Horseshoe state championship in Havre this weekend

The Montana Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association is hosting its annual state championship competition at Havre’s Tip-It Bar Saturday, Aug. 21 and Sunday, Aug. 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days of competition.

Montana Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association Vice President Dave Rowin — who won a world championship horseshoe competition this year — told Havre Daily News this morning 60 throwers will be at the event this weekend.

“We got 14 pips there. There’s a scorekeeping shack, which is our motorhome where my wife is going to keep the stats and everything goes in a computer and spits out the results, I guess,” Rowin said adding that some vendors will have tables at the event Saturday.

Rowin said competitors are broken up into various classes with six to seven competitors in a class. He added that the men’s division will range from Class A to Class E and the women’s division will have Classes A through C.

He said a group of four youth and four elders will also compete.

Rowin said competitors throw 40 horseshoes with a scorekeeper keeping track of points and once all 40 horseshoes have been thrown, the highest score wins.

Rowin said the scorekeeper monitors live ringers, valued at three points, close points, valued at one, and also dead ringers which he said count toward a throwers average but not the score.

Rowin said he competed in the world championship over a three day period around July 21.

“There’s 16 people in a class there. So everybody was within a point of each other’s average. And we shot three days, five games a day. And I just happened to luck out and win world,” Rowin said.

Havre Daily News will have more on the Montana Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association state championship in Monday’s edition.