Parksville

To the editor:

If you haven’t pitched a horseshoe lately, or are looking for some competition beyond the backyard, you may want to visit Neversink, NY. The sport is alive, well and thriving in this small town in the Southern Catskills. The local Fire Department sponsors a forty player (and growing) league that competes once a week during the summer months on their seven well-groomed courts. Five of these courts are sheltered overhead. Additionally, the adjacent Hamlet of Grahamsville has five professionally done courts that support an open benefit tournament during the Grahamsville Little World’s Fair. The Neversink League organizers also host a series of tournaments throughout the summer that are open to players of all levels. The tournaments include both benefits for local and regional causes as well as pre and post season cash prize tournaments. The benefit tournaments award trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. All play is doubles (partners). League play draws for a partner each night of play while tournament play is bring your own partner. All play follows a National set of rules (NHPA). It is worth mentioning that during our Veterans’ benefit tournament, two Husband/Wife teams and one Father/Daughter team took the top three spots.

During the summer 2023 season, the League’s benefit tournaments raised almost $20,000 supporting a Scholarship fund, local Veterans organizations and the Tri Valley Little League. The cash tournaments have drawn as many as 35 teams from across the Southern Tier. Many of the League players are members of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association (NHPA). Four of them will be competing in the NY State Horseshoe Championships in Camden, NY on the 2nd and 3rd of September. Additionally, League players travel across the Southern Tier, Long Island and Northern NJ to support and participate in tournaments held there.

The sport itself combines outdoor social activity with low impact cardio exercise, skill and finesse and is suitable for both men and women ages 10 and up. As with all competitive horseshoe players, the League’s intent is to grow the sport by introducing it to new and younger players and provide instruction on the rules of play, shoe differences and pitching techniques.

The League’s post season (Fall) cash tournament will be held September 24 at the Neversink FD. For more information please contact Russ Turner at 845-866-6036.