Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association. The Ringer Report. Volume 51 Issue 4 March 2017

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1 Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association The Ringer Report Volume 51 Issue 4 March 2017 AIN'T IT THE TRUTH? Of all the games conceived by man, With views toward life enriching; Best by test, o'er all the rest, The art of horseshoe pitching! R.O.Brotherton SPRING MEETING Our spring meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, March 25, at the Jackson Horseshoe Club at 10:00 a.m. All tournament directors are encouraged to attend to pick up supplies and discuss directing successful tournaments. Inside this Issue President Notes 2 Officers 2 Tom Burns Memorial 3 Tournament Results 4-5 Publicity Notes 5 Tournament Director Reports 6-7 Editor Notes 7 WT, Condolences 7 World Tournament Application 8 Constitution By-Law changes, NHPF 9 Tournament Schedule 9-10 NHPA letter 10 St. Jude Sponsor Form 11 Membership Application 12 Upcoming Tournaments See pages 9-10 for the complete schedule. Long-time Statistician Paula Summerlin Transfers Job to Michele Bearinger Paula began attending horseshoe tournaments in Two years later she joined the MHPA and started pitching. She has been a very competitive pitcher and has finished respectfully in sanctioned and state tournaments. She will be sorely missed by the horseshoe pitching community. A few of the Offices & Accomplishments of Paula: Second Vice-President Women's Most Improved Award Secretary Editor of the Ringer Report First Vice-President Statistician Editor of the NHPA magazine Paula and Riley at work. "Horseshoe Pitching NEWSLINE Inducted MHPA Hall of Fame, 2000 Developed computer programs for the MHPA Attended World Tournaments in many capacities Recipient of the NHPA "Presidential" Award, 2004 And much, much more Editor s Note: As a green volunteer to be the TD for the St. Clair Shores Club, Paula has lent her knowledge in just about every phase of running a tournament. I greatly appreciate her work with the development of scorekeeping forms, advice, and teaching me the importance of what the great sport of horseshoe pitching means. I have learned many tricks of the trade from her. I have always said that Paula and Steve are the heartbeat of the MHPA. Thanks, Paula. Michele Bearinger The heart of the MHPA takes on a new beat as Paula Summerlin transfers her Statistician duties to Michele Bearinger. Michele works at the University of Michigan as an Executive Secretary to the Associate Deans for the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences within the College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts. Before working at UM, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent/Athletic Director at Britton-Macon Area School, which was her Alma-mater. Michele "Paula Summerlin has left some pretty big shoes to fill and I will do my best to continue to support the MHPA, just as she did. I look forward to watching the association grow and can't wait to meet everyone. The MHPA welcomes Michele as our new statistician. OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 1 of 12

2 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March 2017 PRESIDENT S Notes Paul Bachelor Hi, All MHPA horseshoe pitchers. We are in the midst of winter. Some of you may be in warmer states, but most of us are left here to freeze in Michigan. However, we are fortunate to have the Jackson indoor facility and continue to hold tournaments all winter long. Hopefully you can make it to some of the indoor tournaments. So far, the turnout at the tournaments has been much better this year than in the previous couple of years. MHPA MEMBERSHIP The MHPA is facing many challenges as are many of the other NHPA Charters (States). One of the primary issues is declining membership nationwide. This is affecting many areas, including less turnout at tournaments, which means great ringer percent spread in classes, which means classes are less competitive for the pitchers. A similar effect is happening at our State Tournament. Lower membership combined with the fact that less than half of our members participate in our State Tournament, has resulted in classes that are smaller and less competitive. There is some good news however. There seems to be an upswing in new members to the MHPA. There are many new faces at tournaments the past couple of years. Hopefully, this trend will continue. PLAYING FORMAT COMMITTEE We have formed a new committee named the MHPA Playing Format Committee. The goals of the committee are as follows: 1. To evaluate the current MHPA Tournament Format and identify proposals to improve the tournament experience for the PLAYERS. 2. Implement changes proposed above, but not requiring changes to the (President continued on Page 5) The Ringer Report Official Newsletter of the Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association Michigan Division of the NHPA - Established 1935 Five issues published per year - March, May, August, October and December Dean Schmitz, Editor - (586) horseshoe48043@gmail.com Letters to the Editor are encouraged. MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION Officers Paul Bachelor, President (810) Kinyon Road, Brighton, MI paulbachelor@aol.com John Stephenson, 1st Vice-President (517) Crab Apple Ln. Grand Ledge, MI bigbadjohnstephenson@gmail.com Mark Burns, 2nd Vice-President (734) Horstman Road, Williamston, MI burnsmo@umich.edu Roger Higgins, Secretary/Treasurer (248) Ridgeview Ct., Holly, MI higgins.roger@sbcglobal.net Committee Chairs Bob Wells, Audit & Finance (734) PO Box 205, Temperance, MI noscore@bex.net Doug Bailey, Hall of Fame (248) Woodside Dr., Clarkston, MI patanddougbailey@att.net Constitution/Bylaws: 1st Vice-President Grievance: 2nd Vice-President Membership: Secretary/Treasurer Website, Stats & More MHPA Website/ steve@graywolfdesign.com NHPA Website/ info@horseshoepitching.com Michele Bearinger, MHPA Statistician (734) Horstman Road, Williamston, MI mabearin@umich.edu Keith Schafer, Publicity, St. Jude s Coordinator (517) Hyatt St., Eaton Rapids, MI michhorseshoectdir@yahoo.com Dean Schmitz, Editor (586) Chippewa St., Mount Clemens, MI horseshoe48043@gmail.com NHPA Contacts Stuart Sipma, President (701) Domino Dr., Bismarck, ND Stuart.Simpa@gmail.com David Sidles, Secretary/Treasurer (515) Jefferson St., Omaha, NE dsidles@cox.net Roger Higgins, Regional Director (248) Ridgeview Ct., Holly, MI higgins.roger@sbcglobal.net Steve Summerlin, Assistant Regional Director (517) PO Box 536, Webberville, MI steveds@wowway.com 2 of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION

3 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March 2017 Mark Burns and Michele Bearinger at work during the first Tom Burns Memorial. The entire Burns clan. Front row: Mary Burns, Betty Whiteside, Jami McDaniel, David Sherwood Back row: Michele Bearinger, Mark Burns, Howard Whiteside, Michael Palmer-Burns, Mark Burns II. On January 14, 2017, the first Tom Burns Memorial Horseshoe Tournament was held in Jackson with 28 contestants competing. Results on page 4. Labor of Love: THE TOM BURNS MEMORIAL HORSESHOE TOURNAMENT By Mark Burns, MHPA Second Vice-President When I joined the MHPA in 2010, it was because I loved the game so much! It was what my dad and I did together, A LOT! My dad and I talked about joining the the Wolverine/MHPA at one time or another but never did because we both were alcoholics and didn't want to drive all over the place to pitch shoes because, when we pitched we drank our beers. We did pitch in the Romulus Horseshoe Club and the Dexter Horseshoe Club. I still pitch in the Dexter Horseshoe club with my sons, Markie and Michael. My dad passed away in 2002 with cancer and and I got sober in I met Roger Higgins in 2010 and now I am here to stay until I get kicked out. Horseshoes are my life!!! The Tom Burns Memorial Tournament is something I never even knew or thought was possible until I talked with Bob Beagle at the 2016 State Tournament. If I would have known it was possible to honor my dad in this way, I would have done this when I first joined the association. The first annual tournament was held on 1/14/2017 at the Jackson indoor facility. We had 30 pitchers (the max for the indoor courts) on the pre-registration list; however, due to unforeseen circumstances 3 pitchers were unable to make it, so, I stepped in and pitched in Class B. I was fortunate enough to place first in Class B, but did not accept the prize money (that was redistributed to the first and second place winners in the other classes.) I did accept the Class Champion patch, however! This patch will be displayed in my home along with a T-shirt, family photo and my round robin card. With each tournament, I am more and more impressed with the level of competition in the MHPA and this tournament was no exception. My family added $600 bonus prize money. We sold Tshirts for $15 and were able to donate $120 from the T-shirt sales to the MHPA. It was a great feeling to look at the courts and see the participants wearing their "Tom Burns Memorial" T-shirts! One of the best parts of the day was that my mother Mary, sister Betty and her husband Howard, my two sons, Markie & Michael, his girlfriend Jami, and my cousin David were all there to honor my dad and experience the thrill of the tournament! Thank you to all of the participants and to the Jackson Horseshoe Club for making this a tournament to remember. Looking forward to hosting the Tom Burns Memorial in Watch for the date; looking to move to the outdoors season! Thank you to my fiancée, Michele, because without her help, this tournament would not have been a success! See you on the courts! OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 3 of 12

4 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March 2017 Tom Burns Memorial Tournament January 14, 2017 Jackson Horseshoe Club Saturday, January 7, 2017 Class A W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Williams Andrew Adams George Parsons Lawrence Hinton Eric Soltis Class B W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Hosler Larry Budziszewski Roger Higgins Boyd Howe Mark Burns Delbert Metcalf Class C W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Robert Blum Warren Westbrook Clayton Champion Carl Rennell Class D W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Brad Reynolds Mark Burns II Richard Hare Tim Burkholder Chad Fleisher Class E W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Kevin Nielsen Mike Kolb Russ Hoeve Jerry Clay Jim Cooper Lansing Horseshoe Club Saturday, January 21, 2017 Class A W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Williams Eric Soltis Lawrence Hinton Tom Hosler Russ Sageman Class B W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Sheryll Card Larry Budziszewski Mark Burns Dean Schmitz Mike Hess Class C W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Randall Kamm John Stephenson Owen Mergen Keith Schafer Class D W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Harry Grant Jim Clark Jerry Clay Ken Kuss Kary Christiansen Becky Sullivan Class E W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tyler Davis Cathy Ardelean Carl Rennell Russ Hoeve Jim Cooper Jack Craw of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION

5 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March 2017 Brighton Horseshoe Club Saturday, January 28, 2017 Class A W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Williams Lawrence Hinton Paul Bachelor Danny Markley Class B W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Mark Burns Larry Budziszewski Dan Brenner Roger Higgins Boyd Howe Delbert Metcalf Class C W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Owen Mergen Dan LaCroix Keith Schafer Ryan LaCroix Sean Saumier Class D W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Harry Grant Jim Clark Chris LaCroix Dawn Seese Jerry Clay Jim Cooper Lapeer Horseshoe Club Saturday, February 4, 2017 Class A W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Williams Lawrence Hinton Larry Budziszewski Danny Markley Mark Burns Doug Bailey Class B W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Richard Nighingale Quincy Johnson Robert Blum Ryan LaCroix Richard C. Colbert Dan Brenner Class C W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Sean Saumier Tyler Davis Russ Dice Chris LaCroix Daniel LaCroix Publicity, Promotions, St. Jude Fundraising Keith Schafer With my recent retirement, I will begin contacting local newspapers to print tournament information for the association. I am starting in the Lansing and Jackson areas in this effort.i have found that for most papers, face to face meetings seem to make it a lot easier to get things printed. If someone knows a newspaper you would like me to speak with to help publicize our group, contact me. The next St. Jude tournament will be on a Sunday indoors, March 26. Pledges will be collected, and the court fees will all be forwarded to St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. This tournament and the April 23 tournament are being held on a Sunday in response to a request for tournaments on those dates. The April 23 tournament is being held to supplement the State tournament fund. I am working on creating a history of tournament sites, and am in need of some information from the past. I am Class D W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Ken Kuss Dawn Seese Russ Hoeve Cathy Ardelean Jim Cooper HALL OF FAME Saturday, February 11, 2017 Class A W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Tom Williams Lawrence Hinton George Parsons Class B W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. John Banks Mark Burns Boyd Howe Larry Budziszewski Dan Brenner looking for a 2002 schedule, a schedule for 1994 and 1995, and some pictures and location information for the tournaments in Adrian at the fairgrounds. If you know something, or have the information, please let me know. Thanks to all. Keith (President continued from Page 2) Constitution and By-Laws. 3. Create formal proposals to amend the current MHPA Constitution and By-Laws per item #1 above, and submit to the MHPA (2nd V.P.) to be considered (voted on) at the 2017 State Tournament Members meeting. 4. Do items 1-3 above, for the State Championship Tournament. The committee members are: Paul Bachelor (Chair), Richard C. Colbert, JD Drake, Randall Kamm, Joe Kristoff, Dean Schmitz, Becky Sullivan and Mark Wolffradt. Cathy Ardelean and Ken Kuss will be joining the team at our next meeting. The committee has identified several issues needing improvement and is formulating action items to address them. More details will be available by the next Ringer Report publication. If you have any key concerns or issues you would like the committee to consider, please contact any one of the members. Paul Class C W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Ryan LaCroix Richard C. Colbert Robert Blum Keith Schafer Owen Mergen Clayton Champion Class D W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Quincy Johnson Tina Schafer Robert Roesler Chris LaCroix Zachary Spanke Class E W-L Rgrs Sh R% 1. Dawn Seese Harry Grant Jerry Clay Jim Cooper OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 5 of 12

6 The Ringer The Ringer Report Report - Michigan - Michigan Horseshoe Horseshoe Pitchers Pitchers Association Association - March 2017 Berkley - Mark Lankin mwlankin@sbcglobal.net May 20, Berkley Days Increased Entry Fee & Prize Money May 21, Regular Tournament Hello, everyone! Just so everyone knows, there is an issue with the Berkley Ice Arena but we will be OK for our tournament in May. Hope everyone is having a good winter. See you all soon! Mark Brighton - Paul Bachelor paulbachelor@aol.com The Brighton Club has been in existence since the mid 1990 s. We pitch on Tuesday evenings using all count 40 shoe games with a 90% handicap system. Our league is currently very small generally attendance in the single digits. But several new members have joined in the last year. All pitchers are welcome. Since early on, the Brighton Club has hosted MHPA tournaments on the weekend of the 4th of July, and the weekend just before the State Tournament. However, this year we are changing the weekends for our tournaments. They will be held June 3rd and 4th, and July 15th and 16th. Paul Tournament Director & Club Reports Kalamazoo - Josh Lull joshlull@gmail.com Indoor Tournament, March 4 The Kalamazoo Club is kicking back, just watching the snow fly. Ha Ha. Actually, we have just started to meet a bit to discuss our next phases of court \club improvement. Most everyone who attended the State tournament last year had a chance to see some of the hard work put in by our members and how nice the improvements looked. Now, it is just deciding what we accomplish next to gain the most value and keep our membership happy. Membership has been a bit on the small side, but our average attendance has increased slightly over the last couple years. We cannot wait until spring, so we can open the courts and get back to Horseshoe Wednesdays! Josh Jackson - Mark Burns burnsmo@umich.edu Indoor Tournament April 29, Thrun/Vincent Memorial current with the winter leagues, there is open pitching for a small fee. Tom Williams does a great job in making sure that the leagues are full and that the members are pitching for competition, not just pitching a dummy team. Mark Business Card Service Award Eagle Award Calendar These are things Jackson does in attempt to gain members and promote the game. My brother Bob has created a new website, which is listed on our new business cards. We hope to be more informative and add a bit more flare with this new site. We've had business cards since The calendar is something we started in 2014, featuring previous season highlights and champions. We have a large trophy showing a picture of our 5 founding members, along with a list of persons receiving what we call service and dedication award. We started this last year; the 15 people who are on this list also received the eagle award for themselves, acknowledging their service I have to start by saying I am honored to be the TD at Jackson. Steve Summerlin has done a tremendous job at Jackson and in the MHPA, as we all Holt/Lansing - Tina Schafer know. To fill his shoes will not be easy, tschafer59@yahoo.com but with the support of the Jackson Congratulations to Mark Burns and club and some hard work by me, I am Michele Bearinger on their willing to take on this job and engagement. What a great couple you everything that comes with it. I have make. been an active member in the summer On January 21, 2017, Lansing held and winter leagues in Jackson for the and dedication to Jackson County their first tournament of the year. We past 3 years. Horseshoe Club. Tom Williams had a terrific turnout with 26 pitchers The club sponsors two leagues in the Tom Williams, afterthought participating. We also celebrated winter, one on Tuesday nights with 33 One more thing I think our MHPA Keith s retirement from the State of members and one on Thursday nights with members may find interesting. This summer I was Michigan. I d like to thank everyone 27 members. There is one league in the contacted by the who came out and supported this summer that pitches on Tuesday nights organizers of tournament. with 84 members. The Jackson club has Amazing Race Upcoming indoor tournaments for 74 lifetime members since Both Jackson, a spin Lansing and Holt are as follows: winter and summer leagues are very off to the national TV Amazing Race, only strong and always have a waiting list at a local level. April 1st Lansing to join. All the leagues are run with a After a short conversation I agreed to April 8th Holt have JCHC a stop as a challenge location 90 percent handicap and non walking Looking forward to seeing you on doubles. On Thursday during the day the courts. Tina from 1-5 during the winter running (Reports continued on Page 7) 6 of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION

7 The Ringer The Ringer Report Report - Michigan - Michigan Horseshoe Horseshoe Pitchers Pitchers Association Association - March 2017 EDITOR S Notes Dean Schmitz Thank you, Tina Schafer, for the many years of being The Ringer Report Editor. And, for all you have done to relay horseshoe pitching knowledge to all of our members. You will be missed, and I will be the first one to know it. What does an Editor do? I see myself more as compiler who collects horseshoe pitching information in order to produce something, especially this newsletter, by assembling information collected from other sources. I have always loved horseshoe pitching. I have been a member of the NHPA since That is not much time compared to others in the MHPA. Pitching in sanctioned tournaments, the State and World Tournaments have always been a thrill. Horseshoe pitching never gets old for me. Hopefully, I can bring some enthusiasm to our sport while being your Editor. Your Job I will be in contact with the Executive Board to produce reports for each issue. I will call on all Tournament Directors to give The Ringer Report an update of their club, and concerns about their club, whether it be positive or negative. I encourage all MHPA members to send an old fashioned letter to the editor. (now via ) If words are hard to come by there s always the camera. A picture can tell a different story for all of us. Take lots of pictures, and them to me at horseshoe48043@gmail.com. Clubs, tournaments, and leagues do not run themselves. Don t be afraid to volunteer. Learn and observe the rules of the game and have fun. Keep Horseshoe Pitching Alive! (Reports continued from Page 6) pitching horseshoes. Forty teams of two biked to our location and had the task of getting 7 points or a ringer whichever came first before they could move on to their next task. The entire event consisted of some 24 stops between 1-6 pm Saturday. At the award ceremony, our horseshoe pitching task was deemed the most fun and, not surprisingly, our own Jackson residents didn't realize this type of facility existed. I had seven volunteers help me operate our site and we had a blast interacting with the racers. Local TV recorded a segment. Lake Orion - Doug Bailey patanddougbailey@att.net The Lake Orion Horseshoe Club has been very fortunate in maintaining a membership level that supports an extremely competitive 15 weeks of league play. To enhance competition, 3 years ago we added a Championship Trophy to track and document league winners by year. Bob Bennet, 2014 George Parsons, 2015 Ken Kuss, 2016 The Championship Trophy and our end of season Banquet continue to be a celebration of our membership accomplishments with trophies, door prizes, raffle, great food and fellowship. Many members bring family and friends. The Lake Orion Horseshoe Club is looking for trophies that could be repurposed. They do not have to be horseshoe trophies because we can retrofit them. Contact Doug Bailey at or myself at Ron Price Lincoln Park - Mark Wolffradt mwmabell09@yahoo.com Tournament, May 13 Romulus Horseshoe Club hosts a doubles league on Tuesday nights from May until September. Elmer Johnson Park in Romulus. Start at 6:30 p.m. We play five games and switch partners each game. Please contact Mark Wolffradt at (313) St. Clair Shores - Dean Schmitz horseshoe48043@gmail.com A Proclamation celebrating the club s 25th anniversary was awarded by the St. Clair Shores City Council. The plaque was presented by Mayor Kip C. Walby. Pictured is President John Thomachefski with Recreation Council member Bob Pylar. Mr. Pylar has been the liaison between the club and Recreation Department. He initiated this award and is working to improve court lighting. David A. Spanke Zach Spanke s Grandpa, David A. Spanke, died February 1. He was a member of the defunct Mt. Clemens Indoor and Lake Orion Clubs. He was very enthusiastic about pitching. He visited the SCSHC courts last summer with Zach. His name will appear on SCSHC/MHPA Memorial. The 2017 World Tournament is in St. George Utah, July Those that have been in St. George in 2013 can assure you that it is worth the drive or flight. There are plenty of motels fitting every price range. The restaurant selection is terrific, and the natural beauty is beyond description. Get your sanctioned tournaments in early, and make plans to attend. Entry form is located on page 8. Details are on the NHPA website. OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 7 of 12

8 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION

9 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March Pitching Schedule Indoor Jackson Facility Must pre-register with the Tournament Director - Check-in by 9:30 a.m. - Starting time 10:00 a.m. HORSESHOE PITCHERS: Be Alert, there are two Sundays scheduled on the Indoor Courts in Jackson. For those that can t make it to the Saturday tournaments, here is your chance to get in a couple on Sunday. March 26 St. Jude's - Bob Wells/Sunday Tournament Keith Schafer April 23 State Tournament Fund/Sunday Tournament Keith Schafer Dates Host Club Tournament Director Phone # March 4 Kalamazoo Josh Lull Brighton Paul Bachelor Lincoln Park Mark Wolffradt MHPA Spring 10:00 Paul Bachelor St. Jude's - Bob Wells/Sunday Tournament Keith Schafer April 1 Lansing Tina Schafer Holt Tina Schafer State Tournament Fund/Sunday Tournament Keith Schafer Jackson Thrun/Vincent Memorial Mark Burns September 23 MHPA Scheduling 10:00 Paul Bachelor October 7 Jackson Mark Burns Lansing Tina Schafer Holt Tina Schafer November 4 Lake Orion Doug Bailey St. Jude's - Mike Ardelean Keith Schafer Lansing Tina Schafer Participants: Help the TD s by bringing the correct fee money. It will speed up check-in. Bring dollars for scorekeepers. It is good etiquette to wear a tournament shirt at all events. Constitution and By-laws Changes The Constitution and By-laws may be revised by submitting changes at any membership meeting or sent to the chairperson of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, 1st Vice-President John Stephenson, by July 15th. All proposed revisions are voted on at the State Tournament meeting. Any additions, deletions and/or changes takes a two-thirds vote of members present at the meeting and become effective January 1st of the following year. Hall of Fame nomination forms must be received by June 15th for the nominee to be included in the voting for that year. Send HOF form to Doug Bailey. (See page 2 for addresses.) Deadline for grant Applications: March 1st and September 1st. Mail Inquires & contributions to: NHPF 100 Bluestem Way Wentzville, MO OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 9 of 12

10 The Ringer Report - Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association - March Pitching Schedule Outdoor Tournament Dates Sign-in by 9:30 a.m. Tournament Dates Locations MAY 6 Hillsdale, Mt. Morris 7 Mt. Morris 13 Lincoln Park Berkley Days/Increased Entry Fee & Prize Money 21 Berkley Lansing 29 JUNE 3-4 Brighton 9 Kalamazoo/Friday Evening Tournament, Sign-in 7:00 p.m. 10 Kalamazoo, Manton and St. Clair Shores Memorial Terry Beagle Jackson/$ Added Prize Money 18th Holt, Lapeer JULY Manton, St. Clair Shores Brighton World St. George, Utah Lapeer AUGUST 5 Lincoln Park, Gary Bramhill/Ralph Matchko Memorial 6 12 State Lake Orion 13 Lake Orion Manton 24 St. Clair Shores/Thurs. Eve. Tournament, Sign-in 6:00 p.m. 26 St. Lansing 27 Lansing SEPTEMBER 1 Seniors Open - Site to be named 2-3 State Tournament Class Play - Site to be named 4 State Tournament Championship Play - Site to be named Woody Lake Orion 11:00 a.m. Letter from NHPA Council and a Note of Clarification Fellow members, At the 2016 NHPA annual delegate meeting at Montgomery AL, it was announced that at our next winter meeting the Executive Council would be reviewing the future of our Game Related Sales division. When it started out, GRS was the sole source of horseshoe pitching equipment outside of the local hardware store. Times have changed. At our winter meeting, we came to the conclusion that this portion of our overall business is no longer viable. In what we feel is in the best interest of the NHPA, the decision was made to close down GRS. This will occur at the conclusion of the 2017 World Tournament. GRS will be selling horseshoes and other game related products at that tournament this summer. It s likely that for many of you this will be a barely noticeable change. The NHPA will be there to help direct you to one of the many independent distributors. Many of these same distributors will also be at tournaments around the country selling horseshoes and related products. And we will always have horseshoe sales at our world tournaments. We do appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank You. NHPA Council Clarification: There will be SOMEONE selling to all NHPA clubs and distributors in the place of NHPA GRS. The NHPA is just selling the business, if possible, and we hope there will be a NEW company providing the same or similar service to all members, club distributors, retail distributors and anyone wishing to purchase horseshoe items! Dee Vadnais-Null & Gary Null NHPA Game Related Sales Directors Participants: Help the TD s by bringing the correct fee money. It will speed up check-in. Bring dollars for scorekeepers. It is good etiquette to wear a tournament shirt at all events. 10 of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION

11 St. Jude Sponsor Form Name (Please Print) Address City, State, Zip Code Phone Those turning in $75 or more will receive a sports bag and T-Shirt. Those turning in $35 or more receive a T-Shirt. Please Circle your size: Adult sizes: M L XL Child sizes: or Consent and Release of Liability In consideration of the furtherance of your purposes, directives and work and in consideration of your permitting me to participae in your pledge event, on behalf of myself, my heirs, exceutors, administrators and assigns. I hereby waive and release and and all rights and claims for damages which I may have against you, the muncipalities in which the event takes place as well as any other person connected with the event, their heirs, exceutors, administrators, successors and assigns for any and all injuries which I may suffer while taking part in or as a result thereof. IMPORTANT: Participants under age 18 must have this form signed by parent or guardian. Date Participant Signature Date Parent or Guardian Signature Dear Sponsor: Please help St. Jude Children s Research Hospital by pledging 25 cents, 50 cents or more for each unit. For the safety and convenience of the participant, we request that you do not give cash. Please make your tax-deductible check payable to St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. Thank you for your support of our life-saving research and treatment programs. Sponsor s Name Please Print Sponsor s Address Street - City - State - Zip Phone Pledge per Unit Units* Scored Total Pledge Total pledge per point/unit $ x total number of point/units = Total pledge due TOTAL POINTS VERIFIED BY (Official s Initials) TOTAL AMOUNT *A unit is a measurement which will vary for different types of events: Ringers, Laps, Miles, etc. COLLECTED FOR RESEARCH $ List additional sponsors on a separate sheet of paper. OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION 11 of 12

12 MHPA Ringer Report Editor Dean Schmitz 799 Chippewa St. Mount Clemens, MI FIRST CLASS NHPA/MHPA Membership Application Name: Last NHPA Card #: Mailing Address: City: Zip Code: Is this a new address? [ ] Yes Phone: ( ), How do you wish to get the Ringer Report? website standard mail (Circle One) Category: Man 40 Man 30 Woman Junior Girl Junior Boy Cadet Date of Birth: / / Mandatory for Juniors and Men Pitching at 30. (We would appreciate all pitchers providing birth date for statistical purposes.) Make Check Payable to: MHPA Mail to: Roger Higgins, Ridgeview Ct., Holly, MI Card Costs: $35.00 Adults $28.00 for second card in the same household. $0.00 Juniors $7.00 for a junior wanting to receive the newsletter $8.00 Ringer Report Subscription only. (Subscription included in full membership.) 12 of 12 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION