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09/01/2016 12:00 AMIn 1987, Bill Strong joined the Deep River Horseshoe League because he wanted a hobby. Twenty-nine years later, Bill is still enjoying his hobby and remains one of the league’s best players.
“One day I asked my wife if it was OK if I found a hobby,” says Bill, 81. “She said, ‘Yes, please, find one right away.’ Now, my wife is asking me when I’m going to stop playing horseshoes.”
Bill, a Westbrook resident, initially qualified as a C player in the league, averaging a score of 19 points per contest. By the end of that first season, Bill’s average improved to 32. The next year, Bill progressed into an A player and has competed in the league’s top division ever since. This season, Bill finished fourth in the A standings with an average score of 30.94 points to go with 504 ringers and 86 doubles. Out of the 60 players in the league, Bill was just one of five who averaged more than 30.
“He’s one of the best players in the state of Connecticut,” says Frank Jolly, the president of the Deep River Horseshoe League. “He plays in several leagues and is very competitive. He takes top prizes and travels all over to play horseshoes. He is devoted to the game and his trophy room is huge. He has hundreds of them in there and I couldn’t believe it when I first saw all of them, but he’d never tell you about it because Bill would never gloat. He’s just an excellent person.”
Bill travels all around New England to play in tournaments. He also participates in the World Horseshoe Tournament in Tennessee and even competes in tournaments in Canada. Bill has won the Central Connecticut Horseshoe Club championship in East Hartford and was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame for hitting the pins through the past three decades.
“I tried hard to make myself good. I love it. It’s just a lot of fun, good competition, and I’ve done well, and I’m proud of the way I’ve played the game,” says Bill. “I’ve won multiple awards and I’m still excited to play and still here doing it.”
Now retired, Bill drove a gas tanker for 44 years and also served the United States during the Korean War after being drafted into the Army in 1957. Bill was stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington with the 554th Engineers and his company built the pieces that were used for a bridge to cross the Rhine River in Germany. A father of four who has “two boys, two girls, and a bunch of grandkids and great grandkids,” Bill has been married to his wife Janet for 60 years. Sometimes, Bill’s family travels with him across the country when he competes in horseshoe tournaments.
“He’s a strong family man and they will go with him in the RV to tournaments and everybody really enjoys the sport,” Jolly says. “He is devoted to his family and horseshoes and spends most of his spare time giving back to the league. He’s a great individual and everybody likes him. And what’s amazing is that, at his age, he is still a top player, which shows you how much he cares and the work he puts into the game.”
Bill plans to continue playing horseshoes for as long as he can because he gets so much enjoyment out of the sport. Something else that Bill enjoys is lending a hand in any way he can in the Deep River Horseshoe League.
“I want to play as long as I can or as long as my wife lets me,” Bill jokes. “I try to help out as much as I can. I like helping the new players learn the game and I’ll go down early with Chris Christensen, who is another long-time player and top player in the league that I’ve known since the 50s, and we’ll clean the pits and do what we can. If I can get up and walk, I’ll still play horseshoes.”