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08/18/2016 12:00 AMDave Turner has been throwing horseshoes for longer than most people have been on the planet. Dave, 86, is a longtime member of the Deep River Horseshoe League (DRHL) who’s been playing the sport since 1953. Back then, the league was known as the Pearson and Sockolowski Horseshoe League and Dave first competed in it as a substitute player when he was 23.
“My dad liked to play and had a couple of stakes in the yard, so I threw horseshoes once in a while growing up, but started in the league when I was 23,” says Dave, whose family settled in Deep River in 1941. “[Al] Pearson and [Steve] Sockolowski started it. They put cement around the pins, made the boxes, and the [Deep River Congressional Church] let them use the property, which they still use today. I stopped when I went into the Navy for four years and, when I returned, the name was changed to the Deep River Horseshoe League. I guess the name should’ve stayed because they started it and at least they should be recognized somehow.”
Dave enlisted in the United States Navy during the Korean War and, following his four years of service, he returned home and started playing regularly in what was now known as the Deep River Horseshoe League. The DRHL is currently in its 61st year of existence, making it the oldest horseshoe league in Connecticut.
“I started playing full-time when I returned and have been ever since,” Dave says. “I like it and find horseshoes to be an interesting game. It’s different than other sports like golf or basketball. It’s you against the stake and, the more reps you get, the better you get. I find it a fun and a challenging game. I’m sure some people think it’s boring, but not me.”
Dave continues to compete at a high level and is currently the 14th-ranked player in the DRHL’s A Division, which is the highest of the three in the league. In 62 games this summer, Dave, who plays for the Cubs, is averaging 20.70 points per game with 308 ringers and 28 doubles. In 2011, Dave helped his team win the league’s playoff championship. Last year, he was the top A player in the league and claimed its individual title. Dave’s son Ed Turner also competes in the DRHL, making every Thursday a family affair.
“I have been playing with my dad in the league for the last 15 or 20 years—maybe longer. It’s one of my dad’s passions and we might be the only father and son who play in the league. We were on the same team for two years and that was enough,” Ed says with a laugh. “It was interesting and a fun thing to do. I get to play horseshoes with my dad every week and not a lot of people get to say that. I see him every day, so it’s no different, but it makes for interesting conversations. We hook up later and talk about the games and it’s fun to compete against him. I always try to beat him, but it’s friendly competition, and we have a ball doing it. I give him credit for having the passion to keep playing.”
The apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree as Ed, a B player, owns an average of 20.44 points in 64 games this year. Dave says that he enjoys a little lighthearted rivalry with his son.
“It’s fun playing against my son. I think we ended up 3-3 [against each other]. I try to give him advice, but he doesn’t want to take it,” Dave jokes.
Dave likes how he gets in some exercise on a nice day as a member of the Deep River Horseshoe League. He also appreciates that he’s made friends with a lot of people in the community who share the common interest of tossing horseshoes.
“All the horseshoe players are my friends and they’re all good people. I enjoy the competition and I also enjoy talking to the guys. They tell stories and I listen and then I tell stories and maybe they listen,” says Dave. “What I like is we have people of all ages, men and women, and it’s a game everyone can play. But if you want to be good, you have to practice at it. That’s all it is to it.”