NEWSLINE STORY

published November-December 2015

 

Recognizing Special World Tournament Helpers

by Bill Marvin, 5th Vice President and Regional Director and Court Sanctioning Director

 

(Editor’s Note: My sincerest apologies to Bill for missing this submission in the last Newsline. The delay in getting the message out is my fault, not his!)

 

The Kansas Horseshoe Pitchers had everything ready for the World Tournament this year. Topeka welcomed horseshoe pitchers with open arms and made the event a huge success. Kudos to Dave Sidles on his first tour as World Tournament Director. In spite of running behind schedule a couple of times, there were very few glitches from start to finish. The Expocenter was a terrific venue with room for 60 courts.

 

I must compliment the Kansas folks for their extremely hard work and dedication in each and every task it takes to put on a successful World event. Larry Collette, Roger Vogel, and Terry Cuthbertson did a terrific job organizing the volunteers and making sure everything was ready to go whenever a need came up. As a group, they never lost their excitement about being the hosts. From setup, which began on July 7, to teardown, they were there and more than willing to attack any job required.

 

Not only were there Kansas volunteers, I counted NHPA members from five states who came ahead of time to assist in the setup process. Two Wisconsin pitchers, Kevin Brekke and John Resch, not only did much of the taping on the mats, but anything else they were asked to do. Thanks to you both.

 

On average, it takes two and a half to three days of hard work to set up. From unloading the truck, mixing the clay, loading the boxes, laying out the courts, building the fence – the list goes on and on – each step has to be orchestrated carefully. Teardown is the process in reverse, but also requires that the mats be cleaned, the boxes be emptied and power-washed, stakes cleaned, and each and every piece stored in a particular way to expedite loading the truck.

           

Two additional folks deserve a shout-out:

 

Ron Smith from Louisiana contributed in a huge way in the set-up process. He is a tireless worker, and deserves the moniker “Crazy Cajun.” His nonstop action is amazing; he is indeed an asset to the set-up crew.

 

Tom Bush is a supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department in Montgomery, Alabama. He came to Topeka to get an idea of what it takes to put on our World Tournament. Not only did he get an idea, he was involved in every part of the process, mixing the clay, setting the mats and boxes, putting up fence … you get the idea. I have full confidence that Montgomery will be ready to do the job in 2016.

 

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