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Dexter man inducted into Missouri State Horseshoe Hall of Fame
DEXTER, Mo. — Ronnie LeGrand of Dexter joined the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association in 1999. Pitching horseshoes became a passion for LeGrand. He has competed in numerous competitions. He has earned the titles of state champion and world champion.
LeGrand now has a new title, Hall of Famer. LeGrand was inducted into the Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame on September 2. LeGrand was nominated by a friend of his, Stanton Griggs.
LeGrand explained that when a nomination is received it goes to a Hall of Fame Committee for approval. Upon reviewing the nomination the committee will approve or decline the nomination.
LeGrand said the Hall of Fame induction was one of two major accomplishments in his career. The other was winning the world championship. LeGrand won the world title in the Senior division in 2021. With this win he became the first person from Missouri to win the world title. He nearly won a second world title this year.
He and another competitor finished with identical 13-2 records after the championship round. This meant the two had to compete in a playoff to break the tie. LeGrand fell just short and placed 2nd.
LeGrand competes locally in the SEMO Horseshoe Circuit. These are sanctioned tournaments and LeGrand said everything is tracked and used to seed the state tournament. The state tournament is a round robin tournament. LeGrand has won the Senior division of the state tournament four straight years.
LeGrand said the stats from the sanctioned tournaments and the state tournament are used to seed the world tournament. He said this is a six day event. The first three are the preliminary rounds. The preliminary rounds determine the seeding in the championship rounds.
The seeding in the championship round is based on ringer percentage, or the percentage of throws that are a ringer. A ringer occurs when the horseshoe surrounds the stake when it lands.
The top 16 advance to the championship round. The championship round is a round robin tournament. LeGrand said the competitors throw five games a day for three days for a total of 15 games. That is one game against each of the other competitors that advanced to the championship round. The first to 40 points wins the game. The competitor with the best record wins the tournament.
When asked if he was surprised when he was inducted. LeGrand with his characteristic grin replied that he was not expecting it at all and was indeed surprised when he was told.
LeGrand lives in Dexter with his wife Sheila. They have two daughters Mendy and Ronda and five grandchildren, Carson, Cameron, Clayton, Max and Ryn.