KENNEWICK, Wash.-The 2024 National Horseshoe Pitchers Association World Tournament will be held in Kennewick July 29 through Aug. 3.
An estimated 1,000 participants will compete at the Toyota Center and one of the oldest pitchers in the field may be 94-year-old Charles “Charlie” Tapper of Auburn.
“I think I’m probably the oldest horseshoe pitcher, 94, I just had a birthday last month,” Tapper recently told KING 5 news for a story. “Once I got into it, it just became something that I wanted to do regularly. And I was fairly good at it, not the best, but I won my fair share of games.”
Tapper started pitching horseshoes around age 11 after an uncle introduced him to the game, according to KING’s reporting. Over eight decades later he’s still throwing ringers and enjoying the excitement of competition.
“There’s no enemies in horseshoes,” Tapper said. “I mean, there’s competition, there’s good sportsmanship, too. I love the good sportsmanship that we have.”
