Amid the clinking and clanking of horseshoes during a Tuesday morning game of the West St. Paul Horseshoe Club came the sweet sounds of two ringers tossed by Dick Dvorak's pitching partner.
"That looks like a double from here," Dvorak said with a smile from behind the pit, eying the horseshoes' alignment in the clay.
The West St. Paul Horseshoe Club is made up of adult players ranging in ages from about 18 to 75. They converge several times a week on the well-groomed pits of the city's sports complex to pitch and socialize.
On Saturday, the club will play host to its annual horseshoe competition, open to the public. It is expected to attract more than 30 players to pitch for cash prizes and good-old-fashioned bragging rights.
The first time Dvorak pitched a horseshoe, he was 12 and playing at a handmade sand court at his home. People used to play horseshoes a lot in their back yards, he said.
"Now there are organized clubs and organized leagues and there are nice pitching facilities like this," Dvorak said. "This is probably one of the best pitching facilities in the state."
The sheltered facility at the West St. Paul Sports Complex has lights, water and well-kept pits, Dvorak pointed out. The club has been playing there since the mid-1980s, said Dvorak, who is the club president. Before that, they played at nearby Thompson Park.
The West St. Paul Horseshoe Club was established in 1985, sanctioned by the Minnesota Gopher State Horseshoe Pitchers Association and the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. It has about 60 players, Dvorak said. About 30 percent of the club is from West St. Paul, with the rest coming from neighboring communities. The club also has a junior program in the summer.
