NEWSLINE STORY

published September-October 2016

Success of the World Tournament and Looking Ahead to 2017

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

No matter how you slice it, the 2016 World Tournament was a tremendous success, thanks to the efforts of countless people.  The Montgomery Parks and Recreation folks bent over backwards in every way to provide the NHPA with a top-flight facility.  Whatever we needed, they were able to comply with all requests.  It is this type of cooperation behind the scenes that make it possible to put on a successful event.  To Kay McCreery, Tom Bush and their staff, thank you for everything.

There are too many folks to list them all, but I need to acknowledge a few.  The NHPA Council, which I am proud to be a part of, was able to get every shift started on time, and the tournament stayed on schedule.  That is due in no small part to the willingness of people to be scorekeepers and judges.  It cannot be over emphasized the importance of this aspect of running a successful event. Thanks to all of you.

World Tournament attendance was down from last year.  Many things contribute to the number of people attending.  The decision to attend this event is not made in the weeks before that date but it has to be planned months in advance.  Pitchers have to participate in tournaments/leagues to qualify and make plans necessary to facilitate the time away from jobs and other responsibilities.  Begin now to talk up the 2017 tournament in St. George, Utah.  This location is a great place to have the tournament and a terrific place to vacation.  The natural beauty of the National Parks in the area has to be seen to be believed. Now is the time to begin to plan to attend.  Not only will you be a part of the biggest horseshoe tournament of the year, you will have the opportunity to see some of the most magnificent scenery anywhere in the world.

By the way, Illinois won the annual trophy challenge against Minnesota.  And as a reward, Jerry Labrosse treated me to a marvelous steak dinner.  As you can see from the picture, I LOVE IT!!