Shoes were pitched and ringers were made at the Prince George Horseshoe Club's open tournament on the weekend.
The tourney was one of two the club hosts during the year and featured long-time and avid horseshoe enthusiasts from Prince George, Terrace, Dawson Creek and Quesnel.
"It was a light turnout but we made do with what we had," said P.G. Horseshoe Club president Vic Vallee. "We had 30-foot [divisions] for those 65 and older, as well as ladies and some of us can still throw from 40 feet. Esko Karlson is 87 years old and he can still throw from 40 feet."
The Prince George club has been around since the '50s, was dormant in the '60s and '70s and was revived in the '80s. As many as 50 members belonged to the club at one time, but now only 12 pitchers call it home.
The club, located on Massey Drive beside the Northern B.C. YMCA, hosts league play on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. and plays 40 shoes or 40 points, whatever comes first.
Each player tosses two shoes each end and a shoe that comes within six inches of the peg is worth a point.
"It's all about getting the shoe around the peg," said Vallee about the lure of the game. "It's getting ringers. It's a life skill that takes a lifetime to learn. My dad was a pretty good player and I kept going."
Those who pitch shoes must have three things going for them to be successful.
They must have the right turn on the shoe so it's open to the peg; distance; and line.
The club is open until the end of September. Anybody is welcome to try out the game on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Results from the open tournament are as follows:
In the men's division, Vallee won the A class as well as the B class. Phil Erickson of Quesnel followed in second place in the B class, while Mike Cunningham of Prince George was third.
Cunningham won the C class, while Erickson followed in second place.
Erickson won the D class, while Karlson of Prince George was second.
In the ladies division, Ida Boschman of Prince George won the A class as well as the B class. Helene Boudreau of Quesnel finished second in the B class and won the C class ahead of Maureen Braun of Prince George.
Caron Jones of Dawson Creek won the D class, followed by Benita Karlson of Prince George in second place and Terry Pocock of Dawson Creek in third place.
Karlson won the E class, while Alice Boschman of Prince George was second.
In the senior men 40-foot, Erickson won the event, followed by Vallee in second place.
J.P. Bourgoin of Terrace won the senior men 30-foot division on Saturday. Maurice Carpenter of Prince George followed in second place, while Bob Price of Terrace was third.
Bourgoin won Sunday's men 30-foot division as well, followed by Price in second place and Elmer Braun of Prince George in third place.
In senior ladies, Boschman won the division, followed by Boudreau in second place and Pat Duncan of Prince George in third place.
