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Far left, Shirley Reno and Faye Stratton play in a recent game. Larissa Hanson and Stratton take a break from throwing to take a photo. The mother-daughter duo are continuing the family tradition of horseshoe throwing started by Stratton’s mother.

Where close counts

Women’s horseshoe league turns 50

Story and photos by Kristy Basolo-Malmsten

In Western Marquette County, Tuesday nights are a time for ladies to get together and have some fun outdoors. Friends, cousins and even immediate family gather to pitch, chat and enjoy the fresh air.

The Ishpeming-Negaunee Women’s Horseshoe league celebrated its 50th anniversary this season. The league’s players range 50 years in age as well, from those in their 20s to those in their 70s.

In the case of Faye Stratton of Negaunee Township, her experience in the league is special as she has played with both her mom and her daughter.

“Horseshoe nights make me think of my mom,” she said. “Good memories.”

Her mom, Sylvia Lammie, was one of the original players in the league. Lammie, who passed in 2011, threw competitively until she was 83 years old. She was an inspiration to the women in her family — even placing second in the senior division for the Great Lakes Games.

“My mom traveled to play in community horseshoe tournaments,” Stratton said. “She even did well in the senior division in the state games.”

Now, Stratton is the only original player still participating in the league, which was started by Pat Paquette in 1972. Paquette, who passed away in 2019 at almost 90, was honored by the league many times for her dedication to sustaining the league over the years.

Stratton can’t be sure she played in the league from the very beginning, but remembers subbing at an early age.

“I remember playing around the time my children were born, and loved it,” she said.

Stratton and her daughter, Larissa Hanson, both say they learned to pitch at camp when they were young. Other family members were doing it, so it only made sense to learn so they could join the fun.

“I remember my grandpa saying, ‘It doesn’t matter where you stand, the peg doesn’t move,’” Hanson said. “He taught us about getting the shoe to flip and how to lock it in.”

Stratton’s current team, the Negaunee Township Quickshooters, won the league this year by one game. She threw every week of the season, and her teammates say she was a unifying force for her team.

“I’m very young-minded, and I plan to stay that way,” she said.

Stratton said the league win was special for her on the 50th anniversary. Her team has been in the top of the league standings for a few years, but just couldn’t pull past league leaders, Vick’s Little Store (formerly Tino’s), who won the league for several years in a row.

“My mom is smiling down on this,” Stratton said.

The connection with Grandma Sylvia is something that the mother-daughter duo draws on for focus even

Members of the Ishpeming-Negaunee Women’s Horeshoe League are pictured.

today.

“A lot of times, it’s just to bring the basics of what she taught us,” Hanson said. “Look at the bottom of the peg, reach for it.”

While not as many families play horseshoes at camp anymore, the league still had eight teams participate in the 2021 season.

“We want people to join,” league president Shirley Reno said. “The more, the merrier!”

Participation in the league has dwindled some in the last decade, which started with three divisions of at least six women’s teams a piece, and now has only an eightteam league. The women play with teams of at least six; each game is played until one team reaches 25 points. The league has teams whose home courts range from Palmer to Republic, with several in National Mine.

“It’s fun to get to know ladies from other areas,” Stratton said. “I’ve met some great people through the league.”

To help accommodate the original players such as Stratton, the league amended a rule in 2007 to allow throwers age 70 or older to move up an extra three feet from the foul line.

“The 70 and older line wasn’t a thing early on, but came later in the league to accommodate seniors throwing,” Stratton said. “We wanted these ladies to still be able to participate if they wanted to. They have a lot to share with younger players.”

Throwers range from high-arcing pitches with several flips to low shoes and three-quarter turns. Many of the players say the skill is similar to bowling or pitching in softball.

The art of horseshoe throwing can be traced back further than either sport, however. According to the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association (NHPA), horseshoe pitching was done in Greek and Roman athletic competitions, as well as some ancient religious observances and festivals.

Use of the horseshoe evolved when discus throwers could not afford the metal or stone, and improvised with what was available. Despite its ancient history, the first horseshoe pitching tournament open to world competition was held in the summer of 1910 in Kansas.

Things have changed throughout the years, and now even the horseshoe weight and shape are regulated, with the most commonly used shoe being Gordons. The Ishpeming-Negaunee Horseshoe League gives away two sets of these prized shoes each year during its year-end picnic.

Like other leagues in the area, players pay a one-time fee for the season, and each team pays a $40 sponsor fee. This sustains the help needed to keep the league going, with the league secretary/treasurer maintaining records, depositing funds and ordering trophies.

“We encourage former players who don’t want the weekly commitment to be on our sub list to fill in when needed,” Reno said. “There are always teams looking for subs.”

Reno, who found the league through an interest night after moving into the area from Manistique, said renewing interest in the sport is important to the league’s survival. She is passionate about recruiting new players.

“The ladies who have thrown for a while are very willing to help new players,” she said. “If young people want to learn, we can help.”

Reno encourages new and former players who are interested in pitching fulltime or filling in as a substitute next season to reach out through the league’s Facebook page, by searching “Ishpeming-Negaunee Women’s Horseshoe League.”

About the author: Kristy Basolo-Malmsten was the Marquette Monthly editor for more than a decade, as well as the owner of God’s Country U.P. Outdoors Magazine. She has a master’s degree in writing from NMU, and lives in Ishpeming. Her day job is as the senior center director in Negaunee.