great promoter of horseshoe pitching, a competitive pitcher, and is always willing to offer positive advice and encouragement to both his teammates and opponents.
An informal in-league tournament was organized by Myron VanderWeyst and held on Aug. 29. Twelve members of Ringers of Rice participated in three classes. Mike Holz, Kathy Stueve and Annette Grebinoski were the class winners. Garry Loidolt was the wild-card addition to the final round. Both Garry and Kathy had the same number of wins in the playoff, but Garry’s point total gave him the championship.
Thanks goes to all of the team sponsors for their support this year. Special thanks to Keith O’Brien and his staff at O’Brien’s Pub. Anyone interested in more information about joining the sport of horseshoe is encouraged to contact O’Brien’s Pub.
