Clarkston resident Doug Bailey, 61, and Waterford resident John (Jack) Gensman, 71, both members of the Lake Orion Horseshoe Club, won their respective classes in the state horseshoe pitching championship on Labor Day in Portage, Michigan, just outside of Kalamazoo.
Bailey defeated each of the other top seven pitchers in the state, twice scoring a perfect 14-0 record in Class A.
He had to outlast the winner of the past four years, Tom Williams of Albion, who finished at 12-2.
Gensman, who pitched in the Elders shorter distance top class, took first place for the third year in a row.
The tournament, held annually since 1923 by the Wolverine State Horseshoe Pitchers Association, allows men, women and children the opportunity to compete in classes based on their ability.
Bailey first entered the state tournament in 1990, and has won in lower classes, but never the top one until now.
Gensman, a retired Royal Oak firefighter, has been pitching for 22 years, and belongs to a horseshoe club in Florida in addition to the Lake Orion club.
When asked how he felt about being declared the best horseshoe pitcher in the state, Bailey said ‘It was hard to describe. A real dream come true.
‘It was overwhelming…the support from so many people who were equally excited by my win.?
Bailey’s high game was 86.3 percent ringers and he maintained an average for the tournament of 60.6 percent.
Bailey and his wife, Pat, have been married for 38 years and have four sons.
He retired from General Motors, where he was able to convince the company to put in horseshoe courts outside the plant for employees to use on lunch breaks.
Gensman averaged 61.4 percent in posting a 12-2 record.
The Lake Orion Horseshoe Club has 15 courts in Children’s Park in downtown Lake Orion.
Bailey is the president of the club, which plays weekly during the summer months.