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published January-February Issue 2016

 

Junior Profile: Tyler Howard

Kentucky Horseshoes to the Bone

 

by Aleena Lepak, Junior Promotion Director

 

Tyler Howard may look like your average 17-year-old senior from Richmond, Kentucky. He has played basketball for 15 years and has been bowling for eight years, the last two on his high school team. This young man, however, can pitch a horseshoe like it’s second nature.

 

Tyler is in his senior year at Madison Central High School and attained a Junior Boys’ World title this past summer in Topeka, Kansas. He has also won six Junior Boys’ state titles and three Cadet state titles. Even with so much hardware, his friends still think they can beat him. That is, until they see him pitch. Then, they suddenly want to play another sport.

 

At only three years old, Tyler first saw his mother keeping score for a game of horseshoes, and then started throwing from 10 feet. As he started to get stronger, he was able to throw from 20 feet at five years old, and was able to compete in his first tournament.

 

Tyler practices every day for about an hour, when the weather permits, but amps it up to about three hours before a big tournament.

 

When asked about his hero, Tyler said, “My dad is my hero, as he has gotten me started in horseshoes and has helped along the way.” You can’t go one tournament without seeing his dad or both of his parents in the stands supporting and cheering him on.

 

With so much going for him, Tyler plans on continuing to pitch well after high school and into college. He loves the competition against other juniors, and is looking forward to defending his title in Montgomery, Alabama.

 

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