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Wipf receives 'surprise' Horseshoe Hall nod
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By ARIY-EL BOYNTON, Sports Editor
| 09/22/2009 |
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On Sept. 5, Laverne Wipf of Madison suspected something was up when his son Tyler from Florida and his daughter Tracey from California were headed with him to the South Dakota Men's state horseshoes championship in Pierre. When friends from Madison were also at the South Dakota Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame banquet, it was a dead give-away.
Wipf was inducted into the state's Horseshoe Hall of Fame -- an honor that means a lot to him.
"It shows hard work does pay off, and I had a lot of good times too," Wipf said.
Wipf's road to the Hall of Fame included placing fourth in his age group at the 100th annual National Horseshoe Pitching Championships in August at Springfield, Ill.
Wipf carried a high ringer average of 38 in his age group, two above his normal ringer average. While he lost to the eventual champion, he did beat the second- and third-place finishers.
Overall, Wipf had a 10-5 record for the three days he threw; the winner went 12-3.
The tournament forced him to be active longer than what he was accustomed to and Wipf said that he would have liked more time to warm up. He said he felt more comfortable on the third day than the first.
"Play lasted past 8 p.m., and that's near my bedtime, and it was hard to focus at times. At least I use that as my main excuse...everything was against me," said Wipf with a sly smile.
The action was held indoors, which Wipf enjoyed.
This was Wipf's seventh national horseshoe tournament. He has also played in Spearfish, Bismarck, N.D., Gillette, Wyo., Hibbing, Minn., and Kitchener, Ontario.
In 2010, Wipf plans to attend the 2010 world tournament in Ceder Rapids, Iowa. He expects more competitors from South Dakota to take part next year.
The Madison man has said that his hobby is something he really enjoys.
"Yeah, horseshoes has enriched my life through all my travels and the wonderful friendships that I have experienced because of a game that I play basically every day," said Wipf.
The game of horseshoes even brought his four children together this month.
According to Wipf, the announcement of being inducted into the Horseshoe Hall of Fame was not "official" until the banquet, but with a large group of supporters being in Pierre, "I knew I was in, so when they called my name, I acted like I was shocked," he said.
When Wipf spoke to the crowd, he thanked his daughters Tracey and Tami (of New London, Minn.) and sons Tyler and Troy (of Flandreau).
"They have all played me at least one game, along with my wife Vivian," said Wipf.
He enjoyed having his family together, which hasn't happened "in a very long time," Wipf said. "I guess it took horseshoeing to do it, but I didn't really care. I was glad to be with them."
Wipf said he reached the Hall not only for his play but also because of extra work he put in helping out with organization and taking care of the horseshoe pits.
The former South Dakota Highway Department worker, who practices nearly every day, never had any goals for horsehoes except for having fun and playing his best.
"I just wish I could play as good in the tournaments as I do in my back yard. I would win a lot more," said Wipf.
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©Madison Daily Leader 2009
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