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Letter: Richmond horseshoe clubhouse proposal is no joke

Dear Editor, Re: “ I want a $5 million horseshoe club ,” Letters , June 6.
horsehoes
Horseshoeing can be more popular if the the facility is there, according to this letter writer. Wikipedia photo

Dear Editor,

Re: “I want a $5 million horseshoe club,” Letters, June 6.

If the city is handing out money,  I also would like a horseshoe clubhouse with some pits in Richmond, but asking for that kind of money for any club does not seem realistic in this day and age.  

I have been a member of BCHA (British Columbia Horseshoe Association) since 2002 and have been playing in organized horseshoe tournaments throughout B.C. since then.  There are clubs in almost every corner of B.C., but there is no place to play horseshoes in Richmond, therefore I have to travel to Burnaby Central Park, where I am a member.  

I used to go down to Steveston, clean up one of the pits — dig out the weeds, bring water to keep the dust down when playing, a rake and broom.

There is no washroom except at the community centre, which was very inconvenient. The condition of the pits made me stop playing there. Many people walk by the Steveston horseshoe pits on a daily basis but no one notices them because they are so run down. 

Horseshoes is a game all ages and genders can play.  Richmond held the BC Senior Summer Games in 2009, which is when some new pits were put in. They were great, I practiced on them a few times and then someone, in their great wisdom, spent even more money and took them out and left the rundown ones behind.

I would like to see a club formed in Steveston. All it would take is for the city to fix up the existing pits, put in a washroom with a storage area for rakes, shovels, brooms and some horseshoes.

It certainly would not cost that much and it could be used by everyone who wanted to have fun outside with some friends or make new friends. Meanwhile, Burnaby Central Park is always looking for new members and everyone is welcome.

I am a proud member of the BCHA and you can contact me if there is enough support in getting a club formed in Richmond. Check out bchorseshoe.com for more info and pictures.

Allan Cummings

RICHMOND