By Sally Haase
(February 26, 2023) —Up until a few years ago, the Haddam Horseshoe League’s pits were located in a shady area next to Liberty Bank and behind Highway Package Store in Higganum. On summer evenings you could hear the clinks of horseshoes as the members competed in a sport that required some skill but was not physically challenging and did not require expensive equipment, except for a league sanctioned horseshoe. The clinks and laughter often drew on-lookers from restaurants and stores nearby who enjoyed watching the locals play.
The Haddam Horseshoe League began in 1986 with members who were mostly firemen and State Highway Department employees as well as the “townies.” It was so popular that the league had a midday group called the Pratt and Whitney 2nd Shifters. In its heyday the league had fifty to sixty men, women and teens on its roster. The growth even drew members from area towns.
The teams consisting of three players, are given names of Major League Baseball teams – Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, etc. At the beginning of the season, handicaps are established to even the skill levels of the pitchers and are adjusted weekly. While the standard pitching distance for men is forty feet, women and teens are allowed to pitch at thirty feet, again leveling the skill levels.
A few years ago, the new owners of the property asked the league to leave. With permission from the trustees of the Village Park Society, the league was allowed to construct their pits in Field Park on Isinglass Hill behind the Town Office Building in Haddam, though there was noticeably less exposure than playing in Higganum had offered.
Over time the league has fallen to fewer than twenty members. There are now two-member teams instead of three-member teams. The small membership and the two-member teams prevent the league from playing other towns. Michael Zanelli, Jr. is the league president. He feels that aforementioned lack of exposure is the main reason for the decline in membership. Additionally, many of the players retired from the sport, while younger men and women seem to be focused on other things. In general, “Times have changed,” says John Durinick, Jr., who remembers growing up attending family picnics, community and church outings. Horseshoes were always part of the events.
Why is the interest in horseshoes in decline? Some would say it’s a new generation with different interests. People are jogging, hiking and working out at the gym. Others are playing games on the internet. Parents are busy shuffling their children to sports and activities. Times have changed.
Ninety-five-year-old Whitney Brookes, Jr. was an early member of the Haddam Horseshoe League and one of its star players. He remembers the good times and camaraderie the teams had with each other. He related a story about a teammate who participated in the World Horseshoe Tournament in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The man brought his trophy with him to the next Higganum match. Proudly, he set it on its own chair for all to see. “Then,” said Whit, “I beat him bad.”
Bill Warner, Haddam’s Town Planner, announced on July 29, 2022, the receipt of a grant to create an “intergenerational playground” at the former Haddam Elementary School. While the project is in its early design stage, Warner expects to hold a few meetings this spring to engage in brainstorming sessions with the Economic Development Committee, the Park and Recreation Department as well as the public to discuss the best use of the grant money. To date, suggestions include pickle ball courts, a splash pad, exercise stations, walking paths and, of course, playscapes. Why not horseshoe pits? The Haddam Horseshoe League has an opportunity to make a “pitch“ to bring their pits back to Higganum.
If anyone is interested in joining the Haddam Horseshoe League, man, woman or teen may contact Mike Zanelli at 860-301-3881. You might even get Whit Brookes to give you a few pointers.
Photo Provided by Haddam Horseshoe League
