Swain wins Christmas Tree Open horseshoes tournament in Pahrump

Bob Swain of Bullhead City, Arizona, Randy Salzwimmer of Pahrump and Joey Lopez of Kingman, Arizona, captured division championships Saturday during the Christmas Tree Open horseshoes tournament at Petrack Park.

“This one of our best tournaments to date,” said Lathan Dilger, president of the Nevada Horseshoe Pitchers Association and the newly christened Southern Nevada Horseshoe Pitching Association, which organizes tournaments not sanctioned by the NHPA, under the auspices of the national organization.

Dilger said the tournament included more than $800 in prize money and almost $1,000 in raffle prizes thanks to a long list of sponsors.

“I’d like to thank our host and main sponsor, Dennis Andersen,” Dilger said. “He worked his tail off to get all the sponsors, and I would like to thank the sponsors. They made it a great raffle.”

Sponsors included Jewelry by Michael, Starbucks, Pop’s Kettle Corn, McDonald’s, Hair FX salon, Fitness for $10, Saitta Trudeau Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Subway, Little Caesar’s. Mom’s Diner, China Wok, Tractor Supply, Purcell Tire, Taco Bell, Pahrump Computers, NAPA, Walmart, At Your Fingertips, Alien Entertainment and RV Ranch Resort.

“I also would like to thank Dave and Cindy Barefield for the delicious barbecue lunch they provided,” Dilger said. There’s always food at horseshoes tournaments at Petrack Park.

Swain, Salzwimmer and Lopez pocketed $125 each for winning their divisions. In the A division, Mark Kaczmarek of Pahrump took second and earned $75, while Dilger finished third to win $50. Pahrump’s Mike Nicosia and Dave Barefield finished second and third, respectively, in B Division, while Steve Lopez of Kingman, Arizona, finished second and newcomer Mike Dedeic of Pahrump finished third in C Division. Prize money for each place was the same across the three divisions.

“We had 17 players, one from Boulder City, two from Kingman, two from Vegas and two from Bullhead City,” said Dilger, who noted that tournament champion Swain’s wife, Sue, also was a big winner, winning $9,000 at the Pahrump Nugget.