Family affair
BUFFALO TWP — When it comes to horseshoes, the Lefevre family of Clinton Township knows how to pitch.
And do it together.
And win.
John Lefevre Sr. and his wife Dianna, both 52, and sons John, 30; Jeremy, 28; and Justin 24 are all members of the Peter B's team in the Butler County Horseshoe League. The team won the regular season title this season.
“I started tossing horseshoes with a buddy of mine, Bill Walker, in 1985,” John Sr. said. “But I didn't join the league until 2004.”
When he did join, it wasn't with Peter B's. That team has only been in existence for three years and the Lefevre family had a lot to do with its formation.
John Sr. broke into the league with Hooker. He went on to H.T. Spillway, then Runt's Roadhouse and pitched horseshoes with a couple of his sons.
His wife and another son were on East Butler's team in the same league.
“It was strange not having all of us on the same team,” Dianna admitted.
The Lefevre boys grew up on horseshoes, after all.
“We had them tossing those rubber horseshoes before they could even walk,” John Sr. said. “They probably started out when they were two years old or so.”
Justin Lefevre remembered tossing horseshoes against Joe Weichey, one of the best players to ever compete in the Butler County league.
“He kicked my butt, but I'll never forget it,” Justin said, smiling.
The entire family respects the sport. They practice twice a week, for as long as three hours at a time. They may pitch as many as 400 horseshoes each during a practice session.
So it was only fitting they eventually be part of the same team.
“When we joined H.T. Spillway in 2007, it was the worst team in the league,” John Sr. recalled. “Two years later, we won the whole thing. That was an amazing transformation.”
From there, it was on to Runt's Roadhouse, where Lefevre and sons were part of three successive championship teams in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
At that point, it was time to take a leap of faith.
Dianna and a son brought a few players over from East Butler, John Sr. brought the other sons and a couple of buddies over from Runt's and the Peter B's team was formed.
All together on a team for the first time, the Lefevre family enjoyed a championship run with Peter B's in 2015. The team lost in the finals to O'Donnell's last year.
Now Peter B's and O'Donnell's are the top two teams again.
John Sr. and Dianna run a catering service and a couple of the sons help out there. Another son is night-time manager of a gas station while another works on an assembly line for Bayer.
“Horseshoes are bonding time for us,” Dianna said. “It's the one thing we all have in common. It's the one thing we all do together.”
The Lefevre family has indoor pits at their home “so we can play the game all year round,” John Sr. said. He added that he's working on refurbishing the family's outdoor pits, which have not been operational since 2008.
A gathering of family and friends at the Lefevre household often ends with a horseshoe match breaking out.
“It happens all the time,” John Sr. said.
They're hoping league championships continue to happen as well.
“We're pretty competitive that way,” John said. “We take our horseshoes seriously. No one likes to lose.”
With the enjoyment they get from the game, nobody does lose.
“It's what we do and we love it,” Dianna said.