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!"