NEW HAMBURG -- Getting close counts, of course, but don't expect any extra points for a "leaner" if you toss with the SEMO Horseshoe Pitching Association this weekend.
"That's been out of play since the '70s," said Terrie Rose, the Association's secretary and Facebook monitor. "We know when somebody comes in and tries to score a leaner, they've been gone a long time. There's no skill involved in a leaner -- it's probably just a bad shoe."
But other than brushing up on the current rules and putting up an entry fee about the price of an adult beverage, there really isn't much else required to pitch in tournaments Saturday at Schindler's Tavern in New Hamburg or Sunday at the Backyard Horseshoe Club in Grassy.
"Anybody can come out and play," said Rick Lawson, Schindler's owner. Last year with 17 teams showing up, "we had lot of people out throwing shoes," Lawson said.
"They come from as far as Park Hills, St. Gen, they come from over by Piedmont, Dexter, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau -- that's kind of the circle," Rose said. "Occasionally we have someone from out of the area."
"It's $5 per person," said Melody Williams of the Backyard Horseshoe Club in Grassy. "The only time it is more than that is at the Oran Fourth of July tournament."
For the complete story, see the Sunday edition of the Standard Democrat.