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HP Pro Tour
“Open Division”
The New HP Pro Tour “Open Division” was created to allow players below the minimum tour average, a chance to participate in the Pro Tour events in 2012.
This division will be devised of players whose average ranges between 0-39%. These players will placed into groups not exceeding 10 players, and will be lined up in descending order of averages. Entry fees will be $30 and these groups will consist of mixed distance players. Because of the overlap of division averages, per documents showing this on the Pro Tour website, those players whose average falls between 30-39% may choose to enter either Division II, or the Open Division.
The objective of the creation of this division is that all players can now participate in tour events, will be placed into smaller classes, and pay a lower entry fee. The major difference between this division and others is that these classes will be mixed, and the payout will be lower, even though it’s equal to or better than a regular tournament. Below is the payout chart for the Open Division.
2012 HP Pro Tour
Open Division Payout Chart
|
10 |
|
$160.00 |
$80.00 |
$40.00 |
$20.00 |
|
9 |
|
$150.00 |
$80.00 |
$40.00 |
|
|
8 |
|
$140.00 |
$70.00 |
$30.00 |
|
|
7 |
|
$120.00 |
$60.00 |
$30.00 |
|
|
6 |
|
$120.00 |
$60.00 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
$100.00 |
$50.00 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
$80.00 |
$40.00 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
$60.00 |
$30.00 |
|
|
Tournament News
Good evening everyone,
I have some very exciting horseshoe news!
By now, many of you have heard about the HP Pro Tour, either from me or
other Pro Tour members. The HP Pro Tour is a relatively new
organization that is taking a different approach to organized horseshoe
pitching. I have been a member for the past couple of years -- getting
a feel for it -- and I can honestly say that I really like the pro tour
format and structure. It's different: a little faster paced (ringers
only!), more competitive (more ways to advance and win), and fun! So, I
would encourage anyone looking for a new twist on an old game to give it
a try. And let me mention that the payouts for the top finishers are
significant!
But if the money isn't enough, how about a little more incentive...how
about a Pro Tour event in our own backyard?
Over the past year, myself and others have been working with the
Director of the HP Pro Tour and the York CVB on a possible pro tour
event in our area. I am happy to say that those negotiations have
proven very successful. So successful, in fact, that the HP
Pro Tour recently announced that they will be holding their
"championship" event in York, PA! This
event will be the culmination of the HP Pro Tour season and will be
billed as the HP
Pro Tour York Thoroughbred National Championship (yes,
it's a mouthful). The event will be held in Memorial Hall East at the
York County Expo Center (site of the 2008 World Tournament), and will be
held November
2 - 4, 2012.
Once again, our good friends from the York CVB have stepped up to the
plate to show their commitment to the game of horseshoes. They are
committing prize money AND providing the use of Memorial Hall East free
of charge for
this event. This is an incredibly generous offer from the folks at the
CVB, and I can tell you personally that the HP Pro Tour officers and
sponsors are extremely excited about holding their season-end premier
event in York. It is a perfect location for such an event, and a
wonderful opportunity for PA pitchers to get exposure to a new and
exciting horseshoe pitching format.
So, what do you think? Sound interesting? I hope so, because this is
where I
need your help.
Those of you that were involved with the 2008 World Tournament know that
hosting such an event requires manpower and teamwork. While not quite
on the same scale as a world tournament, the Pro Tour organizers and
folks at the York Expo Center will need our expertise in setting up for
the event. As a new organization, the Pro Tour does not have its own
portable equipment, so we are being asked to provide portable courts and
clay. This should not be a problem for us since we inherited the "old"
WT courts from the NHPA in 2008, and I have a lead on a source of some
nice clay (other leads are welcome, just in case). And, as mentioned,
we have the experience. So please give this some thought as we begin to
plan for this event.
I will have more to say on this opportunity later and at our general
membership meeting at the end of February. I just wanted to share with
you all what I think is very good news.
If you would like to learn more about the HP Pro Tour, please visit
their website: http://www.hpprotour.com/.
The rules and regs can be found under the “About Us” link.
Thanks, and hope to see you on the courts!
David "Doc" Holliday
President & Treasurer - EPHPA
News Flash
Some of the latest changes for the HP Pro Tour are listed below:
HP Pro Tour Format
The HP Pro Tour format is designed to give players the opportunity to participate in a different style of sanctioned horseshoe pitching. This format was developed by the players themselves, and upgraded over the past three years. The basic format is “ringers only, 30 shoe games” and doesn’t deviate throughout the event, and consists of three separate and totally different rounds. The first two are qualifying rounds, the third being the finals, with the objective being to get to the finals for a chance at the money spots. Each time you advance, you are seeded in the next round based on your previous round averages (hence, we reward players on performance).
Round #1. (Ringer Percentage Only) Each participant plays 6 thirty shoe round robin games (180 shoes). After the completion of this round, a certain number of players who have the highest ringer percentages are advanced all the way to the finals. That number is determined by our charts. The remaining players advance to round two, and seeded by averages from round one.
Round #2. (Wins/Losses) In this round participants play in a 6 person round robin (5 games) and must finish in first or second place (number determined by our charts). These players advance to be seeded in the finals. However, if you are not one of these winners, a certain number of players will be able to advance, based on our “wild card” system for highest averages. The number of wild cards is determined by our charts.
Round #3. (Match play on a bracket) In this round, all the players who advance to the finals will play the best of three, individual games, where winners will advance, and losers are eliminated. In the finals, places 1&2 are determined by the last two players in a bracket, places 3&4 will be determined by a playoff. The final number of money places will be determined by the highest ringer averages.
This is an exciting, fast paced, and different format where you earn your advancement through the event. Players have chances in each round to advance, and even if you don’t win a spot, you could move in on a wild card position.
The Pro Tour is very organized in the directing of these events, we work off established charts designed to match our numbers in each round, to advance players, and finallCy the payout of players. A minimum of 1/3 of the players who enter an event will win a cash prize. NHPA patches will be awarded to the winners of each division, but trophies will not be awarded unless the location awards them. A player meeting, where all players are required to attend, will be scheduled prior to the event (details and times will be announced via website) This is just a brief explanation of our format, any additional info is available at www.hpprotour.com or by calling Ron Taylor (Director of Operations) at 803-207-9001.
Changes?
Many of you may wonder why we make changes. Well, we have made every change in the HP Pro Tour attract only the best horseshoe pitchers in the world. We continually seek new locations and sponsorships from any organization that is willing to host any of our HP Pro Tour events and from only the best sponsors that generously contribute to our organization. If you are one of those horseshoe pitchers looking for something just a bit more competitive and has the added edge that you are seeking then the HP Pro Tour just may fill your desires. If you are someone that wants to host one of our events, by all means, please contact us. We would be very honored to listen to your request. If you are a business owner and are looking for a way to get your name out there in the horseshoe pitching world of news or for that fact looking for another market then please contact us. We have sponsorships at all levels and we are continually in search of the same thing you are and that is to get our name out there in front of the public.
2012 Members
Division I 40'
Richard Whitney, New York
Alan Withrow, West Virginia
Elbert Shifflett, Maryland
James Cooper, Tennessee
Bobby White, Pennsylvania
Robert Faidley, Pennsylvania
Division I 30'
Bobby Fields, Tennessee
Hershel Walters, Indiana
Barbara Taylor, South Carolina
Debra Odum, Texas
Vicki Kunde, Maryland
Paul McGee, Maryland
Division II 40'
Howard Hawes, Florida
Bobby Evans, Virginia
Dale Estep, Pennsylvania
Tony White, Pennsylvania
Robert Koontz, South Carolina
Division II 30'
Regina Hawes, Florida
Larry Myers, Georgia
Open Division
Jim Haley, Georgia
Ronald Poorman, New York
Kevin Green, New York
Chuck Duymich, Virginia
Sign-Up
Now you can sign-up for our email list. We will keep you informed of any changes coming and our pitching schedule. Please click on my email address here dane.clark@hpprotour.com and I will make sure you get the latest information about what is happening on the Pro Tour.