Horseshoe Pitching Competition

MJ stumbled upon a horseshoe pitching competition happening at our after-work-hangout-place, Bishan Junction 8. Usually while waiting for me to finish up at the office, he'll kill time at J8 until I pick him up when I'm done. So last Thursday, the atrium at J8 was filled with a relatively small crowd looking in earnest at people throwing horseshoes. This is an annual event organised by the Singapore Turf Club and it's been travelling round the malls since its inception in 2007. The aim of the game is to throw 3 horseshoes and get it hooked around a vertical metal rod pierced through a small area of sand. The person who manages to hook all 3 horseshoes advances to the semi-finals and then the finals. The eventual winner wins $2000!
According to MJ, who actually observed the different techniques competitors adopted for awhile before mustering his guts to go give it a shot, the technique is to keep the horseshoe straight and parallel to the ground as it leaves your hand and have it drop just at the right distance so that it falls nicely around the rod. Sounds simple, but it isn't.
The good thing about the event is that one can try and try as many times one wants, until he/she gets the 3 or until the mall closes, whichever is earlier. He managed to get 2 hooked but every time a person gets this far, the commentator would announce his/her feat, and the music being played changes to a more 'kan cheong' beat and everyone's eyes turns to see if it's going to be 3 out of 3. Due to all this pressure of all eyes on him, MJ of course managed only 2 out of 3 which was a decent enough result for the organisers to take down his particulars so they can invite him back next year.
There was a rather elderly lady who was also giving it a shot and I could see that she put her all into throwing that horseshoe. Her stance was solid, her concentration steadfast and her delivery respectable. It got me wondering if I'd be as 'gung ho' as she is at her age when I get there myself, or would I be totally self-conscious and not even give it a try? I think it's easy to be the latter, but I would really like to adopt the former mentality. Hopefully when I get to be her age, I'll remember this blog and remind myself not to let my aging body dominate my (hopefully) still active brain.