Great Falls Horseshoe Pitchers Earn High Honors at the World Horseshoe Championships

From left to right the competitors are: Artie Groux, Aspen Gaskins, Lee LeVeque, Toby Gaskins, Brad Clark and Ryder Smith. Photo credit by Renee LeVeque. The World Horseshoe Championships were recently conducted in Sandy, Utah, and the competitors from Great Falls were big winners. More than 650 competitors from across the United States, Canada, and other foreign countries participated in the World Championships which ran from July 21 through the 30th. The event was held indoors at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah, just under twenty miles from Salt Lake City. Pitchers are placed into one of several classes based upon their age, gender, and ringer percentage. The men’s overall winner and world champion was Alan Francis from Dayton, Ohio, whose ringer percentage was nearly 90%. He went undefeated over his 30 games. His win this year was his 29th World Championship, far and away the most of any pitcher in history. The Great Falls contingent consisted of nine pitchers, all members of the local 3 for 3 Horseshoe League. Of the nine who participated, six brought home trophies, three of those being crowned World Champions of their respective classes. World Champion Class winners from Gt. Falls were: Lee LeVeque (Elder Men), Brad Clark (Elder Men), and Aspen Gaskins (Junior Girls). Toby Gaskins (Elder Men) took 2nd in his class, while Artie Groux (Men) took third place in his class. Ryder Smith (Junior Boys) took third place in his class. Both Ryder Smith and Aspen Gaskins also qualified for their respective overall world championship matches. They both did well, each of them finishing in fourth place overall in the world. Next year’s championships will be held in Wausau, Wisconsin, and the Great Falls pitching community is already looking forward to the experience. If you would like to participate in the Great Falls horseshoes league come visit us beginning each May on Wednesday evenings at the Elk’s Riverside Park.