DORSEY HOUSE
HORSESHOE ARENA

On January 4, 2004, Warren Kolosiek, Dan Markley, Wayne "Boz" Miller, Dean Schmitz, John Thomachefski, Dean Watson, and John Zadick, pitched in the new Dorsey House Horseshoe Building in Clyde Township, near Port Huron. The facility is 60 x 60, has four courts, 2 table shuffleboard courts and an area for darts. It has a bar to serve food and drinks. If you want to eat a fancy meal the restaurant is just across the drive. Everything is new so we were the first ones to pitch on the courts.

The pits have a sand composition in them, not clay. They don't want the clay dust going into the air and being tracked all over. The building has a concrete floor that is covered with a nice carpet glued in place. Of course, there will be plenty of vacuuming after each day of play. They have plenty of safety devices in place and one would have to be very careless to get hurt playing horseshoes there.

They need to improve a few things, but some they probably can't. For instance, court # 1 and 4 are too close to the wall and fence. You don't have much room throwing so you might as well pitch on the wrong platform on one side of those courts. The sand is too loose as the shoes were buried most of the time. The pits hollow out easily and constant grooming has to be done to maintain level pit material. And, of course the pits are prone to lots of sliders. For pitchers exiting the

pits properly, you have to walk around or through a 3-4 foot pit extension in the front of the pits. The backboards are a bit too high with sideboard extensions. I found myself moving over to the left to avoid hitting the boards on my back swing.

The lighting, heat, ventilation, and restrooms are great and there's plenty of parking. The owner and manager are very hospitable and want this adventure to be successful.

If anyone is interested in a sanctioned league I will be happy to run it. You tell me what day you want to pitch. If a WSHPA tournament were ever played there, it would have to be run like the tournaments in Mount Clemens. Three shifts of 10 per shift (5 per round robin) during the day. It makes a long day for the tournament director, but it could work out if WSHPA members are willing participate. St. Clair County, where the courts are located, is home to many bar leagues and pitchers. I am sure some of them would want to become WSHPA members and participate in our sanctioned tournaments.

The weather held off and everyone was home safely by the time the snow entered Macomb County. We all had a great time! The Dorsey House address is 6008 Beard Rd, Clyde, MI 48049-1800, (810-385-9793). Map Quest on your computer will give you good directions.

Remember: The Dorsey House, a good place to eat, and now a great place to pitch horseshoes!

January 4, 2004