Joe Smith and his son Zack, of Gladbrook, are noted horseshoe pitching champs. They recently returned home from the world competition. At this year’s Iowa State Fair, they placed first in the state doubles tournament with Zack also placing first in his class, with more youth competitions to come. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

GLADBROOK- Joe Smith and his son Zack, 10, of Gladbrook travel the country competing in horseshoe pitching tournaments. They recently returned home from the world competition in Washington state where Joe placed 12th and Zack placed first in cadet class A and second in overall cadets. At the Iowa State Fair, they placed first in state doubles tournament with Zack also placing first in his class, with more youth competitions to come.

“Most tournaments are really quiet — not too much going on around. The fair is not quiet at all. It’s a totally different atmosphere,” Joe said.

Joe’s father and grandpa got him interested in the sport when he was a young child.

“I was throwing from 10 feet away when I was five years old,” he said.

But hard work, not luck, allowed Joe to rise through the ranks.

“I didn’t start off that good. I had to really work at it. The first year, I got like third or fourth, and then I went back and I practiced all summer, and I went and won my first state in 1992,” he added.

Son Zack decided to follow in his footsteps about two years ago.

“I just wanted to follow after my dad because we’re both lefties and I like to try new things,” Zack said.

Left-handed throwers are rare, Joe pointed out. He added that everyone throws differently.

“You can even copy somebody and you’re still not going to be the same,” Joe noted. “Flips and turns are the same but you’ll look different. Step different. Throw really low or really high.”

The family practices at the Hardin County Fairgrounds from November through April. They use a portable court at home, and also practice at Joe’s parents’ house.

In the six days he competed at the world competition, Joe threw about 1,300 shoes, with a 59% ringer rate. It’s known as a ringer when a horseshoe has been thrown in such a way as to completely encircle the stake.

He said the average player’s rate is closer to 33%, and eShoe allows National Horseshoe Pitchers Association members to track stats.

“You can look up anybody and see what their last tournaments were, and how they’ve been doing, and then you can kind of compare that to how you think that you’re going to do against them,” Joe’s wife/Zack’s mom Jennifer Smith said. “We checked that a bunch before the world competition.”

Averages are only taken through the end of May, which doesn’t necessarily reflect a player’s current skill level.

“But if you pitch in tournaments in June or the beginning of July, then you could be doing much better those two months than what your average said when you signed up for the world,” she added. “Zack, when he entered the world, he was like 32% but by the time we got to the world, he was pitching close to 40% even then and then he ended up pitching around 46% to 51% at the world.”

They are members of the Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitching Association and the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. They travel extensively for events, making friends along the way.

Zack said being a competitor is both exciting and anxiety producing.

“I feel nervous because I’m kind of shy. I like the people. They like when I pitch and watch us,” Zack said.

In addition to horseshoe pitching, he also plays football and baseball.

“I think that the hand eye coordination that it takes to pitch horseshoes helps him in other sports,” Jennifer added. “When we do (the) state tournament and world tournament, he pitches against youth, but at the average tournament — which we go to most Saturdays — his average is high enough that he’s pitching against adults only.”

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