Larson claims horseshoe title

printed in the Echo Press
9-14-2001

The new Minnesota Junior Girls State Horseshoe champion started pitching in the backyard of her Evansville home when she was eight.

"I just started throwing with my dad and grandpa for the fun of it," recalls Kayla Larson, whose father, mother and grandfather all participate in the sport.  "I'd throw from about 20 feet, and slowly built up."

Larson's first tournament appearance came in 1998 at an event in Donnelly.  She averaged a humble five percent ringer average, but knew she was hooked on throwing horseshoes.

"It's a really relaxing sport," she noted, "but, I'm a pretty competitive person, so it can be as competitive as I want to make it.  That's what I like."

At the recent state tournament held in Forest Lake, Larson, who also competes in volleyball, basketball and softball, was a perfect 5-0 in head-to-head competition, with a ringer average of 39.52 percent.

Her highest ringer average thus far has been 50 percent.

Since getting serious about the sport, Larson has competed in three state tournaments, two state doubles tournaments and two world championships, the most recent one held earlier this summer in Hibbing, MN.

She was named Minnesota Rookie of the Year in 1999, and last year was the recipient of a $200 scholarship from the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association for achievements both in the classroom and in the sport.

Although Minnesota has the largest roster of junior pitchers in the nation with 72, Larson understands that many of her peers know little about the sport in which she's found so much success.

"Most of the kids in my school know I pitch horseshoes, but it's not a really popular sport right now.

"There are more kids pitching, but there still aren't a lot," said Larson, who last year conducted a horseshoe clinic for kids in grades 4-6 to encourage more young pitchers.  "It's a great sport with a lot of great people."

According to Larson, one of the presenters at the state tournament explained horseshoes best when he called it a gift that's passed on from one enthusiast to the next.

"It really helps if you have friends or family that play," said Larson.  "I let people know if they're interested, that I'll teach them, because that's how it works.  That's how I got started, watching my family."

Of her most recent – and most prestigious to date – crowning moment, Larson said it was almost unreal.

"I was pitching with the same people I usually pitch with," she recalled.  "When I won, it was just like any other win, until I thought about it.  I was the top girl pitcher in the state!

"That was pretty good," she added.  "Definitely pretty good!"

The Game of My Life

written by Kayla Larson
10-19-2003

The pressure was on as soon as I walked into the Forest Lake hockey arena.  The atmosphere in the arena was not a typical hockey arena.  Inside the Plexiglas walls, there were 24 horseshoe courts sectioned off with blue tarp barriers into three pitching areas consisting of 8 courts each.  Each court has a scoreboard and a scorekeeper's chair placed at the center, just out of the pitcher's way.  The arena is filled with laughter, visiting, and constant clanging of horseshoes hitting the stakes.  This is my home every Labor Day weekend.  In 2001, I became the MN Junior Girls State Champion.  Now, in 2002, could I defend my title?

I had to compete against 3 other girls, approximately my same age and same ringer percent.  Since the numbers were down in our class, we used a double round robin format.  We played 6 games to 40 points.  After a couple hours of friendly competition, we awaited the results.  The leader board showed a tie between Colette and I.

Off the court, Colette and I have become good friends throughout the years, but when it comes time to compete, it's all or nothing.  We've competed against each other in local tournaments, past State Tournaments, and two World Tournaments.  For us, the only game that matters is when we match up against each other.  Every time we play each other we hope for our best game, but never as much as we wanted it during this championship deciding game.

After a short break, it was time to start our playoff game.  By this time, everyone else who had been competing on the other courts had finished up their games.  Now, all the spectators had made their way to the bleachers where Colette and I were about to start our game.  The laughter, the visiting, and the clanging of horseshoes hitting the stakes were gone.  An uncomfortable hush filled the arena.

I had never experienced anything like this before.  I was shaking on the inside and probably on the outside, too.  My heart was working overtime as it pounded and pounded inside my chest.  It amazed me that I could even throw the horseshoes my first few throws.  However, everything eventually started to feel normal again.  The crowd slowly faded out of my sight and the only thing I saw was the stake.  I was effortlessly throwing ringer after ringer.  Everything felt so easy and natural.

Finally, I could see my win in sight.  The Girls State Champion was about to be crowned.  I only needed 1 point to win.  I threw two ringers on for 6 points.  The only way I could lose was if Colette covered both of my horseshoes.  She threw her first shoe–missed.  She threw her second shoe–missed!  The crowd exploded with cheers and applause.  I earned my second consecutive State Championship.

Defending my title was very important to me.  The pressure was hard to overcome, but I managed.  You'd have to experience playing in a playoff game to understand how I felt.  It was amazing.  I pitched at the top of my game to defeat Colette and defend my title.