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By lorene keitch
Star Reporter
Apr 04 2007

A lack of volunteers has led Golden Horseshoe Club co-ordinators to cancel this year’s horseshoe club tournament.

Russ Elliott, one of the founders of the local club, says while it is a shame to cancel the event, he doesn’t have much choice.

“This is the first time since 1993 that we won’t have a tournament,” Elliott says. “It’s a lot of hard work and we just don’t have the membership to organize it.”

But Elliott is not letting that fact deter him from trying once again this year to attract more people to the sport he enjoys so much.

He is now on the hunt for new horseshoe players and encourages anyone in the community who is interested to come out on Thursday, April 12, for the club’s first horseshoe night of the season.

Players get together every Thursday night at the pitches, as well as most Sunday afternoons for a friendly game.

“People are welcome to come out whenever, especially on a Thursday night, and try it out. We’re there to help teach beginners and to have fun,” he says. “I want people to know that the club belongs to the people of the town, it doesn’t belong to us (the horseshoe club).”

Elliott says anyone is welcome to play on their own as long as they have their own horseshoes.

The club owns 24 sets of beginner horseshoes available for member use. Membership costs $25 per year and enables a pitcher to play at any horseshoe tournament across Canada. Of the $25 fee, $12 goes to the local club for upkeep and maintenance and $13 goes to the B.C. Horseshoe Association.

The Golden Horseshoe Club saw 14 members sign up last year. Elliott says in its heyday, the club had 41 members playing on a regular basis. That was in 2002. He does not know why numbers have dropped so drastically in the last four years but hopes to see the sport on the rise in Golden once again.

Elliott founded the club in 1991 along with Lyle Cutler, Bill Wright and Wilf Habart because they enjoyed the game.

“I like that you can get so many ringers in one game,” Elliott says with a smile. “Plus, it’s a great social activity.”

The founders made a deal with the Town of Golden to turn an empty lot into the horseshoe grounds. The property, located next to the Golden Seniors Centre, was covered in brush and trees and for a total of $1 a year, the club was allowed to build horseshoe pitches and maintain the property.

“We picked that particular spot because it’s close to the rest of the recreational facilities,” Elliott explains.

They built a total of 12 separate pitches, with capacity for up to 48 people to be playing at any given time.

While the horseshoe pitches were completed 14 years ago, work continues on the grounds.

Last season, Elliott, Cutler and a few other dedicated volunteers extended the kitchen in the horseshoe club’s building. They also repainted the inside and put the doors to the bathrooms outside for easy access.

Elliott and a few others were set to begin clean-up of the grounds on Tuesday, April 3, to prepare for the club’s opening night.

He and Cutler, long-time horseshoe pitching rivals and and good friends because of it, are now looking for some new horseshoe enthusiasts to not only keep the sport alive in Golden, but to introduce more people to the game they love.

Elliott says it is a good sport for young and old, male and female, sports enthusiasts and people just wanting to get outside and enjoy the summer weather.

“It’s a good family sport; a good place to bring the kids,” Elliott says.

He also hopes people will consider reserving the pitches for private parties. Elliott says it is a great spot for gatherings of up to 50 people. When a group rents the facility, it includes the kitchen, horseshoes and tools, as well as an on hand expert, if possible, to provide a few pointers.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

n If you would like more information about the Golden Horseshoe Club, call Russ Elliott at 344-2373 or Lyle Cutler at 344-2401.