NEWSLINE STORY

published May-June 2016

 

President's Message
Start of the Season and Looking Forward to the Tournament

by Stu Sipma, NHPA President

 

With spring in the air and the snow pretty much gone. I can’t remember ever having such a mild winter here in North Dakota. It’s that time of year to be thinking about getting your leagues started and getting new members to sign up for the pitching leagues.  

 

Just a reminder for everyone (and I know you have heard me say this before) that it is “all” of our responsibility to get out there and sign up new members to pitch this season.  My selling pitch has always been it’s a family sport where everyone can participate, you get to play outdoors, in addition to getting some exercise, you get to meet new friends and create new relationships, and where can you find a sport that is so reasonable to participate in.  Please try and do your part and grow your clubs. 

 

Congratulations to Bob Dunn and Clive Wahlin (deceased) who will be inducted into the National Horseshoe Pitching Association Hall of Fame. Bob Dunn will be inducted into the category of “Promoter/Organizer”, and Clive Wahlin will be inducted into the “Historic Era Player”. The Hall of Fame induction will be held at the 2016 World Horseshoe Tournament at Montgomery, AL.  Congratulations to these two deserving individuals. The NHPA Council would like to thank Vicki Winston for the great job she is doing directing the HOF Committee.

 

This year at the convention, there will be no by-Law or rules changes to vote on. However, it is our intentions to discuss our NHPA financials. As most of you know, who have been involved in past delegate meetings at the world tournament, our financials have slowly dwindled down to a point where we need to make some changes. Pretty much all of our income comes from the membership dues. Each year our numbers have been slowly decreasing while the cost of doing business has risen significantly. 

 

I would like all of you to know that the NHPA Council has been working hard at controlling cost and increasing membership. However, the numbers have reflected differently. The NHPA Council will be proposing a dues increase at the convention. It is my intention to spend some time discussing and going over the financials justifying an increase and hope to come to a consensus on the dollar amount. Again this is only a proposal.  

 

Another topic on the agenda at the convention is the election of 1st & 3rd Vice President Positions. For the position of 1st 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. A bio of each is included in this issue of Newsline.

 

For the position of 3rd VP, Jerry Smith has decided to run for another term. For other NHPA members, April 1st was the deadline. Since April 1st has passed, I announce that there are no other candidates running for the position of 3rd Vice President.

 

The 2016 World Horseshoe Tournament will be held July 25 – August 6, 2016 in Montgomery, AL. The host site, the Multiplex located at the Crampton Bowl is in the city limits and close to downtown Montgomery. The deadline for submitting your entry is May 16, 2016.  For more information, visit our website at www.horseshoepitching.com.  Please be sure, when submitting your entry, you are registering in the proper division.  Parents of Cadet and Junior pitchers, this is especially important so your child will not be disqualified from the competition. Please note the entry fee has not changed.  

 

The Council would like to thank all the Charters who provided nomination letters for individuals who they feel deserve to receive an NHPA Achievement Award. The NHPA Council will be reviewing the applications and the recipient/s will receive their award at the Hall of Fame Banquet in Montgomery.

 

The Council is pleased to announce three sites that will be bidding to host the 2018 World Tournament. These sites include:  1) El Paso, TX, 2) Florence SC, and 3) Shreveport –Bossier, LA. Dave Sidles, Tina Hawkins and Bill Marvin performed site visits. Their articles are included in this issue of Newsline. These three bidding sites will be hosting a booth the first week during the 2016 World Tournament in Montgomery and will be giving a formal presentation at the convention.  Per our By-laws, voting is based on a simple majority and only one winner will be announced. The Council would like to thank these three sites for their interest in hosting our grand event. We look forward to a great time with all of you in Montgomery and wish you all the best of luck. Shown below are the three sites and their proposed dates:

 

El Paso, TX (July 30 – August 11)  

Richard Madrigal (Convention Sales Manager- Destination El Paso) has put together a bid package to include hosting the event at the Judson F. Williams Convention Center  

 

Florence, SC (July 30 – August 11)  

Kendall Wall (GM for SMG/Florence Civic Center) has put together a bid package to include hosting the event at the Florence Civic Center.   

 

Shreveport-Bossier, LA (July 30 – August 11)  

Kelly Wells (VP Sports and Tourism) has put together a bid package to include hosting the event at the Shreveport Convention Center.

  

In conclusion, I believe it is going to be another great year for horseshoes. The Council is really hoping for a great turn out in Montgomery, AL for the 2016 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships. The NHPA Council is pleased to see we have three members who have shown interest in serving on the NHPA Council board as 1st VP. We wish them the best of luck in their campaigning.

Let’s all make an effort to get out there and recruit new members and turn this downward membership count to a positive.

 

See you in Montgomery, and safe travels.

 

Stu