NEWSLINE STORY

published May-June 2016

1st Vice President Candidacy Letters

For the position of 1^st VP, Dan Sanders has decided not to run for another term, however we have three candidates that have met the requirements of our By-Laws and will be campaigning for this position at Montgomery. They include Michael Taylor from Nebraska; Gary Roberts form Ohio, and Wayne Saulsbury from Delaware. The NHPA Council wishes each of these candidates the best of luck.

Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor is an avid horseshoe pitcher, who tries to play just about every weekend. He lives in Nebraska and plays in four different states, if time allows. Michael is currently the third Vice President of the E.N.H.P.A. (Eastern Nebraska Horseshoe Pitching Association) and oversees the Nebraska Horseshoe Pitching Facebook page.

Michael Taylor believes that the sport of Horseshoe Pitching is a great way for families to spend time together and that “everyone can play”. One goal is to invite more youth participation.

Michael is semi-retired and lives in Bellevue, Nebraska. If you would like to reach him, go to the Nebraska Horseshoe Pitching Facebook page or contact by email: Taylorml_4@cox.net

Wayne Saulsbury

MY VISION: I want to work with the other officers to help the NHPA grow and improve. I want to try to get more young people involved, as they are truly the future of our sport.

CAREER: I have worked in different positions in business and accounting. After obtaining my teaching certification, I worked as a teacher for a number of years. I currently work part-time as Vice President of Distribution for Vital Magazine.

HORSESHOE PITCHING: I have been playing and pitching horseshoes for most of my life. I entered my first tournament in 1991 at the urging of my son and ended up winning first place! I am one of the founding members of the First State Horseshoe Club. I served as Vice President and Tournament Director for four years and I am currently the 2nd Vice President. In my tenure, I have been the Tournament Director for well over 100 tournaments. This year will be my 14th World Tournament. I came in 1st in my class in 2001 and 2011. The First State Horseshoe Club won the award for fastest growing club by percentage points from the NHPA.

FUN FACTS: My nickname is “Rocket” or “Rocket Man” since I pitch a low hard double-flip shoe. I used to ride “centuries” on my bicycle. A century is 100 or more miles in one day. I also have a passion for listening to live music and my taste can best be described as eclectic. I help produce the DooWop music shows at the Grand in Wilmington Delaware. I am relearning how to play the guitar after setting it aside many years ago.

EDUCATION:

AA Business Administration (Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, MD)

BS Accounting and Business Administration (Delaware State College, Dover, DE)

Teaching Certification – State of Delaware (Delaware State College, Dover, DE)

Gary Roberts

I was born into a horseshoe pitching family, and pitching has been a part of my life since I was ten years old. I won the World Junior Championship four consecutive years, and I have pitched in the Men’s Championship Division on many occasions. I was also fortunate enough to win the Ohio State Championship in 1981.

In 2012, I was awarded the Arch Stokes Memorial Award because of my international promotion of horseshoes in South Africa and Namibia, and because of my many years of exhibition pitching.

In 2013, I was inducted into the NHPA Hall of Fame because of my promotional activities. I am also a member of the Ohio Hall of Fame.

Horseshoe pitching has been rewarding to me in many ways. Serving as a NHPA officer would give me the opportunity to give back to our sport. There are many challenges ahead to assure that our sport moves forward.

I feel I am qualified for this position for many reasons:

· I have served as President of the Ohio Horseshoe Pitching Association for the past eight years. During that time I have assembled a great group of officers that work hard to promote our sport.

· I have been heavily involved in promoting horseshoe pitching in South Africa and Namibia.

· I have promoted horseshoe pitching with many years of exhibition pitching. Our family has pitched at the Bob Evans Farm Festival for 44 consecutive years.

· I am currently Executive Director of a non-profit agency employing 300 people with an annual budget of $22 million. I am very familiar with budget projections and handling difficult problems.

It would be a great honor to serve the NHPA as 1^st Vice President. The consideration of my qualifications for this important position would be greatly appreciated.