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08/23/2018 12:00 AMOld Saybrook resident Frank Jolly competes in the A Division as one of the top-tier players in the Deep River Horseshoe League (DRHL). Frank pitched shoes for the Royals this summer, and he’s also in his second term as president of the DRHL, which is nearing the conclusion of its 63rd season.
Frank recently posted the DRHL’s highest single-game score of the season by throwing a 55 go to with his overall total of 165 that day. The performance marked one of the best ever recorded by Frank, who thinks it’s going to be a long time before he totals a score like that again.
“It’s like a baseball player throwing a no-hitter...Everything was a ringer or double ringer,” says Frank. “It was an exciting evening, but that doesn’t happen very often. I think that was one of my best performances by far, and it will probably not be replicated in the near future.”
Frank’s approach in the pits involves him throwing the flip. While he believes that the turn is a skilled approach at the pin, Frank feels more comfortable throwing the flip, and that’s how he achieved his recent high score.
“A lot of the more senior players will throw a turned shoe. I throw a flip shoe, and a lot of the players in the league throw with a flip,” Frank says. “We try to get it to flip 1 ½ times in the air, as opposed to a turn shoe.”
Frank got his start playing horseshoes when he attended Nichols College in Massachusetts, and he’s continued to play casually in backyards throughout his life. Frank never thought that he would take his shoe-tossing skills to a league, but after seeing players competing in the DRHL week after week, Frank thought that it would be fun to join.
“I played in college, and I also played during the 15 years I lived in Tolland. I played in the backyard with some of the neighbors,” says Frank. “I had always seen the horseshoe people playing Thursday nights. I didn’t know anybody there at the time, but I went for the qualifying and started playing. It was just casual for me. I never thought it would develop into playing in a league.”
One of the reasons Frank plays in the DRHL is because it’s a big, competitive league that features people who are always willing to help one another. Frank feels that the way the players conduct themselves leads to the DRHL being held in the highest regard in Deep River.
“I enjoy the camaraderie with the players and the respect that the league has. We’re well thought of in the community,” Frank says. “We have people from all walks of life playing, and it’s a fairly large group of people. The nice thing about this league is the senior players will help in practice and give instructions on how to throw.”
Frank is in his eighth season as a member of the DRHL. He previously served as the league’s treasurer, before being voted as its president. Frank takes great pride in handling his responsibilities at the helm of the league.
“Basically, I make sure the league operates properly and follows the rules. We have a set of bylaws. We have schedules to adhere to. We have to settle disputes if there are any,” says Frank, who also enjoys fly fishing and golf. “I had been treasurer for one year, and this is my third year as president. It’s a two-year term, and I was unanimously voted in at the end of the second year to serve one more term.”
Frank appreciates the dedication of his fellow colleagues in the DRHL, especially the players who have been involved for the long haul. Frank says there are a lot of people who help the league maintain a high level of play by upping their game every season, and he’s happy to call them his peers.
“Our vice president, Deb Scully, and her husband play competitively in national horseshoe tournaments. They’ve been playing for many years, and it’s nice to see how they do,” Frank says. “I thank them and the senior players like Cris Christensen and Bill Strong, who have been playing a long time. They are always helpful, and they’ve been in the league for 30-some-odd years. It’s nice to have that perspective.”
Frank also expresses great gratitude to the DRHL’s secretary Bill Brown, who tracks the performances of every player and each team on a weekly basis. Frank says that the efforts of people like Brown have helped foster interest in the league.
“Bill Brown works tirelessly to get the statistics done each week. He’s been doing this for many years, and it’s great,” says Frank. “If it wasn’t for Bill Brown, we wouldn’t have that information, and we wouldn’t be getting coverage from the paper and iCRV radio station out of Ivoryton. Things like that to help promote the league.”