Medicine Hat Horseshoe club ringing up the new season

By JAMES TUBB on May 28, 2022.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Horseshoe Club will be on display this weekend.

The club, located at 167 Stratton Way SE, is opening its doors Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. for all interested horseshoers.

Horseshoe club treasurer/secretary Lloyd Doucette said he’s looking forward to the weekend and the opportunity to talk horseshoes with interested people of all ages.

The club had 22 members last season, which has been lowered to 11 due to some aging out or having health issues. Doucette said the open houses give them the opportunity to showcase their facilities and the game of horseshoe in order to attract the future of their club.

“We need that group of 40, 50 and 60-year-olds coming up behind us to eventually take over some of the executive roles within the club,” Doucette said.

Over the two-day open house, interested athletes can sign up for a membership at half price ($30) for the year. The club is associated with the Alberta Horseshoe Pitchers Association, which entails any club members the opportunity to take part in any horseshoe tournaments in the province.

Doucette said another big part of the open house is to show that horseshoes is not an old man’s game, it’s for all ages.

“Horseshoeing got pushed aside the last two years and now we need it to come back,” Doucette said.

He got hooked on the sport when he was a child playing and his dad constantly outdid him at the sport.

“My dad beat me (at the sport), and I was competitive enough I wanted to beat him,” Doucette said. “If any kid had a ringer, he would have two. Hard not to be competitive at the game.”

Doucette said the feeling of getting multiple ringers in a match is incomparable.

“There’s not enough money in the world to capture that feeling.”

The club regularly plays a free play night Tuesday evenings starting at 7 p.m. and they do not keep stats as the night is open to the public.

Thursday evening is the membership night with arranged matches and stats kept for ringer percentages starting at 7 p.m. Public is allowed only if pits are available. Saturday’s play starts at 1:30 pm and that day is open to the public.

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