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) 5 2 iN Py " - en. rp NEE Fmd P fio En gS Sake SI Re BES SIRENS lid » oto LA - POA IA 1} CP 'pr So SN AA ¥ow d,s 3 SEE OA . - TN JR EX om LE -, ae = on A Pe - » be a Bs Bad ate a 7 SEL A A ns A AS SR EA RN = a . ANE PR oh TN . a US Ee. SRA Lan ADT JR 830 v * 4 . Fk a A - X . al A : fav, nth : slo J Roy McLaughlin Has been pitching 's Fresh from a second place finish in the Ontario Horse- shoe Championship two weeks ago in Belleville, Roy McLaughlin is now starting to take dead aim at. the premier event for horseshoe pitchers - the Canadian finals at the CNE in August. Just turned 60, Roy, of © RR1, Nestleton has been pitching horseshoes for more than half a century. He learned the sport at a very tender age from his father William and his uncle Rus- sell, who were both Ontario champions. In fact, by the time he reached the age of ten, Roy had already won his first tournament in: Pontypool, beating out men many times older than himself. Since then, his skill with the horseshoes has won him dozens of tournaments and competitions, and he's got plaques and the trophies, press gippings to prove it. - THE SECRET Talking about the sport and the art of pitching horse- shoes in-an interview with the Star 14st week, Roy said the very best players are born with the skills and then develop them over the years by starting to compete seriously at a young age. Part of the secret is con- centration, part of it is deve- loping rhythm and a groove, much the same as.a pro golfer or top-notch bowler. = And Roy says, when tour- nament competition gets keen, there is a little bit of "'psyching your opponent, as well. . When he takes to the horse- shoe pits at the CNE finals August 18 to 20 Roy knows he'll be up against the very ~ best; the current world champion, in fact, a chap by the name of Elmer Hohl. (He's the one who hammed it _ up with Paul Rimstead fora - beer commercial seen on national television.) Roy admits that if Elmer is on his game, the rest of the field may end up fighting it out for second place. "I could watch Elmer all day," says Roy. '"He's just like a machine." w "Last year I had him 40 to 20 (in a 50 point game) and he came back to beat me. # "Butothats what a world champion can do to you." While Elmer seems to be almost unbeatable in.singles PROWLER. 'BEST PRICES' * Prowler Travel trailers * Starcraft Foldowns * Bonair Hdtp. Foldowns + Honey Truck Campers Maple Leaf Truck Caps Slide-Ins (2 ton or van) USED & FACTORY CLEARANCES DAVIS TRAILERS Division of Holiday World Be sure to ask for DOUG ALLEN 1916 Dundas E., Hwy. 2 Whitby - 728-9493 Toronto - 683-3571 4 { "neo A 4% %5 hy HAR 4 VE y i i rel BEE » competition, Roy has topped him in doubles events when teamed with his brother Harold. In fact, Roy and Harold are Ontario doubles defending champions and have won the International Plowing Match competition four times. Roy says he likes to com- pete and needs some kind of an incentive to get his game down pat. He plays better under pressure. And there is plenty in a 50-point cancella- tion game with each ringer worth three points. EASY? To someone who has never pitched a - horseshoe, the sport looks deceptively easy. The stakes are 40 feet apart, and the idea, of course, is to ring the open-ended shoe around the stake: All top players have their own special techniques, and Roy says he prefers a slow one-and-a-quarter rotation, which means the shoe re- volves: that many times. it # while in the air. . ; Roy always stands to the left of the stake. Gripping the shoe lightly in his large, : strong hand, he draws his arm back, steps forwards with his left foot, and re- leases, all in one easy, fluid motion. You can see what he mearns about the importance of rhythm. He doesn't take a long time to sight 'the target before going into the deli- very. When Roy releases the shoe, it doesn't just sail quickly through the air, but rather seems to float ina high, gentle arc. He says he can tell even when the shoe is still in the air whether it is going to be a ringer. Horse shoes for pitching are specially made, and a pair cost upwards of $12. They weigh a little more than two pounds each, and balance is extremely impor- tant. At the young age of 14, Roy won his first Ontario Cham- pion seniors -class and he ~ recalls the match vividly. Down 49 to 33, he hit for 16 straight ringers. When times got rough curing the Depression, Roy's father would send him into every tournament that came up. First prize was usually $5, but once, he came home with a case of canned peas and corn. In another tour- nament, the youngster won the first prize, a man's felt hat, several sizes too big. Roy recalls that when he was quite young, "a man from Toronto" approached his father and wanted to take the young pitcher on tour of the fairs in Ontario, with the intention of earning some easy money by placing side bets during the competitions. _ Roy says the man almost begged his father to let him 0, but he didn't want any patt of that deal. , ON TOUR However, in 1938, Roy did go on tour with a team of six other players from Canada to the World's Fair in New York and to Washington, D.C. During the exhibition, he remembers beating the World Champion Lady pitcher by a score of 50 to 49. While the prize money in the competition used to be $5 or $10, things are getting a little better, and Roy earned An LSP Nave INA 1 (ROR ou Fal hans Saris, nae td REE La LR CRRA $A FARR SESH RET el» OE SEL RETA 20 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, July 26, 1978 He likes the pressure of compefition - $140 for his second place finish recently in Belleville. And over the years has won a lot of silverware, plates, and dishes. 3 In preparation for the Canadian Championship at' ~thé Ex next month, Roy says he will start to practise seriously for several days - 26 before "the match just to sharpen the skills. After all, that natural skill and ability 3 hoes' for 50 - x years so eve sw - by John B. McClelland : en TE x, i EpRAAY bt ROS was developed ynar Sr PaO) 2% half Salons 40. 48 BBE a school-boy he built horse- shoe pits near the school house in" Burketon, and took all comers when he wasn't in class. That's what he means when he says you have to be dedicated and you have to start young, if you want to be really good at pitching horse- shoes. EDITOR'S NOTE: After talking to Roy at his home last week, we went out into the yard to toss a few shoes. Roy took a few minutes to find the groove, but once he did the ringers started to come almost one after an- other. As for me, I'm afraid I've started far too late in life." Even with a little coaching from an expert, I think I hit for maybe two ringers, both flukes. The shoes I tossed sailed through the air, twisting and turning, and more often than not, missed the pit completely. Roy just nodded, smiled, tossed a few more perfect ringers, and said he is really not on his game when he's just fooling around. But he sure can make it look 'easy. v's % L \ Rx pf vw, ISLA BIE : Bo 7 Fda? i '3 #4 NTR WW SUA LE Fl a By This is the name of the game I 2 ae ¥