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MAY - JUNE 2016
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ISSUE #2016-03
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Hall of Fame Inductees
by
, Hall of Fame Committee Chairperson
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The Hall of Fame Committee has completed the 2016 voting process and, as I announced recently in the Hall of Fame category on the NHPA Forum, we have elected two individuals who will be inducted into the NHPA Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet to be held in Montgomery, Alabama on Sunday evening, July 31st.
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President's Message
Start of the Season and Looking Forward to the Tournament
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With spring in the air and the snow pretty much gone. I can't remember ever having such a mild winter here in North Dakota. It's that time of year to be thinking about getting your leagues started and getting new members to sign up for the pitching leagues.
Just a reminder for everyone (and I know you have heard me say this before) that it is "all" of our responsibility to get out there and sign up new members to pitch this season. My selling pitch has always been it's a family sport where everyone can participate, you get to play outdoors, in addition to getting some exercise, you get to meet new friends and create new relationships, and where can you find a sport that is so reasonable to participate in. Please try and do your part and grow your clubs.
read more
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2018 World Tournament
Bid City Reports
submitted by Bill Marvin, Tina Hawkins and Dave Sidles
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The Council is pleased to announce three sites that will be bidding to host the 2018 World Tournament. These sites include: El Paso, TX, Florence SC, and Shreveport -Bossier, LA. Dave Sidles, Tina Hawkins and Bill Marvin performed site visits.
read more
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1st Vice President Candidacy Letters
submitted by each candidate
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For the position of 1st VP, Dan Sanders has decided not to run for another term, however we have three candidates that have met the requirements of our By-Laws and will be campaigning for this position at Montgomery. They include Michael Taylor from Nebraska; Gary Roberts form Ohio, and Wayne Saulsbury from Delaware. The NHPA Council wishes each of these candidates the best of luck.
read more
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HSMaster a Wonderful Option for League Play
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This story will eventually have a happy ending but please don't skip to the end and miss all of the good stuff in between. Let's start with a small fowl up that I made in a "Top Ten" calculation and the evolution that took place to fix the problem and the series of actions that lead to that solution. Let's start at the beginning.
read more
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Share Your Success
for Others to Reference
by
Tina Hawkins, 2nd Vice President and Publicity/Promotion Director
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Springtime is here! Everyone's thoughts turn to horseshoe pitching.
For some, that means, "how do I increase my ringer percentage?" or "which tournaments will I play in, this year?"
For the dedicated few, it means, "HOW CAN I INCREASE MEMBERSHIP?"
Some charters seem to have no trouble growing their numbers each and every year, while the task is quite daunting for others. It can be difficult for the handful of hard workers to come up with new recruiting tactics, year after year. And who wants to keep trying the same old thing - especially if it isn't working.
If you are a leader/promoter in one of those successful charters or if you've had some recruiting success on a local level, I encourage you to share your success with your fellow organizers.
read more
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Newsline Editor Position Filled
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I am pleased to announce that Rebecca Sidles has accepted the position of the NHPA Newsline Editor replacing Sara Otto who decided to step down. Rebecca's start date was March 1st, 2016. Sara has agreed to work with Rebecca in making sure we have a smooth transition. I would like to be the 1st in welcoming Rebecca to our NHPA family.
A little history on Rebecca includes...
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World Tournament entry deadline quickly approaching:
May 16.
The
World Tournament entry form
is on the web site for you to print out, complete and send in. Minor changes have been made to the shift schedule and divisions. If you need to find out approximately which days you pitch, please contact Secretary-Treasurer David Sidles. The entry fee has not changed from last year; adults are $130 and juniors are $25.
Don't forget to make your reservations, especially campers, as I was told campsites are filling up fast.
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New Logo Patches - Available at World Tournament
, 2nd Vice President and Publicity/Promotion Director
Dee has been hard at work in Game Related Sales, sourcing a maker for patches depicting the new logo design, which came out of the NHPA logo design contest, last year. After careful comparisons and consideration, a decision has been made and vendor secured. The new patches should be available for sale in time for the 2016 World Tournament in Montgomery, AL.
The 4-inch diameter, sew-on patch, will have partial embroidery and will sell for $4. Patches will be in the GRS booth at Montgomery and can also be ordered from Game Related Sales beginning in June. (Be aware there will be shipping charges on patch orders.)
The new logo has been accepted by the NHPA Council as a promotional image of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association and could become the "official" logo of the NHPA, pending delegate approval at the 2016 Convention, this summer.
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Thank You to Our Hall of Fame Supporters
We express our sincere thanks to the following that have donated as reported in
the May/June 2016 issue of Newsline.
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Mixed Classes - Advantages and Disadvantages
by
Dan Sanders, 1st Vice President, By-Laws, Rules and Grievance Director
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The mixing of Classes in Tournament Play has become very controversial. Some pitchers are very much in favor of it, and others are very much against it. But before we get into the pros and cons of mixing, it's important that we define what 'mixing' is because it can mean several different things. It can refer to the mixing of genders ... male and female. It can refer to the mixing of the many different Divisions that have been created; i.e. Men, Women, Seniors, Elders, and Juniors. And, of course, it can refer to the mixing of pitching distances within a Class, primarily 40-footers with 30-footers. And it is this 'mixed-distance' mixing that has become the most controversial.
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Weekend at Jerry's
by
Bill Marvin, 5th Vice President and Regional Director and Court Sanctioning Director
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Pitchers who attend the World Tournament noticed a change in pitching conditions beginning in 2008. In York, Pennsylvania, we began using boxes built by Jerry LaBrosse and other members of the NHPA. Since that time, these courts have been transported from site to site and used at each subsequent location. As expected, over time some of them have been damaged in one way or another and have needed to be replaced. With this in mind, Jerry and I decided to take on this project. So one weekend in March, I drove to his place in Minnesota. Thus began my weekend at Jerry's.
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Tournaments to be Remembered
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS (YAKIMA, WA)
One of the largest long-running tournaments in our sport is the Pacific Northwest Championships, played in Yakima, Washington. Not only is the tournament long running, as it began in 1946 and is still an active annual event, it is probably the largest event held along the West Coast.
Following are a few notes extracted from original records that had been reprinted in that 50-year anniversary report. There is an incredible amount of tournament history in the following phrases, both in what is said and what wasn't said:
read more
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Tracking and Awarding Players
who have Pitched Consecutive World Tournaments
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There is an old saying, "Records are made to be broken." The Major League Baseball playing streak of 2,632 games is still held by Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken, Jr. (Wow, What a record!) Another record, the NHPA World tournaments In-A-Row streak of 52, belongs to Mark Siebold of Indiana (1964-2015). (High five Mark!) Next in line is Earl Winston, now deceased, who pitched in 50 Worlds In-A-Row (1951-2007).
At the 2016 winter meeting, this January in Montgomery, the NHPA council approved a new NHPA Patch to be awarded to those that have pitched in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60+ consecutive World Tournaments.
read more
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Your Hall of Fame
by
Casey Sluys, President, National Horseshoe Pitchers Foundation
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It is possible that NHPA members have not heard that the association has a great Hall of Fame, located in the center of the country. We have attempted in the past few years to disseminate information about this beautiful facility in Wentzville, Missouri. Did you know that there are key members in your charter that have an informational brochure about the Hall of Fame and the organization that was established to ensure its survival? Or you can request one from us. That organization is the NHPF the National Horseshoe Pitchers Foundation. Have you spoken to your fellow pitchers about the Hall of Fame? Have you stopped by on your way to any of the World Tournaments in the last few years?
During our annual meeting this year, we hope to draw up some long term plans things like a 5, 10 and perhaps a 20-year plan.
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