Horseshoe Canada's Canadian Championships being held in Guelph this week is a family affair for some. Not only are they watching on the bleachers but playing alongside each other.
The four-day tournament kicked off on Wednesday at the Guelph Royal Canadian Legion, hosted by the Royal City Ringers.
Amber Meurs from Guelph started playing in 2012 and is playing in the tournament this week. Her daughter Ryley Stokes, 24, is also playing in the tournament started horseshoes when she was 14 and is now 24.
"My mom got me into the sport," said Stokes, who has been playing for 10 years.
Before Stokes played as a competitor she started out as a score keeper.
“The people are great too. It’s like a large family,” said Meurs.
“She seems to be doing really well. I’m proud,” she said.
Stokes would like to see other young people like herself play the sport. The elders love seeing young people come out and play, she said.
“We used to play at my grandfather's when I was a kid in the south end of Peterborough. He had pits in his backyard. So it was a family thing,” said Josh Yates, who has played competitively in the sport for the last couple of years.
His father Jim Yates is 77, has played horseshoes for 50 years and has been playing competitively for 30 years.
My dad, my grandfather all played the game, said Jim.
Josh said he has yet to beat his father at a game of horseshoes. “To be honest both of us are quite competitive,” he said.
“We spend a lot of time together. We throw a lot of horseshoes,” Josh said.
The Yates have been asked to split up and join other horseshoe leagues but they haven’t split up because they enjoy playing together.
“One thing I will say is that, I don't want to use that it's a dying sport. But if you take a look around, look at your age bracket,” Josh said.
“The only problem is horseshoes as a whole are starting to shrink a little bit. They’re aging out,” said Jim.
It’s the people and the sportsmanship that keeps Josh coming back and playing the game.
Josh would like the league he plays in, in Peterborough to host Saturday morning sessions where veterans of the game can volunteer and teach new and younger players how to play. He hopes it will attract more people to the game so horseshoes don’t die out.
Linda and Brian Leo picked up the game two years ago and have been hooked ever since. They are from Abbotsford, B.C. and came down to Guelph to play in the Canadian Championships. The Leos are hosting the Canadian Championships next year so they also came to see how the tournament is run.
They’re part of the Abbotsford Horseshoe Club and are trying to get more people involved in the sport.
“We’re actively pursuing our local school board and trying to get it involved in their physical education program,” said Brian.
“Just come out, say hi and try it,” said Linda.
