Harvey Steen has been heavily involved with horseshoes for about 26 years. He started one night playing in Glenburn, and joined the club there. He continued to play in a league in Glenburn and Minot, eventually becoming president of the Glenburn club.
Since then, he's been in numerous roles promoting, organizing and playing the sport. He has even been included in the North Dakota Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame. He likes the sport, because it's an accessible activity for many.
"Horseshoes is something that people can do at all ages. We have people all the way from 9 years old up to 85 years old playing," Steen said.
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Harvey Steen, a member of the Minot Horseshoe Club, tosses horseshoes at the courts near the Minot Moose Lodge.
Katina Tengesdal/MDN
Steen has continued to promote the sport and to participate in tournaments throughout the season. The horseshoe season kicks off in May, and continues through to the state tournament which is held over Labor Day weekend.
"About everyone I talk to, I talk to them about horseshoes. I've got quite a few people into joining the league," Steen said.
Steen currently participates in the Minot Horseshoe Club, which plays at the Minot Moose Lodge Horseshoe Courts. He recalled encouraging the Moose to build the courts 13 years ago, establishing the necessary contacts to get the job done.
His role in getting the courts built in Minot is one of the reasons he's in the Horseshoe Hall of Fame. He's also been the president of the club in Glenburn and the director of the junior league there for four years. In Minot, he directed the junior league for two years. He is currently one of the state directors for the horseshoe association. Directors are assigned the task of planning out tournaments and discussing any rules issues that might arise.
Steen also has tournament wins under his belt. In the state doubles tournament, he and Don Conroy were state champions. At the 2009 state tournament, he was the winner in the 30 foot Class B division. He's placed in many other tournaments throughout the years.
"You never know, I could get up there (at the state tournament) again. You just have to keep practicing. It doesn't matter how you hold your shoe, you just hold it in the way you feel comfortable. I used to play softball, and it's about the same as softball pitching," Steen said.
He hopes to continue promoting horseshoes and getting more people interested in the Minot Horseshoe Club. He expects more interested people will come to the club this season.
"I hope we get lots of people to play, and expand. If there's more people playing, it's more fun," Steen said.