Resident Bill Finlay, perennial champion of the state fair’s horseshoe pitching contest, says he can’t really explain his success, as players of all abilities are welcome to compete for cash prizes.
“They’re all welcome. I’ve been figuring some guy in an RV from someplace where they’re good at horseshoes will come and mop up. But that hasn’t happened,” Finlay said this week. “Really good players at the national level make ringers 75 to 90 percent of the time. We’ve never seen anyone that good here.”
Under official standards, the sport involves pitching a 2.5-pound shoe onto a stake 40 feet away. “It’s like pitching a softball,” Finlay said. “You use the pendulum momentum of the shoe. If you swing back far enough, it throws itself. After that, it’s just practice, practice, practice.”
The best throwers use a saucer-like rotation, keeping the shoe flat to the horizon. But Finlay doesn’t. His shoe flips over in flight.
Finlay says he’s not even the best pitcher in town, but his game tends to hold up under competition. And he doesn’t have a horseshoe pit at home, either. “I guess it’s just muscle memory.”
About 30 players typically compete in the tournament, one of the fair’s oldest competitions. There are prizes for top men and women players. Registration starts at noon Saturday at the Klondike Saloon. Three additional pits set up this year are expected to speed up the tourney.
The horseshoes tournament is one of about a dozen competitions at the fair. An obstacle course “adventure” run is among recent fair favorites. Organized this year under a jungle theme, the 5K race Friday will make competitors scrum through puddles, an alder tunnel and jumps.
As many as 50 competitors have entered past adventure runs.
Fair contests include the annual logging show of lumberjack skills, a commercial fisherman’s rodeo, Haines Hustle fun run, Southeast’s Got Talent talent show, most lovable dog contest, fiddle contest, singer-songwriter competition, beach volleyball tournament and disc golf tournament.
See the fair schedule insert in this week’s centerfold or stop by the fair information booth near the main gates.